Category: cancer
-
Happy stem cell birthday to me!
My immune system is six years old today! 💕🎂🎉 I wrote thank you notes to my doctors. I wrote the following in 2018: I experienced leg pain and weakness for a couple of months before a blood test sent me to the emergency room. Dr. P. diagnosed me in October, 2015, with primary plasma cell…
-
The Diagnosis
Dr. B. encouraged me to write about my experience with PPCL. People need hope, he said. The research is scary, but the future is open. I think the phrase is “beating the odds,” although I never bet on an outcome. I think the most significant thing I did was try to be present with everything…
-
Why don’t patients do what they’re told?
I don’t mean to be difficult. Really.
-
No joke
Listen up, boys and girls. Skin cancer is real. Your parents weren’t just trying to control you when they told you to apply sunscreen. A few days ago, I had basal cell carcinoma removed from my nose. (I’ve had BCC removed from my face before, just a few bumps, and I’d have to point out…
-
Primary Plasma Cell Leukemia
I want to provide an information hub for patients diagnosed with primary plasma cell leukemia. I was diagnosed with this rare form of cancer in October, 2015. Long story short, I had an allogeneic stem cell transplant at M. D. Anderson Cancer Center in March, 2016, and lots of side effects and medical adventures. Two…
-
Impermanence and Complaint
Feeling bad is a clear message that feeling good doesn’t last, but in the medical rush to make it better, we’d rather not think about that.
-
Things Fall Apart
When people ask what has helped me “stay positive” on my cancer journey, I should just quote Pema Chödrön.
-
Cancer Prevention
Often, cancer is a crap shoot. It will be a while before medical science can always predict who will get cancer and who won’t. My cancer, plasma cell leukemia, is rare, and not much is understood about it. (Yes, I’m in complete remission, but this was my diagnosis not very long ago.) But it’s silly…
-
The New Normal
When I agreed to a stem cell transplant, I only knew that it was my best chance for a cure. I’m in complete remission. The transplant did save and extend my life. I can think and write and meditate. I can get myself here and there. I’m able to appreciate and enjoy this beautiful life.…
-
Reading and Writing
It’s a beautiful spring afternoon in Houston. I hope you’re comfortable and safe, wherever you are. A brief update on my health, for my friends who like keeping track of me: I’m generally feeling pretty good, still managing limited energy. In the last month my liver enzymes got too high; there’s a concern about graft-versus-host…
A Few Thoughts 