Before I dive in, I’d like to give a brief description of what the Pan-Mass Challenge is for those of you that have not heard of it. Straight from their website: “The Pan-Mass Challenge is a Massachusetts-based bike-a-thon that raises more money for charity than any other single athletic fundraising event in the country. Always […]
Stepping Out of My Comfort Zone: the Pan-Mass Challenge Read More »
Yes, you read the title correctly. A 27 year old with cataracts. What?! Apparently cataracts after cancer treatments are actually pretty common. Something to do with the long-term steroid use that is included in a lot of treatment protocols. I had no idea that this was even a possibility while I was going through my
Cataracts From My Chemotherapy Steroid Treatments Read More »
Hi Everyone! I have been so interested in learning and writing about other people’s Survivor Stories lately, and I hope you’ve been enjoying them too! However, there’s a topic about my personal experience that I’ve really been wanting to get out into the world for you guys before I post the next one. When I
A High-Level Look At My Bone Marrow Transplant Experience Read More »
I remember being terrified when I was told I needed radiation as part of my bone marrow transplant preparation because I had no idea what to expect. So, in this post, I thought I’d offer a very brief overview of what my experience with radiation was like. Hopefully this will make things a little less
My Full-Body Radiation Experience Read More »
Regardless of how tough this topic is to be open and honest about, I think that mental health is absolutely something worth having a discussion about because quite honestly it just isn’t talked about enough. Mental health as a cancer survivor should be simple, right? Great! I beat cancer! I’m so happy and have an
Mental Health As A Survivor: PTSD Has No Timeline Read More »
I was lucky enough to meet the woman that saved my life. A total stranger, giving me the selfless gift of a second chance at life. In my previous post, I discussed what it was like to find a donor. Now, I’ll talk about what an incredible experience it was to meet her. Two years
Meeting My Perfect Match Read More »
No, my perfect match is not a reference to my wife (and she is totally okay with that). My perfect match is the woman that saved my life on May 4, 2016. There aren’t many things scarier than having no idea whether or not there is a stranger out there willing to save your life.
Finding My Perfect Match Read More »
If you’re a part of the cancer community in the United States, or have a loved one going through treatment, you have probably heard of Be The Match. Be The Match is an extremely powerful non-profit organization that dedicates its resources to educate as many people as possible and add to their registry in order
A Poem For Be The Match Read More »
Being told that you need a portacath (“port”) to safely undergo cancer treatment can be daunting to hear. Maybe you have other options such as external lines to consider, or maybe you don’t. But either way, in this post, I will discuss some of the pros and cons that I’ve experienced with having a port.
Pros and Cons of Having A Port Read More »
As I am sure a lot of you know, going through cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiation can often lead to hair loss. In this post I’ll dive into how I felt about losing my hair when it first happened, how I learned to cope with it, and how I feel about the topic now.
Coping With Hair Loss Read More »