My name is Jessica. I’m twenty-one years old, and my cancer story began two years ago. My aunt passed away from stomach cancer at the age of forty-three. Because this type of cancer predominantly affects older men in Asian countries, my family knew something was wrong. After genetic testing, we … [Read more...] about Stupid Cancer by Jessica
Stories of Hope
My decision to focus this website on HOPE comes from my obsessive curiosity and fascination with the question of what it takes for a patient to defy medical statistics and survive and thrive, despite the severity of the diagnosis? What role does HOPE have in that outcome? What about a strong “will to live?” How does one prepare to face the challenges and the traumas of a cancer diagnosis and treatment? How does one deal with the angst to get through the fears and uncertainties? And then, how does a person cope with the enormity of the internal changes that have taken place on the cancer path … the physical, the emotional, and the spiritual?
I want to use the experiences of the authors and myself to bring a sense of hope, a sense of belonging to a greater community, to encourage my sisters and brothers to receive the blessings of those who have walked the cancer walk before. We hold your hand and your heart.
That is the spirit in which we share our stories and hopefully contribute to your healing.
Rachel Remen M.D., Author, Mentor
Rachel Naomi Remen, M.D. is Clinical Professor of Family and Community Medicine at UCSF School of Medicine and Founder and Director of the Institute for the Study of Health and Illness at Commonweal. She is one of the best-known of the early pioneers of Holistic and Integrative Medicine. As a … [Read more...] about Rachel Remen M.D., Author, Mentor
Facing Cancer in Your ’20s by Suleika Jaouad
Cancer doesn’t just put your life on hold, said Ms. Jaouad, who was diagnosed with leukemia a year after she graduated from college. It’s not like you get to skip back a few months and pick up exactly where you left off. I wasn’t going to get my old life back. I was so excited for what lay … [Read more...] about Facing Cancer in Your ’20s by Suleika Jaouad
How Generous Are You Willing to Be? by Jesua
When I was 20 years old, a junior at Sarah Lawrence College in New York, I made an incredibly brave choice. I decided to dedicate one third of my college curriculum to the studying of modern dance. Prior to that point, I had been studying psychology, philosophy, writing and religion, as well as … [Read more...] about How Generous Are You Willing to Be? by Jesua
A Golden Opportunity
By Suleika Jaouad Earlier this week I found myself surrounded by journalism royalty. Many of the most-talented and most-courageous broadcast journalists, editors, producers and videographers had gathered at New York’s Lincoln Center for the 34th Annual News and Documentary Emmy Awards. But to my … [Read more...] about A Golden Opportunity
If I Had My Life to Live Over by Emma Bombeck
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
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