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 […]
Breast Cancer
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
Walkers Stay Strong on Day 2
Posted by admin | UncategorizedElissa Bantug, breast cancer survivor and blogger, is walking in the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer in Washington, D.C. This is Day 2 of updates and photos. She's almost there, so cheer her on! Elissa's Updates: 6:22 AM The sun is raising over Wellness Village. It was a chilly night for the campers. Many are […]
May 1, 2011 No comments
Walk 40 Miles in My Shoes
Posted by admin | UncategorizedThis weekend, blogger and breast cancer survivor Elissa Bantug is walking nearly 40 miles in Washington, D.C. at the Avon Walk for Breast Cancer. She's there with survivors, friends, family and others sharing their support. Stay tuned to see updates and photos from Elissa at the event. Saturday, April 30, 2011: Updates from Elissa at the Avon […]
Apr 30, 2011 No comments
Breast Cancer Patients: Lymph Nodes – Leave Them Alone?
Posted by admin | treatmentWhen most people think about breast cancer, they don’t often think about the small, pea-sized structures that dot the body and help fight infections and other foreign substances. But it’s top-of- mind for many patients who undergo surgery for breast cancer. Lymph nodes are sites for cancer spread, and certain nodes are removed during surgery […]
Feb 9, 2011 2 comments
Fatigue
Posted by Elissa Bantug | Issues & Perspectives, SurvivorshipFive weeks into radiation, I decided that the hair on my legs had become so long that an intervention was necessary. Going somewhere to have my legs waxed was too overwhelming in my current state, and cutting myself while shaving seemed like a small risk, as I’d internalized my doctors’ advice about the compromised nature […]
Jan 7, 2011
Cancer News Review: Top Stories
Posted by admin | ResearchThree stories top the list of major developments in cancer research during the past month. Listen to these topics discussed in the most recent Cancer News Review podcast. First, to treat or not to treat is the question for low-risk prostate cancer. Whether to give aggressive treatments for low-risk cancer contained within the prostate is […]
Dec 22, 2010 No comments
Completion of Treatment — Time to Celebrate?
Posted by Elissa Bantug | Issues & PerspectivesThis post is written by Lillie Shockney, the Administrative Director of the Johns Hopkins Avon Foundation Breast Center and a two-time breast cancer survivor. Completing Treatment - Time to Celebrate? You'd think so. You've been through surgery, perhaps chemo and radiation, maybe on or completing hormonal therapy and you are finally "done" breast cancer treatment. So ready […]
Nov 3, 2010 No comments
Finding the Spark Again After Cancer
Posted by Elissa Bantug | Issues & Perspectives, SurvivorshipOne of the most common complaints I hear from cancer survivors is a change in their sex life. Within days after returning home from my mastectomy, I attempted to be intimate with my husband even though I had yet to regain the ability to dress or shower myself with medical drains still attached. I thought […]
Oct 19, 2010 No comments
Putting Cancer in Its Place
Posted by Elissa Bantug | Issues & Perspectives, Patient Stories, SurvivorshipIn a conversation with a patient recently, she said to me, “I am a mother and a wife, but when I think of what describes me most, it is that I am a cancer survivor. Having had cancer is the first thing I think about when I get up in the morning, the last thing I […]
Oct 12, 2010 No comments