A Dollar for Your Thoughts

Fifty years ago, in 1964, my Dad graduated from UC Berkeley (aka “Cal”). Upon graduation, he made a pledge with his three buddies before they scattered around the globe. They tore up a dollar bill into four pieces. Each guy…

Come Join or Support Team Lisa in SF on 9/21!

On April 11, I tentatively went for my first bike ride since my diagnosis. Eric and I tooled around the neighborhood and it felt great. Since then I’ve ventured out more and more, trying to build my strength and stamina…

Update #4 -- Not Such a Sweet Pea

After completing 3 rounds of maintenance chemo (Avastin & Alimta), I went for a CT scan last week. The results were mostly positive (or technically “negative,” as my MD friend corrected me) with one caveat. All previously noted nodules have…

[Post by Eric] Today’s San Francisco Chronicle has an article entitled “Lung cancer study of why young, healthy are stricken.” It addresses a new study, instigated by the Bonnie Addario Foundation, to figure out why so many people under 40…

“That’s My Cancer Smelling Dog” and Other Things Not to Say

Cancer, it seems, lends itself to awkward conversations. People don’t know what to say to me. Rest assured that I assume we all mean well, even when we say something stupid. If you worry that you might have uttered something…

Open Letter to My Mom on Mother's Day

Mom, you have thrown yourself into your role as mother with unrestrained dedication since the beginning. You schlepped me to more activities than I can count, rooted me on in every event, proofread homework and hand-sewed Halloween costumes. You still,…

Team Lisa at 'San Diego Breath of Hope'

[Post by Eric] Last weekend, Team Lisa showed up at the 6th Annual San Diego Breath of Hope run by UC San Diego. Sister-in-law Sarah Sanger coordinated the team. Sarah reports: 12 of Lisa’s friends and family members walked in the…

Playing the Cancer Card, Another Hidden Perk of Having a Life-Threatening Disease

A couple months ago, my friend Erin told me that when her husband had Hodgkin’s and they needed an excuse to get out of something, they’d invoke what they called “the Hodgy card.” Forget to bring something to a potluck,…

I’ve kept pretty quiet about my condition in the last couple of months despite the fact that my last two rounds of scans have been very positive. There are a couple of reasons for this. One reason is good ol’fashioned…

I’ve had so much support coming from all corners since my diagnosis. It’s staggering, a little surprising, and deeply reassuring about the amount of goodness in the world. I appreciate every ounce of it. But. There’s always a “but,” isn’t…