CancerLand Bookshelf : Loosen

Posted July 26th, 2021

Author: Kyle PotvinISBN: 9781939449078 LoosenInformation: Hobblebush Books, 2021 $18.00 USOncolink Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️ (3/3) Flattered. That’s the best word to describe how I felt last week after I clicked on an email from OncoLink and read a forwarded invitation from Kyle Potvin to review her new book of poetry. Incredibly flattered actually, since I had only […]

Cancer Rehabilitation Starts at Diagnosis: Part II

Posted July 13th, 2021

Cancer Rehabilitation: An Invaluable Service but a PR Challenge In part 1 of this blog, I told you about the ways that cancer rehabilitation (rehab) providers can help people with cancer, from the time of diagnosis through well into survivorship. After reading that you may have thought why don’t all people get this? I often […]

Cancer Rehabilitation Starts at Diagnosis

Posted July 6th, 2021

Survivorship care typically begins at the end of active treatment. The goal is to provide support and resources for moving forward after treatment. In reality, survivorship care is most helpful when it looks at your whole cancer experience, from diagnosis forward. You are a survivor from day 1. A vital starting point is a baseline […]

5 Surefire Strategies for Thriving Despite Cancer

Posted January 9th, 2019

My husband, Gary, was diagnosed with late-stage prostate cancer. As in, no cure because it had already metastasized outside the prostate.  But Gary—tenaciously, courageously—went on to defy the odds and live ten really good years. How is it that some people seem to flourish despite life’s challenges, while others wither up and curl in on […]

Why ‘brave-making’ is important

Posted September 17th, 2018

Cancer is a bully and a thief. It pushed my husband, Gary, and me around for a while and stole a good deal of our courage. In time, though, we determined to step out into unknown, scary places. We took up hiking and snow-showing in our middle years. We applied to become a non-profit, wrote […]

How To Manage Fear When Cancer Shows Up

Posted November 22nd, 2017

For some people, the unknown carries anticipation. A job transition, for example, that could mean new opportunity, new friends, a new community. The excitement of pushing away from the dock and pursuing far-reaching, blustery adventures. For others, the unknown causes anxiety. Leaving the safety of the familiar shore, swept out into uncharted waters. A cancer diagnosis, […]

Managing Difficult Conversations at Work

Posted November 9th, 2017

One of the first work-related challenges you may face is the decision about whether to share your cancer diagnosis with your employer. Deciding whether to disclose at work is intensely personal, if you choose to do so it’s important to determine ahead of time how much detail you want to reveal.    Then it’s best to […]

4 Simple Ways To Experience Peace In Cancer

Posted October 16th, 2017

Not too long ago, I stumbled across an email sent as an update to our kids and siblings on how my husband, Gary, was faring with cancer: “We’re home from Hospice House,” I wrote. “Gary’s still pretty sharp, his sense of humor is still intact, but there’s been quite a bit of change in the past […]

Karen Arnold-Korzeniowski, BSN, RN

Use the Good Lip Balm

Posted September 21st, 2017

A few months ago a family member was diagnosed with incurable, but treatable cancer. She was hospitalized when she was diagnosed and stayed in the hospital while starting her treatment. Every imaging test she had showed more metastasis, and the bad news didn’t seem to end for about 5 days straight. It was very challenging […]

17 Things I Took For Granted Before Cancer

Posted September 18th, 2017

A blog reader recently sent email about his wife who died too quickly after a cancer diagnosis: “I was unprepared and now alone. My awesome wife and friend … was now missing from my life,” he wrote. His email reminded me that when cancer strikes and we lose someone of infinite value—spouse, child, extended family member, […]