It’s probably safe to say that the word any patient fears hearing the most is cancer. It’s wild that one little word can instantly change your whole world, isn’t it? And when you get a call from someone you love, and they say, “I have cancer,” it’s a gut punch unlike any other. That’s what I felt last Wednesday when…

We see it on television, in movies, and in real life. Someone moves to a new town for a fresh start. A guy who is unhappy at work quits and lands his dream job. A brokenhearted girl looks to her left and finds true love with the wedding singer who had been there all along. While all these things can…

Recently, I was talking with someone who had just finished chemotherapy treatment. He explained why patients usually feel so crappy after a round of chemo, telling me, “Well, you know, it kills the cancer cells, but it also kills good cells.” I knew that chemo killed good cells, too, but I had never really put two and two together. I thought about…

How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the book, was published in 1957, and the animated television special’s original air date was December 18, 1966. Since then, the Grinch is—at least during December—an integral part of American life and is beloved by young and old alike. And it’s not just the book or the TV special we love; we also adore the…

Tuesday, October 29th, is National Cat Day. According to the calendar, every day of the year is a day to be celebrated and is therefore dubbed National Something Day. Many days have several “somethings” to be celebrated, which works well for those who like to have options. My favorite so far (aside from Festivus, of course) is January 16th: National Nothing Day, a day dedicated to doing…

When I get to know someone and tell them what I’ve seen or about the things that have happened in my life, I sometimes wonder if they think I exaggerate or make up stories. Often, I will throw a “This is true, I swear” statement somewhere in the story as I tell it, especially if I notice a look of…

“You can easily judge the character of a man by how he treats those who can do nothing for him.” ― Johann Wolfgang von Goethe   It’s his 95th birthday, and he’s just finished getting dressed for our outing. Preparing for this (or any) outing takes my Uncle Donny much longer than when he was a younger man. My brother, sister-in-law,…

Summer officially ends on September 22, and the chill in the air this morning was a reminder that autumn will arrive soon. I love fall and everything that comes with it: the trees proudly display their leaves in stunning shades of orange, yellow, red, and brown, the cool (not cold) temperatures that, for some reason, make the air feel cleaner,…

I just had a birthday, and with it came the realization that I am now a member of a group I never imagined I’d belong to: The Old Maids Club. You remember the Old Maid card game, right? It’s the one where the loser was the one who ended up with the Old Maid card—but how many of us considered…

This upcoming September will be sixteen years that I haven’t had a drink of alcohol—not even one sip. I don’t say this because I’m looking for kudos or words of congratulations; I say it because I wanted to write about one of the things I had to do when I first quit drinking that helped stop me from falling off…