April is Occupational Therapy (OT) Month- What is OT and how can it help you?

Posted April 8th, 2021

by Dawn Heiderscheidt, MOT, OTR/L, ECHM April is Occupational Therapy  Month! In order to celebrate this profession, it’s important to understand WHAT an Occupational Therapist (OT) is and how they connect to oncology. The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) defines OT as “the only profession that helps people across the lifespan to do the things […]

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 […]

Bob Riter

What To Say – And Not Say – To A Person With Cancer

Posted September 14th, 2017

Most people find it awkward when first talking with a friend or acquaintance who has just been diagnosed with cancer. Even though nearly everyone is well-intentioned, many say things that hurt or mystify more than they comfort. Based on my own experiences and my conversations with others with cancer, here are some suggestions: What to […]

Karen Arnold-Korzeniowski, BSN, RN

Are you breaking up with me?

Posted August 1st, 2017

While receiving cancer treatment as an outpatient, you are often spending much of your time at appointments, getting tests and scans and receiving  treatment. You will be spending your days with physicians (medical specialists, radiation oncologists, surgeons, etc), physician’s assistants, nurse practitioners, nurses, assistants, techs, social workers, counselors, and the list can go on and […]

I’d Want You On My Team

Posted October 28th, 2016

Snaking through the security line at Los Angeles International, I noticed an abandoned backpack. I watched it for a few moments as the line continued to move. “Is this anyone’s backpack?” No response, so I slipped under the barricade to report it. About the time I got back in line, a woman claimed it. She had left it on […]

What a Great Cancer Support Team Looks Like

Posted July 5th, 2016

A spontaneous group hug from The Littles—can you count all four heads?—took place at the train station in New Jersey after hanging out with the youngest of my support team members. (The Teens, of course, are way too cool to do group hugs. Not that either of them were even out of bed when this photo was taken, […]