Inspiring resilience in young people challenged with cancer.
I still remember that day. I will never forget that day. I remember how angry I was at what she said. I remember how many times I told her that she was wrong, and that in no way would she ever be right. I told her I would prove her wrong. I was sure I would prove her wrong. What did she know? This… read more
There are a ton of things that I never expected from cancer, but chief among them are the people I have met. I have you guys. All you OYC/POST people. I never in a million years would have thought that I would be surrounded by such great friends. Do you know how hard it is to meet new people? I think my assumptio… read more
I feel like I’ve been absent from The P.O.S.T. recently. June’s prompt was, “the loneliest part of cancer” and I must have sat to write it a half dozen times. It was always the same. I’d write a few sentences and toss my pen down. The feeling of loneliness was part of cancer’s whitewater that I swam against… read more
Surprise parties, a surprise vacation, a surprise visit, a surprise gift; “Surprise” is a word commonly associated with excitement and positive experiences. Yet, life also teaches us the dark side of the word: the tragic, the unexpected. It is the phone call in the middle of a family vacation that your uncle has… read more
I hit snooze twice (maybe three times). The smell of rain humidified the air. I’m convinced rain in Los Angeles should be considered a snow day, a break from the routine, a break from working hard. A day to stay under the covers while the world spins madly on. Even my dog Gladys didn’t want to undo the tight ball o… read more
Loneliness and isolation are familiar states to most of us. I often protected my insecurities of being sick by hiding out, believing that I’d survive if others didn't know how sick I really was. But I discovered that my insecurities multiplied and only made things worse. Loneliness is something inside us. It's not… read more
The loneliest thing about having cancer was the oppressive cheerfulness I found hoisted on me as a cancer patient and survivor. I found that as a 20-something with an aggressive malignant disease, I had no discursive space to talk about cancer as something that was a bad experience or one that I wasn’t thankful to ha… read more
So many thoughts, feelings and experiences are isolating about the cancer experience, despite the fact that it is boasted to “bring families together,” “bring friends out of the woodwork,” and to “show the true strength of the community.” It’s the inner experience that is so lonely it feels like an… read more
I think i'm going to answer this one in a more specific way. For me, and I think for most people, by the time you're in your mid-twenty's you pretty much have most of the friends you'll have, and if you meet anyone after that they usually could care less if you got sick or lost your hair. (now I understand I am making… read more
Cancer is a part of me. The experience forced me to process this great world we live in and the disease shaped a huge part of who I am. The words in my story can never be re-written yet I’m proud of it. So what makes it so hard to tell certain people? I’ve always been extremely open. Sometimes too open as my mom… read more
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