Holiday Stress + Breast Cancer = A Challenge

It’s the most wonderful time of the year, croons Andy Williams over the store’s loud speaker. Really? I think. I’m sure the retailer wants me to agree with Andy, which might mean I’ll toss some more goodies into my cart. But I am not convinced. Buying stuff does not equal happiness, nor does piped-in music mean all is wonderful. I leave the store …

Breastcancer.org’s Tips for Getting Through the Holidays

Here we are, smack-dab in the middle of holiday season. While this time of year is generally a busy one for everyone, if you’re undergoing treatment or trying to reduce your risk of breast cancer or a recurrence, you might feel like you’re juggling more than those around you — including what you should or shouldn’t eat, how to schedule treatment around travel plans, tips …

Wham Bam! A Cellulitis Scare After All These Years

Full disclosure here: My sole intent for sharing these details of my experience is simple. I hope to help someone else avoid what happened to me.

To briefly recap Chapter 1 and Chapter 2 , this summer (our first living full-time on the farm) found me loving living here and farming full-time, but thinking, thinking, thinking about everything that needed to be done, and running, …

The Shock of a Cancer Diagnosis

There are a lot of life events that you never forget and that become a sort of ‘rite of passage,’ after which you feel a little wiser and more street savvy. For me, those events included graduating college, obtaining my law degree, moving to New York City, meeting my best friend and then marrying him, moving to the country, raising children.

I never thought that …

Cancer, Baby: Children and the Body After Cancer

From the time I was a teenager, I had always been rather proud of my breasts, fairly perky 36Cs. I wasn’t a fan of the rest of my body, wishing endlessly that I were taller, willowier, and had a less poochy tummy. But the boobs, I liked.

I still remember a time in college when I was hanging out with some housemates in my bathrobe, …