Weekend in New England

Posted June 30th, 2020

Our group of college friends planned to attend alumni weekend in June. But cancer and COVID changed our plans. Through a series of messages, and phone calls, we heard the news: it is cancer. The cancer diagnosis and treatment planning all happened during COVID. We still wanted to celebrate our friendship, so we planned our […]

Financial Frustration

Posted November 19th, 2019

When my aunt was diagnosed with cancer, it was clear that she would never be rid of her cancer, that she would die from it, it was just a matter of figuring out which treatment regimen would hold the cancer at bay for the longest amount of time. Ange tackled many issues during the last […]

Supporting Your Loved One Through Cancer Diagnosis and Treatment: Ya Don’t Know ‘til Ya Know

Posted February 1st, 2018

Something a patient said to me this past week really struck a chord, prompting me to shift the basis of this blog post just a bit. It was one of those moments that makes you draw in a deep breath before even attempting to reply. As we casually discussed her treatment for that day and […]

The Power of Friendship

Posted January 17th, 2018

Over the past several months, I’ve been supporting a dear friend through his cancer diagnosis, appointments, treatment decisions and planning, and adjustment to life with cancer. This is not new territory for me; I’ve been an oncology social worker for many years, and I’ve walked this path with many patients and their families along the […]

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, […]

Bob Riter

No Right Way Through Cancer

Posted November 20th, 2017

I often say that there’s no single right way through cancer. What do I mean by that? Some people aggressively treat their cancers with surgery and chemotherapy long past the time that others would have switched to comfort measures. Some people keep their cancer diagnosis a secret from nearly everyone while others make it a […]

9 Advantages To Having Siblings (Read: Support Team)

Posted September 28th, 2017

I was looking through some photos of my recent Oregon-to-Colorado road trip, and came across this pic of my big brother and me standing at an observation deck above Snowbird in a gorgeous land called Utah. I grew up the girl in the middle. Sandwiched in between two brothers. And while I never tattled, or […]

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, […]

Bob Riter

Cancer Makes Everyone Stupider – and Smarter

Posted March 30th, 2017

A professor recently told me that he instantly became 50% stupider when his doctor told him that he had cancer. He said that his own research in his field of study is careful and thoughtful. When he learned that he had cancer, the “careful part” of his brain shut down. Rather than thinking logically about […]

11 Secrets I Learned About Living After Losing

Posted March 14th, 2017

After Hubby died of cancer, I relocated to southern California, claimed my daughter-in-law’s pink-rimmed bike as my own, and said Yes to several not-necessarily-planned-far-in-advance adventures. Adventures, such as … Puerto Rico with son and daughter-in-law, spring break with daughter and son-in-law on North Carolina’s Outer Banks, full-ride scholarship to writers/speakers conference in Cincinnati, meeting long-lost […]