I picture you at your kitchen table, maybe with a mug cooling beside your hand. The house is quiet, but your mind is not. When you hear the words you have cancer, life splits into a “before” and an “after”. The shock, the fear, the questions about work, kids, money, your future, they all crowd…
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How I Handle “Scan Day” Anxiety Step by Step From Waking Up to Results
The night before a scan can feel like standing on the edge of a cliff. Sleep comes in short pieces, and every time I wake up I remember why. The fear slips into the room before the light does. If you live with Cancer, or carry a history of it, you probably know this feeling….
Read moreQuiet Triumphs with Cancer – Celebrating Small Victories in Chronic Illness
“Today I walked to the mail box” “Today I didn’t vomit!” “Today I slept 4 hours straight!” To a healthy person, these statements may seem like everyday background noise, however, to a person struggling with Cancer or another debilitating illness, each of these could represent climbing Mount Everest in the dark. In essence, this represents…
Read moreThe exhausting limbo between tests, results, and treatment decisions
There is a kind of silence that feels loud. The clock keeps moving, but your whole life seems to hold its breath. That is what waiting for medical test results often feels like when you live with Cancer. You may keep busy, answer emails, fold laundry, make dinner. On the outside you look steady. Inside,…
Read moreGuilt in Cancer: Naming Unhelpful Blame & Honoring Resilience
Guilt can feel like a second illness during Cancer, but it doesn’t get to tell the whole story of your life; you can notice when it drains your energy, name it as unhelpful, and gently set it down. When you choose one small, kind action instead of endless self-blame, you protect your limited strength for…
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