Book Review: How to Be a Friend to a Friend Who’s Sick

Peruse any bookstore. Inspiring stories of triumph over cancer and tales of subsequent total life transformation abound. Heck, check out the hospital room window ledge, the oncologist’s waiting room, or the coffee table of anyone diagnosed with cancer and you will almost certainly find piles of these “go get ‘em” books bequeathed to patients by their well-intentioned friends upon hearing of their diagnosis.

When faced …

Our Friends Answer: How Did You Find the Breast Cancer?

A few months ago, we asked our friends on Facebook this question:

If you were diagnosed with breast cancer, how did you first discover it? Was it through a routine screening, breast self-exam, or something else?

One hundred and seven women responded — thank you, friends! We found the responses compelling, and want to share them with you:

• 53 breast cancers (49.5%)

What This Cancer Mom Learned From Her Kids

The day in May 2006 when our older daughter turned nine, my husband rather wistfully commented, “That’s it, half of her life with us is now over. Before we know it, she’ll be off to college.” I remember laughing and thinking this was a rather melancholy way to think about the kids. We were so in the thick of our parenting life, and with a …