Here is a post I wrote last October for AZ Connections: At a 2009 breast cancer seminar, I met two MBCN volunteers: Joani Gudeman and Shirley Mertz. I had never met another person with metastatic breast cancer. Joani and Shirley made me feel less alone. Their activism inspired me. In 2008, Shirley and her fellow… [Read more…]
February 4, 2012
Others can speak far more knowledgeably and eloquently about the recent pink ribbon funding controversy. My concern is that we are missing the forest for the trees. Setting aside the funding issue, let’s consider the truth worth of these exams. Screening and self exams can be helpful. But let’s not kid ourselves. These tests are… [Read more…]
February 4, 2012
Corrine Ellsworth Beaumont is using her design talents to educate people around the globe about breast cancer symptoms and treatment. Her Worldwide Breast Cancer lemon-centric visuals have been used in North America, Europe and Asia to communicate detailed information about the signs of breast cancer. They can be displayed publicly without censorship and have been translated into many… [Read more…]
January 20, 2012
Pundit Molly Ivins died of inflammatory breast cancer at age 62 in 2007. “One of the first things you notice is that people treat you differently when they know you have [breast cancer],” she wrote. “The hushed tone in which they inquire, “How are you?” is unnerving. If I had answered honestly during 90% of… [Read more…]
December 8, 2011
Kudos to Suzanne Hebert. Alert readers will remember that Suzanne, my fellow MBCN member, was featured in a NY Times article this past January. That article explained the realities of living with MBC. I know several people who forwarded it to others and said “This is what I have, this is my story.” Suzanne is… [Read more…]
November 26, 2011
Maggie Daley (center) surrounded by former athletes and other members of the Chicago 2016 delegation in Copenhagen in September 2009; AP Photo/Matt Dunham I was sorry to see Maggie Daley, wife of Chicago’s former mayor, died this past Thursday. Daley, 68, was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2002. She had bone, liver and lung mets.… [Read more…]
November 20, 2011
The FDA has announced that bevacizumab (Avastin) is no longer approved for the treatment of breast cancer. The Genentech drug retains its indications for colon, lung, kidney, and brain cancer and will remain on the market. This issue has been extensively discussed in previous entries. Rather than rehash my opinion, I’d like to share some… [Read more…]
November 17, 2011
Q: What’s more fun than going to your cancer center? A: Playing “Going to the Cancer Center” with these Barbie-like dolls! Retailing for a bargain price of $8.99 you can afford to buy one for everyone in the waiting room! Take that, Madame Alexander! About to get a parking ticket? Tired of cleaning the cat… [Read more…]
October 30, 2011
I volunteer with the Metastatic Breast Cancer Network. At the group’s annual conference, someone living with MBC introduces every expert speaker. Prior to introducing the medical expert, each patient shares his or her story. I had the honor of introducing Johns Hopkins’ Dr. Stephen Baylin. In addition to being a Rock Star of Science, he… [Read more…]
October 27, 2011
[Reposting as it is almost Oct. 31] Last year I created my own holiday: Breast Cancer Remembrance Day. On Oct, 31, the final day of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, I will remember the friends and family I have lost to this disease. I will wear black, not for its funeral implications but for its simple… [Read more…]
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February 18, 2012
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