I collapse into bed with exhaustion. This would not be a bad thing if it were 10 o’clock at night but it is 10 o’clock on a Sunday morning and my fatigue is overpowering. I lay on my back. My shoulder and back ache from this morning’s activities. I am struggling to maintain life balance …
Cancer In The ICU
I swipe my badge and enter the emergency department. As the door swings inward I am met with the typical scene of ER chaos. Patients line the hallways. Emergency medics speed past pushing an immobilized patient on a stretcher. Nurses rush from one curtained room to the next. I head towards a cluster of physicians …
My 17 Truths of Cancer
I awake with a start. It is still dark though from the birds singing in the distance I know it is almost sunrise. I did not sleep particularly well and woke several times with disturbing dreams. My eyes have been open only seconds but there is already much on my mind. I’m guessing it will …
Gratitude After Cancer
It is just minutes after sunrise. My sneakers pound the creaky boardwalk suspended above the protected dune habitat. I hear the waves long before I see them. As I crest the dunes I am met with a peaceful and beautiful view. The white sand of the beach stretches out before me. Golden rays of sun …
7 Reasons Why I Struggled to Ask for Help After Cancer
“This is an interesting feeling,” I think to myself. My broken hand is floating suspended in a metal box while being gently massaged by warm air and therapy beads. My injured muscles ache after 30 minutes of range of motion exercises. This box therapy is designed to increase the blood flow to my damaged muscles …
Loss of Stability After Cancer
It is a rainy Saturday evening. Thunder crashes nearby and heavy rain patters against the window. The constant white noise of the storm is relaxing and I find myself fighting the urge to curl up with a good book and a cup of tea. Instead, these are the last few minutes of calm before the …
Job Insecurity After Cancer
I lean back and rub my eyes. It is 2am and while the rest of the world sleeps, I am monitoring the ICU beds at four different hospitals. This time of night I am always fighting back drowsiness. My post cancer body does not like it when routines are disturbed or sleep is lost. At …
Living With Immunocompromise In the Age of COVID
I open the car door and am struck with a wall of heat. Within seconds beads of sweat are forming on my forehead and between my shoulder blades. The beads of sweat collect and trace down my cleavage. This is the first summer I have had large breasts. It has been mere months since my …
Tears and Unexpected Setbacks: Part 2
Read Tears and Unexpected Setbacks Part 1 here. I awake with a start. Like most mornings “Ouch!” is the first word that crosses my mind. The sun is filtering grey early morning light through the bedroom shades. I must have tweaked my broken hand in my sleep. It is already throbbing. It has been more …
Tears And Unexpected Setbacks
Today I am still reeling from my first major setback since completing cancer treatment. It all started on a beautiful summertime Sunday morning. The sky was blue. The clouds were white and still tinged with the pinks and golds of sunrise. I was looking forward to my morning walk. After struggling with several days of …