Update #24: She Gets Around (aka Picking an Oncologist)
I had scans last week. Everything still looks good, with the caveat that there is a small amount of fluid in my lungs that wasn’t there last time. This could indicate cancer activity, but my oncologist feels it’s most likely…
Tori Tomalia: My Mentor, My Friend, My ROS1der Co-Founder 1976-2021
My friend Tori Tomalia died early on Tuesday morning February 23rd, and I’ve been a little numb. It took me hours to utter the words aloud, even to my husband, and the tears have yet to come. Honestly, I feel…
My 2020 World Conference on Lung Cancer Presentation: Patient-Directed Innovation, Research and Clinical Trials
Last week, I presented a talk titled “Patient-Directed Innovation, Research and Clinical Trials” at the IASLC’s World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC). Originally, I was supposed to present this live in Singapore last August, but due to the pandemic, the…
Everything Happens for an Opportunity
I was taking an exercise class the other day and the teacher (Jess Sims, love) ranted about how crappy it is to say “everything happens for a reason” to someone who’s struggling. “There’s just no good reason for some things…
A New ROS1der FUNdraiser: Intro to the Zentangle Method
Hello – long time, no blog/chat. Got a little distracted with … attempting to merge with my couch? I’ve been pondering a longer “deep thoughts” blog, but my pandemic brain is not cooperating with actual writing. In the meantime, I…
The Surprising Sign That My Cancer Diagnosis Doesn’t Define Me Anymore
Every few weeks, Facebook shows me a “FB memory” of something I posted previously. Whenever this happens, I immediately classify the memory as either “BCD” (before cancer diagnosis), or “ACD.” Today, for the very first time, a memory popped up,…
Update #21 – Life’s Unpredictable Beauty and Tragedy
In 2014, when I was diagnosed, my son was in 5th grade and my ambitious goal was to live to see him graduate elementary school. Next year he is set to graduate high school (zoinks!). In the meantime, countless people…
Do you feel lucky?
Last week I discovered that some rats had claimed my backyard daybed as their personal restroom. Initially horrified, I avoided it for several days. Finally, armed with gloves, a pressure hose and a lot of bleach, I began the task…
Tales from Isolation: Day 20/Update #20
I have been isolating with my family since March 11. Today is day 20, the “Clean the vacuum HEPA filters day,” a day which I have never before reached in my 47+ years on this planet. It is also the…
Dualities: Truth & Hope (Update 19)
I’ve written about living in two worlds before. It’s a continual struggle of mine. Please indulge me as I publicly process some more, in the hope that it might help others contemplating these existential questions, too. As I’ve mentioned many…
