Home » 2015 » May

Monthly Archives: May 2015

#LCSM Chat topic 5/21: Living with and Beyond Lung Cancer

Posted on by | Leave a comment

This is a reblog of a 5/18/2015 post on the #LCSM Chat site (reposted with permission).

You mean I have to say something

Lung cancer patient advocates are beginning to make their voices heard and gain acceptance in the medical world.  For the first time ever, patient advocates will be speaking from the stage at the World Conference on Lung Cancer (WCLC), the largest meeting dedicated to lung cancer anywhere.  The meeting, which runs September 6-9 in Denver and is sponsored by the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer (IASLC), will have sessions on research, treatment, biotech developments…and patient advocacy topics.

In the session titled “Advocacy in Practice,” #LCSM Comoderator Janet Freeman-Daily will be speaking about “Supporting Lung Cancer Survivors–Living with and Beyond Lung Cancer,” which will inform lung cancer healthcare providers … read more

“Moving On” — a yarn about knowing when to let go

Posted on by | 1 Comment

The short film “Moving On” touched me both as a daughter who made care choices for dying parents, and as a metastatic lung cancer patient who is likely facing death sooner rather than later. It’s especially poignant since I spent yesterday in a workshop about palliative care and end of life. I needed several tissues after the subtle headshake, yet the tears were cathartic.

I pray all of us and our loved ones will  make the most of whatever time we have together, and know when it’s time to let go of the yarn — whether for ourselves or for those in our care.

Please remember to touch and be touched by your loved ones before the yarn is all gone.

Thanks to Lucy Goddard Kalanithi for sharing the link.

Reflections on a Cancerversary

Posted on by | 2 Comments

Today is my fourth cancerversary.  Four years ago–May 10, 2011–I first heard a confirmed diagnosis of lung cancer.  On cancerversaries I review events of the past year and assess how I’ve spent my time.  I’m not looking to pat myself on the back for my accomplishments, or check locations off a travel list.  I’m looking to see if I stayed focused on what means the most to me, and whether I need to adjust my priorities.  My time is too precious to waste… continue reading