AYA Cancer
Finding Freedom in Food
I throw back the last bit of hot khachapuri with a bit of water in the Tbilisi airport. My stomach growls, but I don’t have time for another before boarding. I immediately think about what I can eat in the Dubai airport before my flight to Amman.
Read More...On Cancer and Self-Reflection
When I was first diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma, one of the more common messages I received was that I would gain a new perspective or a new sense of meaning from having such a jarring experience.
Read More...A Quiet Moment
Hi friends! I decided to write on a topic called “a quiet moment.” This simply means: what does a quiet moment mean to you? What do you all think about when you do get a quiet moment?
Read More...My Story as a Medical Professional
Since being invited and enthusiastically agreeing to write this piece and speak, my pretty much constant thought has been- “Oh crap, what did I agree to?”. I’ve started and deleted more drafts than I can count, talked through what I wanted to share with friends (and aloud to myself), and had serious regrets about not taking my therapist’s assigned journaling homework more seriously.
Read More...It Was Least Expected
You may not think that missing an eye appointment is a big deal right? Well, you are wrong, so wrong. It is so important that you see your doctors for check ups throughout the year; you never know what they’ll find.
Read More...I’m Tired
I’m tired. / Tired of 7AM dentist appointments so I won’t miss work. Every week, the receptionist asks me where I’m going afterwards, and I wearily say “to work.” / Tired of virtual doctor appointments during my lunch breaks.
Read More...My Body is a Battleground
When I was in the hospital for induction chemotherapy, I remember telling my dad that my body felt like a war zone. The chemotherapy that continuously ran through my veins for a week was the weapon meant to wipe out the disease that pervaded my body.
Read More...I am a Mother, Despite Cancer
No one expects cancer to come into their life, especially at 26 years old. No one imagines that at their routine gynecological examination the doctor’s revelation would have one of the most significant impacts on their life. No one can be prepared for the whirlwind that occurs after they are diagnosed.
Read More...A Mother’s Diagnosis
It was a difficult and painful decision to write about my struggles in life, but I have learned over the years that I am not alone in my journey. For years I have not spoken to my friends while avoiding family as I gripped through my depression for almost a decade.
Read More...The First Patient I Diagnosed with Cancer
The first person I ever diagnosed with cancer was me. Until that point in my medical training bad news had always been broken to patients before I met them. By the time of our introduction, their shock had subsided, and the initial fractures of their premorbid identities had ossified into therapeutic resolve.
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