Perspectives from those who live it every day.
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 […]
Elissa Bantug ⋅ Survivorship Survivorship, Young Adults with Cancer ⋅ 1 Comment
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 […]
Elissa Bantug ⋅ Issues & Perspectives, Survivorship Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, Breast Cancer, Survivorship ⋅ 1 Comment
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 […]
Evan Lipson ⋅ Issues & Perspectives, Patient Stories, Survivorship No Comments
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 […]
Elissa Bantug ⋅ Issues & Perspectives, Survivorship Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, Breast Cancer, Survivorship ⋅ 1 Comment
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 […]
Evan Lipson ⋅ Issues & Perspectives, Survivorship, treatment No Comments
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 […]
Elissa Bantug ⋅ Issues & Perspectives, Survivorship Avon Walk for Breast Cancer, Breast Cancer, Survivorship ⋅ No Comments
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 […]
Elissa Bantug ⋅ Issues & Perspectives, Survivorship avon walk, Breast Cancer, Survivorship ⋅ No Comments
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 […]
Amy Mone ⋅ Issues & Perspectives, Survivorship Survivorship ⋅ No Comments
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 […]
Elissa Bantug ⋅ caregiving, Issues & Perspectives, Survivorship caregivers, Survivorship ⋅ No Comments
Do you know your social worker? You should. We’ve listed 5 ways that social workers can help cancer survivors. Elisabeth Tamasi, clinical social worker at the Johns Hopkins Kimmel Cancer Center, discusses these five tips. 1. Sexuality, Intimacy and Body Image “Social workers are great resources to help start a dialogue with you and your […]
Elissa Bantug ⋅ Issues & Perspectives, Survivorship, treatment social work, Survivorship ⋅ No Comments