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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
More Than One Cancer
Ithaca resident Skip Hewitt was diagnosed with leukemia in 2004, bladder cancer in 2009, and lymphoma in 2011. He told me, “When I was diagnosed with my first cancer, I […]
A Funny Thing Happened On The Way To Chemo
Visitors to the Cancer Resource Center are sometimes startled to hear uproarious laughter coming from behind doors. When the visitor raises a questioning eyebrow, we respond, “Oh, that’s one of […]
In Honor Of Joy
Whenever I’m talking with someone living with advanced cancer, I encourage them to understand the reality of their situation but also to move forward with their lives. It’s a difficult […]
New Year’s Wishes For Friend With Cancer
It seems that I always have friends newly diagnosed with cancer. I would love to have the power to grant them wishes to make their cancer experiences a little easier. […]
When The Boss Has Cancer
I recently received a phone call that went like this: “My boss is struggling with cancer, but he clearly doesn’t want to talk about it or even acknowledge how ill […]
Head And Neck Cancers Are Difficult
If I’m in a support group, I always shut down conversations that begins with, “My cancer is worse than your cancer.” Those conversations are always pointless because every cancer is […]
