"I just got a call from the nursing home, they said they have never seen anything like it. He was on his deathbed yesterday, they even called me in to say good-bye. A priest came in and read him his last rites and now he is up and joking around with the nurses."This was my grandfather... Continue Reading →
I'd like to say that it was like a scene out of G.I. Jane, where there was a great song playing in the background while my locks fell to the ground. I'd like to say I became tougher and after all of the hair was shaved from my head I reached down, grabbed some dirt,... Continue Reading →
“You have to be ready for battle!” When I was first diagnosed with cancer we waited to hear if it was Hodgkin's or non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. I read that Hodgkin's had a higher survival rate. That was the one I wanted to have and that is exactly what it turned out to be. After my second... Continue Reading →
"Do you want me to tell people?" That was the response of one of my friends after I told her I had cancer. In that moment I realized what she was asking, should I keep it a secret, or can I tell people? I responded with, "If there is ever a time I need my... Continue Reading →
It is amazing to see what happens when you are faced with something unimaginable. I've experienced people who responded and people who reacted to finding out that I had cancer. The people who responded instantly wanted to know what they could do to help. They drove or flew hours to see me, sat with me,... Continue Reading →
Two years before being diagnosed with cancer, I was in the Chicago Public Library deciding which motivational tapes to borrow. I grabbed one that had a flashy cover and looked like it was going to be the cat's meow, then my eyes stopped on the name, Zig Ziglar. The cover was plain and simply had... Continue Reading →
"Did you notice this lump when I walked in?" All the blood had drained from my face as I interrogated my family about what they noticed about me when I walked in the door. My Uncle David and Aunt Julie hadn't notice anything. "Maybe it's a spider bite?" someone suggested. I turned and went back... Continue Reading →
The one thing I wanted when I was sick, besides to survive, was to meet survivors. I wanted to know that there were others out there who had been to hell and back and they were living normal lives. This cancer thing was just a speed bump in their life. That's what I had been... Continue Reading →
The Survivor's Gift 