There is a dreadful routine to chemotherapy. My life has been synched to a chemotherapy calendar ever since my leukemia diagnosis last year. I have become an expert at predicting when side effects and symptoms will set in. It is a ghoulish monthly party, and the guests always arrive on time: nausea, … [Read more...] about Fighting Cancer and Myself by Suleika Jaouad
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.
A Scare, a Scar, a Silver Lining by Nicholas D. Kristof
My doctor’s call came early last month just as I was completing a column noting that 41 percent of Americans come down with cancer. That statistic felt as remote as a puff of cloud in the stratosphere — until my physician, Gary Raizes, gently began to break the news to me that I had a tumor in my … [Read more...] about A Scare, a Scar, a Silver Lining by Nicholas D. Kristof
Betting on Harry: Boy Diagnosed with Leukemia by Katie Drake
As the parent of a bone marrow transplant patient, there are a few milestones that you long for your child to reach. Katie and Julian Drake were told that if their son Harry made it to six weeks post-transplant, he was in good shape. If he made it to six months, he was in really good shape. And if … [Read more...] about Betting on Harry: Boy Diagnosed with Leukemia by Katie Drake
Teaching Resilience, Courage, and Perseverance by Barbi Appelquist
Three years ago this weekend, I was diagnosed with my second cancer, a soft-tissue sarcoma. I remember with haunting clarity the early days and months of my diagnosis. This morning, I read a CNN article that highlighted how, in the United States, cancer will bypass heart disease as the No. 1 cause … [Read more...] about Teaching Resilience, Courage, and Perseverance by Barbi Appelquist
Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change
About Pema Chodron We live in difficult times. Life sometimes seems like a roiling and turbulent river threatening to drown us and destroy the world. Why, then, shouldn’t we cling to the certainty of the shore — to our familiar patterns and habits? Because, as Pema Chödrön teaches, that kind of … [Read more...] about Living Beautifully with Uncertainty and Change
Get Through Cancer: Check? by Paige Davis
I grew up with goal setting as a key component to our family life. Literally --- my sisters, Mom, Dad and I would meet at my father's office at least once a year and assess our dynamics as a family unit. We would whiteboard a traditional SWOT exercise (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats) … [Read more...] about Get Through Cancer: Check? by Paige Davis
Cancer is Awkward
by Suleika Jaouad I’ve struggled with the awkwardness of cancer ever since my leukemia was diagnosed last May. When I told people my news, some people froze, falling silent. One person immediately began telling a story of an aunt who had died from the same kind of leukemia. Will you … [Read more...] about Cancer is Awkward
Hope by Livestrong
Hope is the belief that a positive outcome lies ahead. This belief can be difficult to hold onto in the face of cancer. Knowing how to create a sense of hope in your life can help you face cancer survivorship with strength and confidence. People hope for different things at different times in their … [Read more...] about Hope by Livestrong