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 [email protected].

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.

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Don’t Ask About My Battle

We seem to struggle with language when the topic is cancer. We don’t think twice when cancer is discussed in military terms. In 1971, Richard

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Telling the Parents

I’ve seen many resources that provide advice on how to tell your children that you have cancer.  But what about the other generation – your

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Telling the Kids

If you are diagnosed with cancer when you have young children, you’re faced with what to share with them and how to share it. It

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Surprising Facts About Cancer

I enjoy speaking with groups about cancer. I usually talk about my personal experiences and then describe cancer more generally and answer questions. After doing

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Good Cancers and Bad Cancers

I routinely talk with people who have just been diagnosed with cancer. They’re struggling with treatment decisions and the realization that life is suddenly different.

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History of Breast Cancer Advocacy

Being diagnosed with breast cancer today is an entirely different experience than it was just 30 years ago. While partly due to advances in medicine,