Elaborating upon her Living with Cancer column in The New York Times, Susan Gubar helps patients, caregivers, and the specialists who seek to serve them. In a book both enlightening and practical, she describes how the activities of reading and writing can right some of cancer’s wrongs. To … [Read more...] about Reading and Writing Cancer: How Words Heal by Susan Gubar
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.
The Awesome Way this Woman with Stage 4 Cancer is Taking on Chemo by Catherine Pearson
Karen Walsh, you are brave as hell. Several weeks after Karen Walsh turned 40, she saw a doctor for what felt like a stomach cramp. It turned out to be stage IV colon cancer. Walsh, an accomplished Broadway actress and mother of two, had eight tumors in her liver and three in her lymph nodes, in … [Read more...] about The Awesome Way this Woman with Stage 4 Cancer is Taking on Chemo by Catherine Pearson
Running with Scars by Barbi Applequist
On Friday, June 28, I received official notice that I will be running the Nike Women's Half Marathon in San Francisco on October 30. I am a runner and a two-time cancer survivor. One year ago today, I laced up my first pair of proper running shoes even though I had a hard time standing up straight. … [Read more...] about Running with Scars by Barbi Applequist
Out Living It, by Beth Pointer
In March of last year, I got a random call from some dude named Mary regarding my application with an organization called First Descents. I had no idea what he was talking about. Thanks, chemo brain! I am 37 years old, and I’m in remission—whatever that means. I wasn’t what I’d pictured a cancer … [Read more...] about Out Living It, by Beth Pointer
3 Time Cancer Survivor Turned Chief Eternal Optimist by Donna Deegan
Chief Eternal Optimist. That’s the title under my name these days. When the director of my foundation told me we’d be printing business cards and asked if I’d like to be addressed as CEO, the first thought that came to my mind was, Only if I can be the Chief Eternal Optimist. It’s far more … [Read more...] about 3 Time Cancer Survivor Turned Chief Eternal Optimist by Donna Deegan