Stepping Up For Neighbors
Not everyone with cancer has built-in support. Perhaps the individual has no family, or an event in the past may have caused the family to become estranged. Some people are just loners by nature and have happily kept to themselves through the years. Others are isolated because of mental illness. And some people have burned […]
Understanding Friends With Cancer
I recently had a conversation with someone whose good friend was diagnosed with cancer. She hoped that the cancer wouldn’t change their friendship, but it did. The change, though, was temporary. As she told me, “My friend had to go through a process to come to terms with her cancer – I just didn’t understand […]
How You Look And How You Feel
Cancer is a weird disease because you can have it and not be sick. Or you can look pretty good when you are sick. This is confusing for our friends who are trying to say or do the right thing. It can be just as confusing for those of us with cancer. When I was […]
Being Present
Being diagnosed with cancer is like entering a dark and unfamiliar place. Imagine being suddenly transported deep inside a cave. You sense creepy things all around and it’s hard to see the path that may lead you out. It’s disorienting and scary. This metaphor was suggested to me by Reverend Tim Dean of Cayuga Medical […]
Helping A Friend With Cancer
Nearly everyone has had a friend, neighbor, co-worker or acquaintance diagnosed with cancer. Most people want to be helpful, but may fear being intrusive or simply getting in the way of the immediate family. In general, what those of us with cancer most appreciate from our friends are help with practical matters and the maintenance, […]
In Celebration Of Eric Ott
The Rongovian Embassy in Trumansburg, NY was filled last Sunday afternoon with people who love music. More importantly, the Rongo was filled with people who love Eric Ott. Eric is a well-known local musician who plays with the Yardvarks and the Lost Sailors. He’s also dealing with advanced esophageal cancer. On Sunday, it was clear […]
Don’t Assume You Understand
When Donna Berich tells people that she has skin cancer, they sometimes say, “Skin cancer? Oh, everyone gets that.” Well, not quite. Few people have skin cancer like Donna and others who have Basal Cell Carcinoma Nevus Syndrome (BCCNS). It’s common to think of skin cancers as falling into one of two categories: Melanomas which […]
Retired Nurses And Their Memories Of Cancer
I routinely speak with retired nurses and other health professionals who are concerned about a loved one with cancer. The word “cancer” often terrifies them because they went through training decades ago when cancer treatment was such a different experience. I’ve heard more than one nurse say, “Back then, cancer treatment was so awful that […]
Cornelia Rea
Cornelia Rea, a professor at Tompkins Cortland Community College, recently marked the 10-year anniversary of her diagnosis of tongue cancer. Tongue cancer falls into the broad category of head and neck cancers. Individuals with these cancers usually have surgery followed by radiation, which is sometimes combined with concurrent chemotherapy. Treatment for any kind of cancer […]
Ringing The Bell
If you’re in Ithaca this weekend, you know that it’s graduation time at Cornell University. Graduations are filled with rituals that symbolize closing one chapter in life and moving on to the next. There’s celebration, change and uncertainty. Finishing cancer treatment is also a time of celebration, change and uncertainty. Here in Ithaca, there’s ritual […]
