Bob's Columns

Bob Riter is the retired Executive Director of the Cancer Resource Center. His articles about living with cancer appeared regularly in the Ithaca Journal and on OncoLink. He can be reached at bobriter@gmail.com.

A collection of Bob’s columns, When Your Life is Touched by Cancer: Practical Advice and Insights for Patients, Professionals, and Those Who Care, is available in bookstores nationwide and through online retailers such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble.

Survivor’s Guilt

People going through cancer treatment at the same time often form their own peer group. They see each other in chemo, in radiation, and in various support groups. The fortunate

What To Say When Cancer Returns

I recently gave a talk at a conference of radiation therapists about how to support patients undergoing cancer treatment. One attendee said, “I know how to help patients when they

Donating Blood and Organs

For many people the months following cancer treatment are more difficult than the treatment itself. During treatment, your “job” is to be in treatment. You’re busy with appointments and you

Survivors Can Help the Newly Diagnosed

When friends I haven’t heard from for many years suddenly call me, I wait for them to say, “Bob, I just got diagnosed with cancer.” This is not unique to

Beginning To Talk About Hospice

I often talk with individuals who are receiving treatment for advanced cancer, but who are also wondering, at some level, if it’s time for hospice. Many tell me that they’ve

Cancer As A Chronic Disease

Until recently, people have undergone cancer treatment with the goal of ridding the body of cancer. Sometimes the treatment worked and the cancer went away, either temporarily (a remission) or

Single With Cancer

For a day or two following chemotherapy, most people camp out on the couch and do nothing more strenuous than watch tv or flip through magazines. Loved ones bring glasses

Partners In Denial

I recently spoke with a woman who was stressed because her husband has cancer and he seemed to be in denial over the seriousness of his situation. What was especially

Vacationing with Cancer

Kristina Burke is going on vacation, so she asked her oncologist to change her chemotherapy schedule. If a person has an early stage cancer and is getting chemotherapy to prevent

Cancer as a Marathon

Chris LaVallee will soon run a 7 day, 155 mile race in the Australian wilderness to raise funds for the Cancer Resource Center of the Finger Lakes. I recently heard

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