Navigating the Rocky Seas of Cancer Survivorship: The Things No One Prepares You For During cancer treatment, your doctors, nurses and support staff have been there with you, but what about after treatment is over? How do you deal with an understandable sense of isolation as you resume your life? How do you deal with the trauma and emotional toll of your diagnosis? What about the effect that your experience has had on your sexuality and relationships? How do you regain a sense of well-being and improve your health? Join us for this 3 part cancer survivorship series for women post-treatment that begins on Thursday, February 23rd at 5:30 P.M. ET
The Price of Shame
In my terrified mind, this was the path to just getting my life back, as if those breast implants could be a talisman to ward off grief and pain.
Lucky Seven
Those words "long term survivor" still catch me by surprise. I will whisper them like a rosary until all my cells know it to be so.
Growing Resilience
My friends and family know that I'm an avid gardener. This time of year, I am closely following the weather trends, waiting for the barometer to rise enough to safely begin the "hardening off" process for my seedlings. Hardening off describes the process by which you gradually expose your plants to the elements of sun and… Continue reading Growing Resilience
Healing those Hidden Wounds
In my work with cancer survivors, there are different ways that this need for emotional work expresses itself. Here are just a few. Do you find yourself falling into any of these traps?
They kept telling me to get a biopsy, but that was entirely wrong.
The mismanagement of crucial records and lack of conscientious administrative practices can cause unnecessary trauma for patients, or worse, result in mismanagement of care with deleterious results. I presented the front desk of my primary doctor’s office with my mother’s genetic results showing her recent RET+ Medullary Thyroid Cancer diagnosis on January 3, 2024, as… Continue reading They kept telling me to get a biopsy, but that was entirely wrong.
Pleasure, Play & Purpose
I am at the convergence of 3 very important healing missions, and have been itching for a quiet moment to find the words to express what has me fired up right now. Last weekend I helped to host over 40 breast cancer survivors in my hometown with an amazing organization called Flat Retreat Community, who… Continue reading Pleasure, Play & Purpose
How to Emotionally Prepare for Surgery
When surgery is looming, finding the people, practices, activities and rituals that speak to you, that give you grounding and meaning is the place to start. Here are some ways that I prepared emotionally for my surgery after a cancer diagnosis.
Bias Towards Breastedness & The Future of Breast Cancer Care
How can a cancer patient make an informed and fully resonant choice when you don’t include all the options and disclose all possible complications? Find out why I am a "Flatvocate" after living with breast implants for 5 years.
What will you do with this life?
“I just want to live!” It’s came out like a whisper, an endless prayer, a mantra in each breath, it poured from my mouth like a wounded animal howl. I felt it in my bones on sleepless nights...