As an oncologist, I am continually astonished by the strength and determination patients bring to bear in their fight against cancer. One such patient - Heather Johnson - is a dedicated mom, a loving wife and a self-proclaimed cancer warrior. Heather decided early on in her fight with colon cancer that she would wage an(...)
Issues & Perspectives
When Cancer Empathy Runs Deep
Posted by Vanessa Wasta | Issues & Perspectives, Uncategorized***This post is written by Judith Minkove, editor of Inside Hopkins and senior writer at Johns Hopkins Medicine. On any given day, as many as 170 patients pour into Weinberg 2’s outpatient infusion center for cancer treatments or blood products. Another 100 come in for follow-up visits. One by one, patients are escorted back to one(...)
May 11, 2011 No comments
Appreciating Our Nurses
Posted by Amy Sales | Issues & Perspectives, UncategorizedI read an article about a 10-year old boy who took all the money he had saved to purchase a Super Bowl ring from a retired NFL player. Imagine his delight to own such a rare commodity . I know grown men who would give up a limb for a trophy such as this .(...)
May 9, 2011 5 comments
Do’s and Don’ts for Diarrhea
Posted by Michelle Potter | Issues & Perspectives, treatmentChemo can cause diarrhea because it harms your healthy cells that line the large and small bowel. It may also speed up food moving through your bowels. Diarrhea also can be caused by infections or drugs used to treat constipation. Here are a few dos and don’ts for managing diarrhea: Do drink 8 – 10(...)
May 5, 2011 No comments
Cancer Screening Tests Everyone Should Know
Posted by Valerie Matthews-Mehl | Issues & Perspectives, Prevention/ScreeningKimmel Cancer experts frequently say that “the best way to cure cancer is to prevent it from ever occurring.” Most experts agree that currently-available cancer screening tests have lead to a decline in cancer deaths. Moreover, they allow cancers to be detected early, making more treatment options available to patients. Let me say up front,(...)
May 4, 2011 2 comments
Communicating Cancer Messages
Posted by Vanessa Wasta | Issues & Perspectives, UncategorizedI'm in Chapel Hill, North Carolina this week attending the annual meeting of Cancer Center public affairs, marketing and development professionals. There are more than 200 of us gathering to discuss best practices in our fields, including communicating cancer messages to the media and general public. I'm giving a talk to professionals who are new(...)
Apr 28, 2011 1 comment
Twenty-One Years Ago Today
Posted by Amy Mone | Issues & Perspectives, UncategorizedI hate April 25. It’s the day my mother died of breast cancer, 21 years ago. I don’t think anyone is really ever prepared to lose a parent. I certainly wasn’t. I often think of the many milestones in my life that she missed. Much has changed since then, particularly in the field of cancer(...)
Apr 25, 2011 1 comment
Caring for the Caregiver
Posted by Elissa Bantug | caregiving, Issues & Perspectives, SurvivorshipSpeaking at a breast cancer caregiver support group recently, I listened closely as they joked with one another about remaining in the “doghouse“ during the entirety of their wife or girlfriends’ oncology treatments and for several months once active care completed. Although they were laughing and seemed to be taking it in stride, I could not(...)
Apr 18, 2011 No comments
Kimmel Quotables
Posted by Michelle Potter | Issues & Perspectives, UncategorizedWho are the heroes in your life? The Daily Record chose Laurie Bryant, R.N. as their Health Care Hero. Sharon Krumm, our director of nursing had the following to say about Laurie. “Laurie's passion for excellent nursing care includes psychological, social and spiritual aspects of care. Her passion is manifested in a number of ways,(...)
Apr 12, 2011 1 comment
Reporting from the Front Lines of Cancer
Posted by Vanessa Wasta | Issues & Perspectives, UncategorizedWar correspondent Leroy Sievers had seen his share of gruesome battles and war-torn lands, but this strong, tall, affable guy would be taken down not by a stray bullet, but by cancer. It's never fair when fate deals this blow. But Leroy used used his storytelling talent to give readers and listeners an account of this(...)
Apr 5, 2011 No comments