Perspectives from those who live it every day.
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 […]
admin ⋅ Issues & Perspectives, Survivorship avon walk, Breast Cancer, 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 […]
Amy Mone ⋅ Issues & Perspectives, Survivorship 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 […]
admin ⋅ caregiving, Issues & Perspectives, Survivorship caregivers, Survivorship ⋅
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 […]
admin ⋅ Issues & Perspectives, Survivorship, treatment social work, Survivorship ⋅
The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) and National Cancer Institute (NCI) issued a report today estimating the number of cancer survivors at nearly 12 million people. This is more than double the number of cancer survivors from 10 years ago. Cancer centers nationwide are leading efforts to understand the unique needs of survivors, including follow-up […]
admin ⋅ Survivorship Survivorship, vw ⋅
Five 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 […]
admin ⋅ Issues & Perspectives, Survivorship Breast Cancer, fatigue, side-effects, Survivorship ⋅
This 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 […]
Elissa Bantug ⋅ Issues & Perspectives Breast Cancer, Survivorship, treatment ⋅
One 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 […]
admin ⋅ Issues & Perspectives, Survivorship Breast Cancer, intimacy, sexuality, Survivorship ⋅
In 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 […]
admin ⋅ Issues & Perspectives, Patient Stories, Survivorship Breast Cancer, Survivorship ⋅
Defining when a patient becomes a cancer “survivor” seems to vary depending on whom you ask. Some people say that this term can be applied after a patient has shown no evidence of disease for five years; others assert that survivor is a status achieved following the patient’s completion of all recommended treatments and surgeries. […]
admin ⋅ Issues & Perspectives, Patient Stories, Survivorship Breast Cancer, Survivorship ⋅