I took this picture over the weekend. The weather was so beautiful with windows to the fall. All I had to do was walk across the street from our house and it was like I went to another world. Whether it is the ocean or a lake, water has always had a calming effect on me. I love to just sit and look...

I got an email last night from a cancer patient.  She asked that I not use her name.  So I’ll call her Mia.  She wanted me to pose a question to you: “The day I received my fourth diagnosis, I called my mother on the phone balling, crying. I could barely talk.  ‘How f***ing strong do I have...

I had a 6 month boob checkup at Sloan with my surgeon and after 8 years I still get super anxious. Two nites prior I started with a headache and by the morning of I felt sick to my stomach. Somehow I thought that it would be an easy appointment. Just a breast exam and no scans. But alas…I...

Wedding season has officially started, so I’ll tell you a little tale about my own wedding. Shannon and I were slated to get married in an old factory in Pittsburgh. (We love urban decay and grunge.) On a site visit three days before our wedding we discovered more grunge than we bargained for....

Warning: None of this is fun, but if you pretend you are Michael Clayton or Erin Brockovich, it helps. The first step to reducing your medical debt is asking your doc or hospital upfront for a discount on your bill. This takes time, chutzpah, and smarts and is worth the work.  Use these stellar how-to’s...

I try to reduce my exposure to household carcinogens without entering the territory of enviroparanoia.  I buy products that are inexpensive, free of scary ingredients, and don’t have heavy perfumes or essential oils (I just don’t like the smell).  I also like products that actually work.  Buying...

I try to reduce my exposure to household carcinogens without entering the territory of enviroparanoia.  I buy products that are inexpensive, free of scary ingredients, and don’t have heavy perfumes or essential oils (I just don’t like the smell).  I also like products that actually work.  Buying...

Is talking about money just too taboo?  Why in the young adult cancer world do I never ever hear anyone talking about medical debt?  It’s a crying shame because we’ve got plenty of it and it seems that a bit of conversation and education is in order.  Consider these factoids: * More than 35%...

Is talking about money just too taboo?  Why in the young adult cancer world do I never ever hear anyone talking about medical debt?  It’s a crying shame because we’ve got plenty of it and it seems that a bit of conversation and education is in order.  Consider these factoids: * More than 35%...

A few years ago, I had my doc ask for a second opinion from a second pathologist, who interpreted lab results differently than what the original lab report read.  This is a big deal when you are talking about cancer.  The words “second opinion” are used during the first weeks or months of cancer...