I’m scared, and I’m doing it anyway. That was my response, when my friend, Lauree Ostrofsky, asked me how I’m feeling about my upcoming surgery. I didn’t hesitate to answer her with one of her trademarked catchphrases as a life coach and motivational speaker with Simply Leap. Lauree urges others to acknowledge their fears since […]
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 […]
I’m cancer-free. And, I’m so thankful for that. But, that’s not the end of the story for me. I haven’t wanted to celebrate because I knew what was likely on the horizon. I haven’t been able to fully exhale since I knew that mastectomies and reconstruction were looming. They’re like this large, nebulous cloud overhead […]
I realized that I threw a lot of information at you in my post earlier this week about mastectomies and reconstruction. For a year and a half, my world has revolved around breast cancer. That thankfully isn't the case for 99% of you. To clarify, I do not have a choice about whether or not […]
In the super, amazing, epic news that’s actually epic column, I’m cancer-free! To say I feel thankful and grateful would be an understatement. After the doctor left the examination room, I put on my clothes and cried many happy tears. It’s interesting that as elated as I am, I’m not in a celebratory mood. That […]
Shortly after I was diagnosed, one of my doctors said: I hope you don’t take this the wrong way, but out of all of my patients, if one of them had to get cancer, I’m glad it was you. I don’t worry about you not being able to handle it. I laughed out loud, as […]
To paraphrase Charles Dickens, 2011 was the best of times and the worst of times for me. Lessons I wish that I didn’t have to learn this past year: That chemotherapy, the accompanying medications and low blood counts cause you to forget a lot of things that happened during treatment That two people I considered […]
My heart goes out to Giuliana Rancic. I admire her strength in dealing with fertility issues and now breast cancer in a very public eye. I join her millions of supporters in keeping her health, recovery and hopes in my thoughts and prayers. When I saw Giuliana on the cover of People Magazine, I felt […]
During my interview 14 months ago with Let’s Talk Live, I mentioned that cancer would be “a blip” in my life. By “blip,” I meant that there was a clear beginning, middle and end. I would beat it, and then I would be done. I wish I could be so blissfully ignorant now. After I […]
I picked when I’m teaching next summer based upon when I might need to get a double mastectomy. That’s one of those sentences that I never imagined typing. Getting over cancer isn’t like getting over a cold. It’s unfortunately not that simple. I pride myself on my ability to keep stress about “What ifs?” to […]