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 […]

22 Ways to Support Your Newly-Diagnosed Friend

Posted March 6th, 2017

Over the past few years, a number of people have asked about best ways to support a newly-diagnosed-with-cancer friend, neighbor, or family member. Or how to support a close friend who just learned a loved one had cancer. Keeping in mind that every cancer patient will be at a different place in terms of diagnosis, long-term prognosis, and state […]

Bob Riter

Nice People Abound in the Cancer World

Posted March 1st, 2017

One of the volunteers at the Cancer Resource Center recently said to me, “Every person I meet with cancer is nice.” It’s an interesting observation and one that other volunteers have made as well. I’ve been in the cancer world for more than 20 years and I think it’s generally true. Not because nice people […]

Bob Riter

A Field Guide to Family Members of Cancer Patients

Posted January 6th, 2017

There are a variety of styles that spouses and other close family members adopt to help a family member with cancer. Here are several negative styles that I’ve observed through the years as well as the style that is most likely to be helpful. Combatants are always looking to pick a fight, often with doctors […]

15 Ways to Rock Cancer Caregiving

Posted November 2nd, 2016

“Honey, I can do that for you.” Hubby couldn’t reach his feet due to swelling, and I offered to clip his toenails. I’m sorry to report that I may have clipped the top of his big toe. (But only because he jerked in anticipation of me clipping the top of his toe.) In view of my […]

Bob Riter

Stopping Treatment Is Not Giving Up

Posted October 13th, 2016

I sometimes hear from individuals with advanced cancer who continue with aggressive treatment because their loved ones exhort them to “not give up.” Some family members go so far as to say that stopping treatment is the same as committing suicide. It’s not. I wish that we could reframe this discussion because when people choose […]

Blood Cancer Awareness Month

Posted September 9th, 2016

September is Blood Cancer Awareness Month. What is a blood cancer you may ask? A blood cancer is a cancer that affects your blood cells including how they are produced by the body and how they function. In these cancers, the development of blood cells is interrupted by the growth of abnormal types of blood […]

No, I Don’t Know What You’re Going Through…But I’m Here Anyway

Posted August 4th, 2016

When I was seven years old, if you asked me what I wanted to be when I grew up, my most probable response would have been “Lawyer!” It’s likely, too, that you would have been taken aback by the confidence in which I gave that response. As I’m sure most people know, life’s journey is […]

christina bach

Take Me Out To The…Cancer Game

Posted July 14th, 2016

Last night, like many others, I settled in to watch the mid-summer classic, the MLB All Star game. It’s not so much a game, as it is a spectacle. Last night, it also became a cancer spectacle—of standing up and never giving up the fight. This morning, as I thought about it more, I got […]

Bob Riter

We Have Cranky Days

Posted July 8th, 2016

A woman going through cancer treatment was having a bad day. She was miserable and her friends were offering words of encouragement along the lines of, “You’ll feel better tomorrow.” She told me that the encouragement didn’t help. She said that it was like wearing cold, wet clothes. Hearing that she’ll soon have warm, dry […]