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 […]
Since I’ve had Roya, moms or moms-to-be often ask me the following question: Isn’t it amazing? I always respond in the same way: She’s amazing. It – motherhood – is exhausting. Motherhood is the toughest job there is. It is 24/7. There are no holidays, vacation days, sick days or snow days. I teach about […]
I had a vision that Summer 2014 would be the Summer of Stef! After 11 months of being up two or three times a night every night with Roya, she was finally sleeping at least a nine-hour stretch. For the first time since I began teaching, I didn’t have any summer classes. And, most importantly, […]
I tasked my students in my Body in American Culture course with examining their thoughts about the body, beauty ideals and body image. The basic guidelines for this Body Genogram are as follows: Connect your early life experiences with your current understanding of your body and beauty in general. How do they or do they […]
At Gymboree, a then 10-month-old Roya was playing with two 15-month-old boys. One of the moms approached me and said, “She’s very cute.” I thanked her. She then moved over to Roya, extended her hand, and said, “High-five.” Roya just stared at the woman so I interjected, “She doesn’t know how to ‘high-five’ yet.” The […]