There’s a lot of misinformation about breast surgeons, mastectomies and reconstruction out there. Let’s separate some of the facts from fiction! True or False: You can’t see a breast surgeon unless you have breast cancer. A majority of women only require one surgery for mastectomies and reconstruction. Women can get mastectomies without having breast cancer […]
Found out I’m in remission, but I’m not that happy. When I saw those words appear in my Twitter feed, I immediately replied to my friend: I’m grateful that you are done with treatment, but I get it. Call me if you want. Love you! My telephone rang one minute later. We talked about how […]
He told her that he loved her, and she stared at him. Words escaped her, as her brow furrowed slightly and her eyes squinted in confusion. She considered him a friend. Granted, he was a dear friend, a friend with whom she had been intimate. But, she had never viewed him as more than a […]
A year ago this week, I met Mr. Agency. A few days later, we grabbed drinks together. A year ago this week, Best Boy spent the night at my place for the first time ever and told me: You’ve gotten in my head. As July turned to August, I had two minor surgeries to remove […]
At some points during my six weeks of radiation treatments, I wasn’t in a lot of pain and actually enjoyed being at the Cancer Center at Sibley Hospital. On my best days, the head radiation technician would play her latest hip-hop mix as we would catch up on the day’s events, and another technician and […]
Every 30 seconds, someone in the United States is diagnosed with cancer. Last year, at age 37, I was one of those people. I needed a lumpectomy to remove the two cancerous areas in my right breast, six rounds of chemotherapy and 30 sessions of radiation. I knew that treatment would be tough, but I […]
If a person is diagnosed with breast cancer, a doctor runs tests on the cancer cells to determine if they are: 1. Estrogen receptor positive; 2. Progesterone receptor positive; and 3. HER2/neu positive. What does that even mean? Well, for the first two, do estrogen and progesterone (hormones that naturally occur in the body) cause […]
What constitutes a perfect first date to you? From my perspective, I like when I find myself giddy with excitement and a touch of nervousness before the date itself. I take the time to figure out just the right outfit to wear. My heart is open to the possibilities, but I have no expectations of […]
As I had predicted, Mr. Agency called me three days after our text conversation. In those 72 hours, I didn't shed a tear over him or even give him much thought. I was feeling horribly from my fifth round of chemotherapy, and I had zero energy to give to a guy with whom I was […]
A year ago this week, I found a lump in my right breast, as I was trying on clothes for the Fashion For Paws runway show to benefit the Washington Humane Society. That same weekend, I noticed that my very shy rescue dog, Flake, began sleeping as close as she could to my right side. […]