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In February 2018, I was privileged to attend the Lung Cancer Leadership Conference, held by the Lung Cancer Research Foundation . This was the first time this conference was officially held by the Lung Cancer Research Foundation, which merged with Free to Breathe (the former organizer) in 2017. I was able to share a room with my good friend Denise Cutlip, who has her own blog survivingit . It was a different conference from most of the lung cancer events I've gone to; most of the attendees were family members of lung cancer patients who were dedicated to raising money to fund research. There were presentations on research and current treatment paths, but the main focus was on fundraising. I wrote a report of my experience for the HealthUnlocked.com blog, which at that time was moderated by Free to Breathe/Lung Cancer Research Foundation. Moderation of the site is changing as I write this, with the Bonnie J. Addario Lung Cancer Foundation stepping up to lead the site. In the mea...

It's been quite a while since I updated this blog with my health status. I have had quite a chemo adventure. Here is an overview of my first four chemo sessions that I wrote for the Lung Cancer Support Site on HealthUnlocked.com. The sh*t hit the fan after I wrote this post. I do plan to tell the tale in full here in a future post. I'm Over in the Infusion Room, With Everyone Else " The reality is that chemotherapy is widely used, and is the first line of treatment for many lung cancer patients who lack genetic markers that would qualify them for immunotherapy or targeted treatment. To quote Dr. Jack West, a leading research oncologist who specializes in lung cancer, 'Chemotherapy is not a consolation prize.'”

Wherein I ruminate about what kinds of goals are useful to someone who is dealing with serious illness. Can we get away from the "shoulds" and create new goals that are meaningful to us? What gets in our way? Setting Goals Despite Lung Cancer " Beyond that to-do list of the mundane, the business matters, and the bucket list is the realization that our time is finite. The imbalance between the swollen list of things that we want to do and the limited time and energy available to do them all can be paralyzing. Where do we even start?"

Life got a bit more complicated late last summer when my husband Robert was diagnosed with stage II prostate cancer. What is supposed to be a “routine “ cancer with straight-forward treatment options turned out to be more complicated because of Robert’s ulcerative colitis. Even though his UC has been in remission for decades, various doctors threw up red flags about his preferred treatment method and we’ve had to do a fair bit of research and visit doctors in Syracuse and New York City before deciding on a treatment.  I no longer think that there is such a thing as a “simple” cancer diagnosis. Robert’s story demonstrates again how worthwhile it is to go to a major cancer center if you can. His cancer was downgraded by the pathologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering, making him eligible for low dose brachytherapy instead of going to daily radiation sessions for weeks and weeks.  This post I did for lungcancer.net talks about what we have learned while coping with two ...