Finding Faith
(Winter 2007)
Oncology chaplain Debra Jarvis writes about her own breast cancer diagnosis and
her work as a chaplain at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance in her new book, It’s
Not About the Hair: And Other Certainties of Life and Cancer.
Pay it Forward
(Winter 2007)
Survivors become peer mentors to newly diagnosed women and offer experience, insight,
and hope.
Radiation on a Rainy Day
(Winter 2007)
Angela Patterson was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2006. She was 34 at diagnosis,
and pregnant. Ten days after her diagnosis she gave birth, so she likes to joke
that this year she and her son both celebrated their first birthday.
Our Stories
(Fall 2007)
Hispanic women speak out about breast cancer.
Spirit and Soul
(Fall 2007)
Patti LaBelle speaks out about the loss of her three sisters to cancer and the blessing
of making a difference.
Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips
(Fall 2007)
Author Kris Carr shares advice for living with cancer and living large in spite
of cancer
Talk to Me
(Fall 2007)
Web sites offering peer-to-peer interaction abound for women diagnosed with breast
cancer, catering to various needs, interests, and diagnoses.
In Tune with Cancer Treatment (Summer 2007)
Music therapy supports cancer patients through treatment to improve both emotional
and physical well-being.
When Cancer Creates a Career (Summer 2007)
Four stories of professional transformation in the wake of a cancer diagnosis
Writing for Her Life
(Spring 2007)
Keeping a journal leads one cancer survivor to transform her cancer journey.
Giving Faith a Chance
(Winter 2006)
Sandy Gragg shares the feelings of so many touched by cancer when she explains how
those around her, though well meaning, struggled to support her when she was diagnosed
with bilateral breast cancer. “Friends and family were at a loss for words to comfort
me upon my diagnosis, and co-workers shied away as if the cancer might be contagious,”
she says. “They feared I had been given a death sentence.”
Comfort Food
(Fall 2006)
As warm, savory platters of lasagna, rigatoni, and risotto brought the unmistakable
aroma of home-cooked Italian fare to Rebecca Goniwich’s kitchen, the 46-year-old
mother of three from Sudbury, Massachusetts, was transported to the Sunday mornings
of her childhood, when she’d awake to a house filled with the smell of her mother’s
spaghetti sauce. The memory offered precious comfort, particularly because Rebecca’s
mother is no longer living and she remembered the sense of security she’d felt as
a child as she confronted a most uncertain time in her life: diagnosis and treatment
of bilateral breast cancer.
Writing Her Way Through It (Fall 2006)
Stacia Deutsch had a favorite saying during cancer treatment: “choose shoes.” It
came about because of a particularly tough postchemo day when she really didn’t
want to get out of bed. Her sister called, and when she sensed Stacia’s state of
mind, she told her, “You have two choices: you can stay in bed all day or you can
put on your shoes.” Stacia forced herself out of the fetal position, put on her
shoes, and walked to the mailbox, propelling herself into a more positive mental
space. From that point forward, the saying became her mantra as she elected each
day to do that one thing that would move her forward, toward the end of treatment.
Bras on Display
(Fall 2006)
Their faces were ashen, the normally festive room somber. I knew intuitively that
this was not the day for the art lesson I had planned. I asked one of the other
teachers if the students had heard the news. She said that some had and some hadn’t
but that all would eventually need to discuss it. The staff of the Baldwin County
Alternative School, where I teach art one day a week, had just heard that their
awesome counselor, Mrs. Harrell, had been diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer
Planting Seeds of Health and Hope: One Survivor's
Personal Retreat (Summer 2006)
Feeling alive and energized, finding inspiration in beauty and growth, and creating
lasting connections with friends and family are just a few of the contributions
a healing garden has made to breast cancer survivor Carolyn Swaggerty’s successful
treatment.
Retreat, Revive, Renew
(Summer 2006)
What does it mean to be a woman living with cancer? Though the people who support
you in your daily life—your family, friends, and caregivers—are offering you all
that they know in the way of care and compassion, if they have not lived with a
diagnosis of cancer themselves, you may at times still feel alone.
Striving for Balance
(Summer 2006)
JC Braithwaite was 32 years old and loving her job as an area manager for Showtime
Networks. Her work involved traveling to call centers to train cable reps, and she
was actually sitting in a rental car, waiting to go into a training session, when
her doctor called with the news: “I’m afraid it’s breast cancer.”