LIVING WITH UNCERTAINTY DURING UNCERTAIN TIMES The COVID-19 pandemic brings back memories of how vulnerable I felt during the early days of my ovarian cancer diagnosis and subsequent recurrences. On the day I woke up from surgery and found out I had cancer, my life was suddenly filled with fear, uncertainty and a feeling of [...]

WHAT'S IN A WORD Originally published in ASCO Connection, March 2017  I’ve written in the past about how words are powerful—that they can have multiple meanings, how they can change depending on context. I am often reminded about how true that is in everyday oncology practice, especially when it comes to meeting new patients. Some [...]

My Road to Advocacy and the Inspiring Women I’ve Met along the Way I ran a nonprofit for twenty years that helped neighborhood residents start businesses in their own community.  As a community based urban planner, I was taught that true change in our society comes from the marginalized.  I was a student of “Pedagogy [...]

DEALING WITH THE GREY ZONE I’m in the grey zone again . . . a time of unknowns and uncertainty.  My CA-125 (which is a blood test that is used to track how I am doing) has been creeping up steadily over my last four appointments. It appears as if my maintenance treatment may no [...]

HOLIDAYS PAST Winter in the Northern Hemisphere is a season I look forward to enjoying. For me and my family, it is get-togethers at Christmas; for nearby friends it is gatherings for Hanukkah or Kwanzaa; and we all look forward to welcoming the New Year. Before my cancer diagnosis I remember starting to put up [...]

THE POWER OF YOUR STORY Recently I met a young woman who had been diagnosed with stage 3C ovarian cancer three years before; she was back in treatment for a second recurrence. I asked if she had considered participating as a presenter for Ovarian Cancer Research Alliance's Survivors Teaching Students®(STS) Program.  As the National Program [...]

LEARNING FROM LONG-TERM SURVIVORS What do you do? What do you eat? Do you take supplements? These were the questions that I asked every woman who had undergone treatment for ovarian cancer that I met those first few years after my own diagnosis. I was desperate to learn and do anything—absolutely anything—that would help me [...]

CANCER IS A HUMAN EXPERIENCE - NOT JUST A MEDICAL ONE Mom, just send me a text if you need anything, I can barely hear you when you speak. Advice from my daughter as I recover from a thyroidectomy I had a few days ago. As I wait for my pathology results, I’m recalling my [...]

STAYING HOPEFUL I was recently asked by a woman whose ovarian cancer had just returned how I remained hopeful in the face of my own multiple recurrences. I had to think and reflect before answering her.  I’ve always been a positive person – not a “Pollyanna” per se – but generally a “glass half-full” type of [...]

VALLEYS AND MOUNTAINS Originally Posted on tps://ovariancancerisnothing.com/2019/05/29/valleys-and-mountains/ It wasn't until my body was curled into itself and heaved erratically from the grief that I heard the bugle call me out of the valley.  It wasn't until I was standing at the top of the mountain in celebration that I decided to make an effort to stay [...]