Cancer

Wow, that’s a pretty bold statement for someone with Stage IV cancer but hang with me and let me tell you why it’s an opinion I stand firmly behind. Before we get into that I better introduce myself. My name is Katie. I was diagnosed with a rare Stage IV…

When I walked down the street in March before I as admitted to the hospital the world around me was in hibernation still. The sun as subdued, there was not hint of green on the branches, and the ground was brown and dull. It was familiar. …

Mission BTB: My Ongoing Journey with Stage 4 Prostate Cancer — As a newly diagnosed patient, I suddenly had a lot to deal with: needing to learn everything about the disease, navigate the complexities of medical treatment options, get multiple medical opinions; and understand what this meant for my family, my physical capability moving forward, my professional career, my finances… and…

The day was warm and nice. I was a four-year-old waiting to finally go to preschool. I remember feeling sick and numb. It wasn’t the usual fever or cold. My body was severely bruised and it ached. I threw up so much to the point that my mother took me…

When a client says “I am concerned about including soy products in my plant-based diet,” this is the information I can provide them. No, you should not avoid eating soy for fear of increasing your cancer risk. In the past, many health professionals were concerned about the potential of the…

Debut author Laura Maylene Walter reflects on the story she was destined to write — Last summer, I sat in a genetic counselor’s office and watched as she sketched a map of my family’s cancer history. Leukemia for my grandfather, colon cancer for my grandmother, and so on, all revolving around the most wrenching case: my mother’s ovarian cancer. More than two decades had passed…

Seriously? A gift? It’s been over a week since they placed my port. 7 days since the first chemo infusion. It’s the first day I feel a modicum of normal. Wait. Full stop. “Normal” doesn’t do it. Normal. That mythical place we dream of when things have gone sideways. A…

Practical advice from a personal perspective — Whether it was a week ago or 30 years ago, you can vividly remember where you were and how you felt when you heard the news. In the moments that followed, you tried your best, but “your best” somehow no longer seemed like your best. …