"Busy sidewalks dressed in holiday style. In the air there's a feeling of...sadness. the winter holidays can exacerbate sadness while adjusting to a new diagnosis (first cancer; recurrence; complication).
Read moreHolding the Net
As the caregiver for my elderly mother, I read with interest Merriman's memoir about living through her mother's physical and mental decline. Unlike a guidebook
Read moreAvoiding Regret as a Healthy Survivor
Healthy Survivors minimize the chance of regret--that sad feeling linked to the belief you made a poor decision that led to your predicament.
Read moreNudging Healthy Survivors to Take Their Meds
A NYTimes article addresses an issue essential to Healthy Survivorship: Taking prescriptions properly.
Read moreAn Artist's Lessons on Loss for Healthy Survivors
An essay by an artist who lost her work in the flood caused by Hurricane Harvey offers lessons for Healthy Survivors.
Read moreWhat I Wish I Had Known
Dallas Morning News staffer Mary Dunklin offers 10 tips for patients in her article, What I Wish I Had Known Before My Cancer Diagnosis.
Read moreA Better Name for Survivors' Guilt
Bryan's comment on my Cancer, Love and Guilt post got me thinking again about the term, survivor's guilt. Its focus on guilt adds undeserved shame or regret to an already uncomfortable feeling.
What's a better name for the feeling that arises when you learn someone else died from a condition similar to one you survived? In my search, I examined the feeling. It's a mix of...
Read moreThe Best Decisions are Governed by Values
A man's decision to donate one of his kidneys to a stranger offers Healthy Survivors a provocative insight on decision-making.
Read moreHurricane Harvey and Healthy Survivorship
Fellow Texans are suffering from the wrath of Hurricane Harvey. A few thoughts for those impacted, drawn from my experiences as a cancer survivor:
Read moreRealistically Ever After
In Realistically Ever After, long-term survivor and new blogger Laura Ellington discusses healing humor.
Read moreStopping Elders' Cancer Screening
The risk-benefit ratio of cancer screening shifts over time. What's the best way to present to patients that they can stop screening because at their age the risks outweigh the benefits?The risk-benefit ratio of cancer screening shifts over time. What's the best way to present to patients that they can stop screening because at their age the risks outweigh the benefits?
Read moreCancer, love and guilt
Lately, my days have been filled with love, laughter and meaningful work. While sailing on unusually calm waters, I'm thinking of my loved ones who are negotiating rough seas. Instead of feeling guilty at my current good fortune, I feel increased gratitude. I must feel joyful to honor them.
Read moreWho Knows If McCain is a Healthy Survivor?
Who determines if John McCain is a Healthy Survivor? Whoever can determine if McCain is (1) getting good care and (2) living as fully as possible.
Read moreIs John McCain a Healthy Survivor?
McCain's diagnosis released a flood of articles about survivorship in the setting of a poor-prognosis cancer. Assuming McCain is fulfilling the first criterion of a Healthy Survivor by receiving excellent medical care, is he living fully, knowing the average life expectancy is 15 months?
Read moreHope's Role in Healing
How, exactly, does hope help patients' healing?
Read moreHealing Hope
Does a patient's hope matter? Yes, of course. A more interesting question is, "What should a patient hope for?"
Read moreRedefining Strength for the Trauma Sufferer
Samira Rajabi talks about what it means to be strong. As a survivor of many brain surgeries for cancer, she first asks, "What if strength lies in being honest, being vulnerable and being ourselves?" Then, she shares insights you might find useful in your pursuit of Healthy Survivorship.
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