“And yet we know that You have already come, to a forgotten corner of the world, to a people on the verge of losing hope, to a woman no one thought could bear a child, and the world has never been the same.” At church this morning, I read this portion of the Prayer of […]
May 27, 2016 started out like any other day. I rushed around the house, trying to get everything ready before walking the dog and taking Roya to preschool. I grabbed a mini muffin and a sip of water, when I felt an odd and sharp pain in my chest. I thought to myself: I’m going to faint. Let me […]
A year ago, I focused on how my glass was half full. I was – and am – thankful to be a mom and an educator. Nonetheless, as 2014 drew to a close, there were still a lot of loose ends in my life: Was my breast cyst benign or malignant? Could I physically handle […]
Thank you to all of you who texted, emailed, clicked “like” and commented in response to my relationship update post. Given the humbling outpouring of support, I wanted to provide some additional clarification as to how I’m doing and what’s next. Am I okay? Yes. I grieved the end of my relationship with The Man long […]
Three years ago, I wrote about my relationship with The Man and had introduced him to my close friends and family. I met The Man at my end-of-treatment fundraising celebration, and our relationship was on the fast track soon thereafter. Just how fast? February 2012: We started dating. April 2012: I had a double mastectomy. June […]
In a recent conversation with a friend, I explained to her that I had a creative approach to child care. Friend: Of course, you do. It would surprise me if you did anything in a conventional way. For the first year of Roya’s life, I didn’t know what my child care needs would be. How […]
Recently, I spoke to students at Georgetown University’s OWN IT Summit about social media activism. I also held “Office Hours” for a smaller group during which we discussed everything from my curriculum to the law to sexuality studies to blogging. The last question of the day was: How do you deal with having a daughter? I […]
When I found out that I needed to have a cyst removed from my right breast, I had an idea. Since I still have yet to finish my breast reconstruction, I wondered if I could get some or all of the next reconstructive surgery completed at the same time. One operation was better than two, right? […]
In 6th grade, my English teacher tasked the students in my class with writing their own autobiographies. I couldn’t think of a title for mine and asked my mom for help. She didn’t need more than a second to respond: Doing It Stef’s Way. Yes, I marched to the beat of my own drum even […]
True or False: If a woman has a double mastectomy, she can never get breast cancer. False. Despite what is often touted by celebrities in the media, undergoing a double mastectomy does not mean that a woman will not get breast cancer. Think about it from a scientific perspective. Is there such a thing as […]