Cancer is only part of my journey

Want to know more about immunotherapy? Live or planning to visit the New York city area on Saturday, September 15th? Perhaps this FREE patient summit, sponsored by the Cancer Research Institute, is something you will be interested in. I am merely passing along the information. Click here to know more.

One thing rarely mentioned on cancer support groups or other sites is how cold one’s head and ears can become from a lack of hair. I come from a family of mostly men. At various ages all experienced follicle challenges. But even those who showed more skin than hair, never mentioned being affected by the big chill. Not me. It seems everywhere I go my nippy noggin comes along.   Admittedly, when summer temperatures soar in the high 90’s feeling even a hot breeze across my naked scalp is nice. However, just the mildest of air conditioning has me scrambling for cover.   Never a hat person prior to this latest challenge, I am now. A series of baseball caps and a wide-brimmed sun hat are typical daytime outdoor attire. Inside I cover up with felt and cotton beanies while singing the praises of the crafty volunteers who kindly donate their stitchery magic to my cancer care unit. Last week I was caught short. Having fallen and scraping up my hands ...

The kindness of strangers is so important in my life right now as I maneuver about in a place where physical friends do not exist and a lack of a car makes life a challenge. Last evening arout 6:45, I was walking the 1/2 mile to the FDR Home, here in Hyde Park. I've walked it a number of times, but for some reason I resumed my title of "Prima Ballerina at the Klutz Ballet." My left foot caught the lip of the uneven asphalt and after stumbling and unsuccessfully trying to ca tch my balance with my hiking stick...down I went. Sprawled over the shoulder, as I sat up to take inventory, four cars, on both sides of the road screeched to a stop. These four strangers picked me up and stayed as I surveyed the damage.Scraped knees, hands and an aching wrist where it could have been so much worse.  One man took me down to the FDR, where a documentary presentation was waiting. As we parked he handed me a small first aid kit and said 'keep it.'  It enabled me to cl...

It is not the mountain we conquer but ourselves                                                             Sir Edmund Hillary

I've been asked repeatedly how I handle the present traumatic physical and financial aspects of my life without crashing into an overwhelming depression. First, I don't believe any of this is permanent. Like a current of water, it can change for the better. I have also practiced meditation and mindfulness for years. My practice is even stronger now, and mindfulness carries me through many painful and or stressful situations. A trendy word to many, mindfulness is not hard to establish in your life, if interested. How? Thich Nhat Hahn, a Zen Buddhist monk I greatly respect, explains it best. 'Take the time to eat an orange in mindfulness. If you eat an orange in forgetfulness, caught in your anxiety and sorrow, the orange is not really there. But if you bring your mind and body together to produce true presence, you can see that the orange is a miracle. Peel the orange. Smell the fruit. See the orange...

Just invent a good-tasting oral liquid that people have to drink before taking contrast dye for a CT scan. Today was my fourth experience. Each of them have featured "cocktails" of varying tastes that all ultimately taste like boiled socks. Truthfully, I've never tasted boiled sock water, but this glop is what I imagine it is made from. BTW should you invent the sure-fire moneymaker, just remember to send me checks for being an inspiration.