What is survivorship?
A person who has had a cancer diagnosis is oftentimes called a “cancer survivor.” When people talk about “survivorship,” they are usually referring to navigating their life experiences and challenges resulting from their cancer diagnosis. The phrase cancer survivor can mean different things to different people. It is often used as a general term describing […]
How will I know if I’m cured?
We can estimate your chances of cure accurately, and if you want to talk to your doctor about this, you should ask. We don’t mind answering these kinds of questions. But even if we know a specific probability, such as 85% cured versus 15% not cured, we can’t know whether you’re in the 85% or […]
Should I join a cancer support group?
Yes. It really is that simple. You think you don’t need it, or won’t benefit from it. You’re mistaken. Try it. You may not need it for long. Maybe only once will be all you need. But no one other than a group of people going through the same thing will ever understand. Not even your doctor.
Becoming a Parent after Cancer
Alisa, Mary Jo, and Tony join me today to discuss Alisa’s breast cancer diagnosis and how it impacted her fertility. Tony explains the rarity of breast cancer in young adult women and the unique challenges younger cancer patients face during treatment. He illustrates his experience working with Alisa as both her oncologist and colleague and […]
Wisdom from the Strangest Places
I’m sentimental about Halloween the way most people are sentimental about Christmas. Fall foliage and pumpkins bring the tang of childhood to my tongue like nothing else. So I spend the month of October watching new horror movies or horror mini-series, if there are any good ones. And if there aren’t, then there’s always the […]
Survivorship: What Lies Beyond Cancer
“Now what?” This is at the top of patients’ minds after completing cancer treatment. For many, it comes with a significant amount of worry. You have achieved the “end goal” so it’s common to wonder, what’s next? Patients are used to being supervised on a daily or weekly basis and that may abruptly change to […]
What is Survivorship?
More cancer patients are being cured than ever before because of early detection and improved treatments. Survivorship begins the moment a person is diagnosed with cancer and lasts throughout his or her lifetime. It is a unique journey for each person. There is no right or wrong way to be a cancer survivor. Many survivors […]
