With the tragic, unthinkable and unbearable bombing in Boston, in which more than 170 people were injured and three killed, including (horror of horrors) an 8-year-old boy, I thought that I would address how to talk with children about tragedy -- again. The last time I wrote about this awful...

Having to tell children about a breast cancer diagnosis is rotten. I mean, really, as if having breast cancer isn't hard enough. However, based on my professional experience as a nurse and my personal experience as a patient, I know that including children in the process -- from the time...

Learning how to rely on people when I had FBC (f-bomb breast cancer for new readers) was a brutal learning curve. As a nurse and social worker, I had always been the caregiver. And I liked it that way. Until my diagnosis, I had always been a do-it-yourselfer (except when...

In the world of f-bomb cancer and other illnesses, a caregiver is someone who is responsible for attending to the physical, emotional, or financial needs of another person.

There are formal and informal caregivers. Formal caregivers are trained professionals paid for their services. Hiring professional caregivers is expensive -- really...

After my fourth round of chemotherapy, I went into what I now refer to as "The Funk Zone." Right after that fourth dose, I bought myself a two-and-a-half-day stay in the hospital thanks to an infection with which my nearly-nonexistent immune system couldn't contend. I remember feeling so beleaguered (not...

As I was Christmas shopping today, I chuckled to myself when I thought about all of the people who have said (in different iterations) to me: "Cancer is a gift. Look at what you are doing now. You would never have done this if you hadn't had cancer." When this...

For the past few days, I've felt a little under the weather. It's funny (not in a "ha ha" kind of way) how sensitive I still am, how just feeling puny can take me back to my cancer days (daze?).

When I was diagnosed with cancer, my first thought wasn't...

When I was diagnosed with cancer two years ago this month, I never asked, "Why?" Asking why would have been a logical response, especially considering the fact that I was a three-time marathon runner, ate a (very!) healthy diet, and didn't have an inkling of breast cancer in my family....

In October 2010, I learned firsthand how life changes in an instant. My peaceful life was interrupted in an abrupt, unimaginable way when I felt a stabbing pain in my right breast. Immediately, I began the long ride down the twisting and pot-hole-filled breast cancer road.

I've always been...

Because I'm seeing so much pink this month, I find myself thinking about all things related to FBC (f-bomb breast cancer), both from a personal and a global perspective. It's amazing how a few (million) pink ribbons reactivate the memory of experiences (and f-bombs!).

One of the things that comes...

Having to tell our daughter (who was 4 and three-quarters years old) about my breast cancer diagnosis was daunting, overwhelming and nerve wracking... to say the least. I was quite surprised by how anxious I was about telling her considering the fact that for the past 10 years, I have...

Having been a hospice nurse for the last 12-plus years, I know how to be with someone at the end of life from a clinical perspective. However, last year, a very dear friend of mine died of FBC... the other kind: F-bomb Bladder Cancer. It was awful. Truly horrendous. She...

The two to three hours spent in chemo are absolutely no fun. There may be a smile or two, but in general, when I sat in the chair watching my TAC drip into my body, I pretty much counted down the minutes until I could leave.

There was a Silver...

Every summer, I get so excited to do a mid-year clutter cleanout. The piles that accumulate by July are... well, embarrassing. But every summer, when the thermostat rises and I want to stay inside, like clockwork, I begin to dig out and organize.

Chemo Clutter has many different descriptors: chemo...

The period of time when you are waiting for a diagnosis is brutal. There's really no other way to describe it. As a nurse-turned-patient, I really had no idea just how difficult this waiting period really is. Waiting for my diagnosis of FBC (f-bomb breast cancer) was simultaneously heart-wrenching, nerve-wracking,...

Right after my FBC diagnosis (f-bomb breast cancer for new readers), my husband and I had an information gathering week. After a series of diagnostic tests to determine the extent of the disease, we had a series of meetings to interview doctors to determine who would become a part of...

Today, I find myself at a real crossroads right now with big decisions to make about chemo and radiation, e.g., to do or not to do. If doing, how much and when?

Rather than make my breast cancer situation subjective, I need to be fully objective as I take the...

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, smoking costs Californian taxpayers $9 billion every year in health care costs, and much more in lost productivity. This translates into smoking-caused costs of $15 per pack of cigarettes. And yet, at just 87 cents per pack,...

In the last week, I have come to the realization that I am still having side effects from breast cancer treatment. The Silver Lining is that these side effects no longer require days lingering over or near the porcelain potty. Rather, these side effects are psychic. The not-so-Silver Lining is...

Because funerals serve a valuable function of helping the living acknowledge, accept and cope with the death of a loved one, children who are old enough not only can but should be included in funeral arrangements.

What is "old enough," you ask? It really depends on the child. To...