Sometimes, it occurs to me that breast cancer isn't the worst thing that's happened to me, like when an editor of Family Circle magazine contacted me earlier this summer and asked if she could tell my story in the October issue of the magazine. "Of course," I told her, and we talked for an hour about diagnosis, surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, k…[more]

Until this year, I had never mowed a lawn.  Someone once told me that if I never learn how, I'll never be expected to do it.  Seemed like good logic to me.  But I took the plunge this summer to alleviate some of the lawn work burden that has rested on John's shoulders for many years.  I kind of enjoyed mowing—th…[more]

See these boobs? Protruding outward in all their glory. Pushed up in a fancy bra, positioned under a tight pink shirt, pointing right at you as you read this post. These are the very boobs that threatened to take my life almost four years ago. Well, the cancer inside the boob—just the left one, to be exact—is what made the threat. The boob wa…[more]

Today, former Press Secretary Tony Snow died after living with colon cancer for three years. Yesterday, Olympic swimmer Eric Shanteau announced that he’s been diagnosed with testicular cancer. Journalist Leroy Sievers has cancer. North Carolina State University Women’s basketball coach Kay Yow has cancer. Patrick Swayze …[more]

The doctor I saw today for my persistent cough asked me why I’d waited so long to come in—it’s been more than three weeks now that I’ve been hacking away. I told him I thought the cough would go away and that I’d detected some improvement. I’m no longer coughing all night long, after all. That’s got to be progr…[more]

It feels good to know that Herceptin is such a promising drug.  Just today, after receiving my fifth dose of this treatment, I heard on ABC news that Herceptin is simply a wonder potion.  In fact, the drug was taken out of clinical trials early so doctors could start putting it to use.  The results were that good.It also f…[more]

Of all the numbers in the world, 18 is Joey's favorite. About a Lego boat he built today, my 7-year-old told me: “I needed one of these white pieces and when I looked for one, I found 18.” The other day when we disappointed him with the news that we could not go out to dinner for the third time in one week, he said: “We haven’t gone out to …[more]

I have a card hanging on my refrigerator—it's a card with a picture of roses and a pink breast cancer ribbon.  It's from my friend Nicole in Ohio. She sent me a beautiful bracelet in the mail the other day with this pretty card.  Joey just noticed the card today.  He looked at it and said, "Is this cancer?"  I …[more]

Last night I read this in the August 2005 Family Circle magazine:Better Breast Cancer TreatmentA combination of drugs can significantly decrease cancer recurrence in women with the disease known as HER-2 positive breast cancer, according to multicenter clinical trials sponsored by the National Cancer Institute.  Nearly one out of four ca…[more]

I've had a cough for two weeks now. It's so bad I'd hack all night if it weren't for a narcotic-strength suppressant I'm taking. It's so bad it's making me vomit, it's irritating my family members, and along with some lingering tummy tuck swelling that's consuming my mind, it's preventing me from exercising. I hate that.Along with my cough,…[more]