I would have gone to bed when I was sick instead of pretending the earth would go into a holding pattern if I weren’t there for the day. I would have burned the pink candle sculpted like a rose before it melted in storage. I would have talked less and listened more. I would have invited friends … [Read more...] about If I Had My Life to Live Over by Emma Bombeck
Archives for November 2017
From Firefighter to Cancer Fighter by Rusty Keyes
Busting down doors with an axe. Braving flames and clouds of poisonous carbon dioxide to save a child. Putting our lives on the line for the greater good. That’s what being a firefighter is all about. As a group of manly men, it’s not especially comfortable to talk --- or even think --- about the … [Read more...] about From Firefighter to Cancer Fighter by Rusty Keyes
The Gift of Grace by Susan Gubar
An email I received from a reader some time ago has begun to haunt me. The reader’s sister was dying of cancer. How, she asked me, would I respond to the word grace in the context of a cancer death? My correspondent did not gloss over the miseries of her sister’s terminal state. She outlined a … [Read more...] about The Gift of Grace by Susan Gubar
Bronwyn the Brave by Allison Gryphon
I wrote this story for my A.W. Gryphon Bits & Pieces Blog on 11 September 2011. It’s strange looking back on that now. That date came four days after my fifth of six chemotherapy sessions ... and four days after I lost my dear friend and step-mom to brain cancer. I was bloated, bald, desperate … [Read more...] about Bronwyn the Brave by Allison Gryphon
The Things I Wish I Were Told When I Was Diagnosed With Cancer by Jeff Tomczek
Your relationships are about to change. All of them. Some will get stronger. They will probably not be with the people you would expect. The people you want to handle this well might not be able to for a variety of reasons. Some of the reasons will be selfish. Some of them will be entirely innocent … [Read more...] about The Things I Wish I Were Told When I Was Diagnosed With Cancer by Jeff Tomczek
Cancer Support Groups Weren’t for Me — Until … by Aisling Carroll
I exit the elevator at casino level and catch a glimpse of myself in a mirror wearing a black and baggy Stupid Cancer t-shirt. I feel a flush of hot regret in my cheeks for wearing this conference apparel just as dozens of doll-like women in neon bandage dresses teeter past. I yank my sweater … [Read more...] about Cancer Support Groups Weren’t for Me — Until … by Aisling Carroll
You Are Not Your Cancer by Paul Brenner M.D., Ph.D.
Even when we are in the best of physical health, our minds can be filled with negative thoughts about the future and the past, obscuring the present moment. How often do you find yourself worrying about something that hasn’t even happened, or that happened long ago? Try keeping track over the course … [Read more...] about You Are Not Your Cancer by Paul Brenner M.D., Ph.D.
Enzo: The Cancer Warrior by Enzo’s Dad
He stands nearly two feet tall and weighs in at thirty-five pounds of lean, fibrous strength. His eyes are dark brown and project the wisdom of a battle-stricken Marine. His hands and arms bear witness to pain from which most adults would cower. His head is slick and bald with a sheen. His birth … [Read more...] about Enzo: The Cancer Warrior by Enzo’s Dad