- By Georgia Hurst
- Posted January 5, 2017
Overcoming My Death Anxiety Related To Lynch Syndrome
The new year leaves me contemplating where I am now, and where I have been to get here. When I discovered I had Lynch syndrome more than five years ago, I was absolutely horrified and developed death anxiety. Every single aspect of my life became magnified. I could not help but feel as though a ticking time bomb had been strapped to my back –…
- By Tameron Harvell, MSN, RN, FNP-BC
- Posted December 22, 2016
You're Not To Blame
Editor’s Note: We are re-posting this entry by Tameron Harvell, a registered nurse practitioner, to raise the profile of “survivor’s guilt” – an issue that can be particularly challenging during the holidays. You’ve just received your cancer genetic testing results and no mutation was found! What a relief to know…
- By Eve Mart
- Posted December 15, 2016
Not Just For the Holidays: Thoughtful Gifts for Breast Cancer Patients
This past year I had the honor of being selected as a Miami “Model of Courage” (MOC) for the Ford Warriors in Pink (WIP) campaign. As their mission statement says, “Ford Warriors in Pink is dedicated to helping those touched by breast cancer,through actions that support, inspire and empower patients, survivors and co-survivors throughout…
- By David Dubin
- Posted November 3, 2016
Just Call Me “Above Average Dave”
“Superhero.” Has a nice ring to it, doesn’t it? Flattering, obviously. As someone who has survived multiple cancers, still plays and coaches soccer, had his colonoscopy footage used on national television, and does a lot of public work, I’ve been given a few titles. One of them is superhero. Thanks. But I worry that people, especially others…
- By Eve Mart
- Posted July 19, 2016
Relearning to Balance
After cancer treatment, I was so relieved to be finished with the demands of treatment and ready to put the experience behind me. Ironically, I found myself feeling uncertain with what my future held. I was so fixated on a magic number… five years. In my mind, if I could just get five years out from treatment, I would be magically cured and the…
- By Eve Mart
- Posted June 28, 2016
What did Cancer Teach Me?
It might seem difficult to comprehend, but I think cancer taught me a number of profound life lessons that few people realize until it’s too late. I don’t think I stand alone in that thought. In the face of breast cancer, I’ve seen many women show remarkable strength and do things even they never thought they could do. “You never know how…
- By Eve Mart
- Posted May 24, 2016
Resiliency Is The Key To Life
I was diagnosed with breast cancer at a relatively young age. I had just turned 35 years old. I went to the gym every day and was seemingly healthy and fit, and now I had been diagnosed with breast cancer. What was I going to do? I never considered myself a vain person until faced with decisions that would mean losing my hair and my breasts, almost…
- By Deepti Babu, MS, CGC
- Posted March 17, 2016
The Buddy System: It Works for Hereditary Cancer, Too ( original)
We’ve covered a lot of territory with this blog, so thank you for coming on the ride with us. Theresa Smith recently talked about her experience of sharing her genetic test results with her family, and we offered a genetic counselor’s perspective on the same idea. This time, we’re focusing more on you – we’re exploring the idea of building…
- By Eve Mart
- Posted March 15, 2016
Supporting Friends and Family through their Cancer Journey
I’m not sure which is more painful, fighting your own cancer battle or supporting a loved one through it. I’ve been on both sides of the fence and still cannot answer that question. Support for me came in a variety of forms and in varying degrees from virtual strangers on internet message boards, acquaintances, co-workers, friends, and family.…
- By Jessica Profato, MS, CGC
- Posted February 4, 2016
Coping with Cancer: 5 Lessons from my Patients
As a clinical genetic counselor, a big part of my job was educating my patients about the basics of genetics and hereditarycancer. Another equally, if not more, important part of my job was to talk to them about how a diagnosis of cancer, a positive genetic test result, or a combination of the two was impacting their life and those of their family…