Survivorship

One of Our Own

Posted by  | Issues & Perspectives, Survivorship

Deb Stewart has battled breast cancer twice. A nurse by training, she now works with breast cancer survivors at the Avon Foundation Breast Center here at Johns Hopkins, lending her support and wisdom gleaned from experience. Her work is not only valuable to patients, it’s rewarding for Deb. Or, as she puts it, “You get(...)

Oct 14, 2011 2 comments

Beating the Odds of Cancer with Humor: 50/50 Movie

Posted by  | Survivorship

On September 14, 2011, I was invited to a special premiere of the movie 50/50.  A group of cancer care providers packed into a movie theater in Georgetown anxiously awaiting the film to begin.  I’ve been hearing about this movie for months; there’s been quite a buzz in the young survivors’ community about its startlingly accurate(...)

Sep 30, 2011 1 comment

Part 4: Why I Walk

Posted by  | Issues & Perspectives, Survivorship

Everyone has their own reason.  For some, they feel grateful for how far they have come or to remember those they have lost.   For others, they want to inspire hope and galvanize progress toward ending this disease.  Others may want to participate in the event as a way to fight back at a disease that(...)

Aug 30, 2011 1 comment

Miles for Melanoma

Posted by  | Issues & Perspectives, Patient Stories, Survivorship

There's something about exercising that helps cancer survivors take back some control of their bodies. Kevin Stenstrom was a marathon runner and a Naval Flight Officer who, during a routine physical, was diagnosed with melanoma. After several surgeries and months of cancer therapy, Kevin founded team Miles 4 Melanoma, a program that provides runners with(...)

Aug 12, 2011 No comments

Part 3: Bonds that Bring Us Closer

Posted by  | Issues & Perspectives, Survivorship

My fellow team member Julie Thomas raised $13,760 this year alone, in her eleventh Avon Walk.  Julie’s been raising money for breast cancer for almost 20 years now, ever since losing a close friend to the disease.  She approaches the task with gusto, maintaining a donor list of 200 names, including family, friends, colleagues, and(...)

Aug 2, 2011 1 comment

Amy’s Diary

Posted by  | Issues & Perspectives, Survivorship, treatment

As oncologists, we encourage our patients to seek support wherever they can find it - family, friends, religious organizations, community groups... In the last decade or so, thanks to people like Amy Ohm, opportunities for support have begun to emerge on the Web. Several years ago, after Amy was diagnosed with melanoma, she looked online(...)

Jul 8, 2011 No comments

Part 2: Walk the Talk

Posted by  | Issues & Perspectives, Survivorship

It’s not every day that you commit to walking 40 miles in the heat and rain, but on April 30 of this year, I walked in my second D.C. Avon Walk for Breast Cancer as part of the Johns Hopkins Breast Center Team.  This quite a contrast from my humbling beginning 19 years ago with(...)

Jul 6, 2011 No comments

Why We Walk

Posted by  | Issues & Perspectives, Survivorship

Have you ever considered joining a walk/run/swim or other athletic event to benefit a cause that has special meaning to you?  I never thought that participating in my first event would become even more personal, and I didn’t anticipate that the bonds I formed would help me deal with my own issues. This is the(...)

Jun 22, 2011 No comments

11 Million Strong

Posted by  | Issues & Perspectives, Survivorship

When I think of the word cancer, “celebration” is not the next word that immediately comes to mind. But, last Sunday, that’s exactly what cancer survivors at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center did. Cancer Survivors’ Day is an annual event that falls on the first Sunday in June. It’s a date recognized around the(...)

Jun 9, 2011 No comments

Caring for the Caregiver

Posted by  | caregiving, Issues & Perspectives, Survivorship

Speaking 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

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