
Talking to Children in Times of Uncertainty
By Paula Rauch, M.D. on March 21st, 2011 Categories: Day-to-Day MattersWhen families are adjusting to a breast cancer diagnosis, treatment, and life after treatment, the world can already feel like a pretty unsettled place. When distressing events happen in the world, children can be affected more than parents realize. To children, images of fear and destruction on TV, as well as classroom discussions or adult conversations, can feel very personal. How can you make sure …

When a Friend Gets Sick
By Patricia Prijatel on October 1st, 2010 Categories: The Breast Cancer JourneySeveral years ago, an acquaintance of mine died of breast cancer. We were not close friends but I had known her for years and our sons were good friends—they still are. What’s most important, though, is that I highly valued her as a person—she was simply one of those people who are plain good. I knew her cancer had returned and that she was terminal, …

What Does It Mean to Be a Caregiver?
By Marc Silver on July 18th, 2010 Categories: The Breast Cancer JourneyThe other day, I came across a poll that said many cancer caregivers don’t think of themselves as caregivers. I sure didn’t when my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. The word caregiver sounds clinical and detached. It makes me think of a white-clad attendant, offering tea and pills to a bedbound patient. That surely wasn’t me. And my wife was far from helpless. In …