Figuring out how to survive Christmas with no money? You’re not alone. A few years ago, I looked down at the five, crisp bills that just came out of the ATM. “This is it,” I thought to myself. This is all we have to spend for Christmas. My husband had entered the arena of unemployment […]
Read MoreA few months ago, I got pretty good at mindfulness – I learned how to be still. I even went to a retreat where a mindfulness guru came in and led our small group in an exercise. There we all sat on colorful, braided mats with crossed legs, closed eyes and open palms. We breathed […]
Read MoreI met with a new colorectal surgeon this week at KU Cancer Center and discussed my latest colonoscopy and how I was considering a j-pouch vs ileostomy. I liked him a lot. He was smart and asked good questions. I challenged myself to set an appointment with a new doctor to get a new opinion. […]
Read MoreI didn’t expect my adoption post this month to be centered around the news of a funeral. But as I’ve processed the passing of my daughter’s birth grandma last week, there’s no better way to advocate for adoption right now. We met Ms. Linda shortly after we adopted Mae. She helped care for the child […]
Read MoreOne of the best decisions I’ve made in the past week is sharing my colonoscopy results with you all. Seriously. The outpouring of support is overwhelming, in a good way. My heart was encouraged by the comments, messages, texts and phone calls all weekend. It took me over an hour and a half to read […]
Read MoreI had dreams of posting a blog about my colonoscopy earlier this week and sharing that I was polyp-free and the coast was clear in my colon. Although I didn’t leave the clinic like I have in previous years, worried and concerned cancer was growing in my body, I didn’t leave like I’d hoped. During […]
Read MoreI wasn’t there when she took her first breaths of air, when the vibrations of her vocal chords sounded the alarm she was cold, hungry or tired. I didn’t see the nurses wipe her off, nor the fresh ink from a tiny footprint dry. I wasn’t one of the many people in the room who […]
Read MoreIn 6th grade, my body image was so poor, there was a short stint of time where I’d order a salad for lunch, take a few bites of iceberg lettuce and then dump the remainder of the bowl – yellow-shredded cheese, plump-red tomatoes, crusty croutons, crisp-green lettuce and diced ham – into the trash can. […]
Read MoreLess than a year after I was diagnosed with colon cancer at age 17, I found unused, wide-ruled, 3-hole-punched paper and attempted to write my story – a memoir I suppose – in pencil. I got the basics out, mostly, the timeline of what happened to me the six months prior. A stack of pages […]
Read MoreSometimes I step back and realize it’s a miracle I only post personal health updates a few times each year, if that. I don’t take this lightly. Seventeen years ago, after my colon cancer diagnosis, my parents were frequently emailing a list of friends and family with the latest surgery updates, chemotherapy stories and reports from […]
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