When I first started thinking I’d be lucky enough to celebrate 5 years free of cancer, I imagined that I’d host a huge party with everyone I knew. The 5-year NED (“no evidence of disease”) mark is sort of a magic ticket in the cancer realm, a sign that, if you’ve managed to outrun aContinue reading “5 Years Cancer Free: Babies After Breast Cancer”
Tag Archives: #ayacancer
After-Shock
She’s nobody’s foolto think she deserved some reprievefrom these headwinds and chaos,the tumultuous dayswhen she was caught up in the storm.Now, she spins circles,finds the air is still loadedwith the damp heaviness that forbodes a second storm. I wrote this poem for the Wea’ve Written Weekly prompt #165, which was provided this week by BobContinue reading “After-Shock”
Time’s Calm
The stillness of that year,captured in still frames,plucks at my veinslike the IV needle.We drive to the hospital,to empty waiting rooms,to masked facesand empty eyesto perdition,or so it seems.Still, that waiting room haunts me,awakening masked emotions.But time passes smoothlythrough the eyes of a needle,until the ghost of that year fades,wavering in my mind’s eye,and IContinue reading “Time’s Calm”
5-Year Cancerversary
There is a lot about life that is cyclical. Trends, for instance. The 90s are really “in” right now, or so say my students. We were at a roller rink a few days ago, and every song they played was from 1990-2005. It was definitely creating an intense wave of nostalgia for this Millennial. EvenContinue reading “5-Year Cancerversary”
What Should We Write?
Do writers have an obligation to tell a greater message within a novel, or should it simply be a fun story meant for entertainment purposes? Somewhere along the line, I slipped from telling a story simply for the joy of others’ reactions and the excitement of piecing together the narrative and into the passion ofContinue reading “What Should We Write?”
Healing Connections
I’d mentioned earlier about driving (more like, sloughing through a never-ending mire of idling vehicles) in New York City in mid-May. My main reason for traveling to the area was to attend a “Breathe Now” AYA cancer survivor retreat in Chester, New York. I’d discovered the retreat over the winter when searching for more AYAContinue reading “Healing Connections”
Discovering the Why
My short essay “Discovering the Why” has been selected for social media publication with Wildfire Magazine’s Family April/May 2024 issue. I’m so grateful to have discovered Wildfire almost three years ago through a friend in a virtual AYA cancer support group. At the time, I was wrapping up cancer treatment and longing for a communityContinue reading “Discovering the Why”
4th Cancerversary
I can’t believe it’s been four years since I picked up the phone and heard the words “You have cancer.” I spent those early days in shock and disbelief. I was also terrified. I remember going to our New Year’s Day mass on January 1st, 2020, convinced that I wouldn’t be there with my familyContinue reading “4th Cancerversary”
bluebird’s legacy
you rode the waves like a natural, chalking it up to waves of snow: a fellow boarder (though I could never strive to be as cool). now you soar higher than your namesake. we’ll see you in the glisten of sunrise over far-flung beaches, the frozen leaps of friends bound by fate. you live onContinue reading “bluebird’s legacy”
Memoir as Healing
One concept that I’ve been considering more lately is the healing power of writing– specifically the healing power of memoir– although all expressive types of writing apply. I held a workshop recently where I shared a bit about my own cancer story and how it led me to focus on the importance of healing throughContinue reading “Memoir as Healing”
Words and Coffee Writing 