I have spent much of the past week in a doctor’s office. I had four appointments, to be exact. It all started on Tuesday when I saw a new (to me) oncologist in Trumbull, CT. Let’s call him Dr. F. I sought out Dr. F.’s opinion upon the recommendation of a member of the Exceptional Cancer Patients (ECAP) support group of which I am also a member. Our leader is the internationally known surgeon-turned-author and spiritual guru Bernie Siegel. The purpose of my appointment with Dr. F. was to seek a second opinion about the next course of treatment on my metastatic breast cancer journey. Our first meeting can be summed up in one word: FABULOUS!
Hello friends, as always, it’s good to be back with you this week. This is a milestone for me – my 20th blog post! Thank you all for following my story and supporting me on my cancer healing journey. I’m writing you today from the beautiful, picturesque mountains of Vermont, where I’ve come for a few days of intensive therapy for my lymphedema, one of the side effects of my treatment for breast cancer.
Primary Care Physicians (PCPs) have a lot to learn about breast cancer - both early and late-stage. And guess who their teachers are? That’s right – WE ARE! I speak from personal experience on this one.
Today’s post is only a fraction of the wealth of knowledge I gained from the Thriving Together Conference. As a Hear My Voice trainee, I’ll be completing at least two outreach activities in the coming year specifically to increase awareness and education about metastatic breast cancer. One of my activities is to write a four-part series on this blog entitled Hear My Voice. What you have just read is the introduction to this series. In the coming weeks, I’ll address issues like men and breast cancer, the invisibility of people with MBC, resources for people with MBC, and what role YOU can play personally in the epidemic of metastatic breast cancer. It’s going to be an information-packed series, so I invite you to follow it and share it with others.
Last Thursday night, March 30, when I was folding laundry and watching MSNBC, it must have been divine intervention that led me to turn to ABC after I’d had enough of the so-called news talk for the day. The time was 8:05 pm, and unknowingly, I had turned to Grey’s Anatomy. Although I can’t tell you the last time I saw this show, from the moment I saw the title, “Be Still My Soul”, I was intrigued.
