Renata Louwers

When life is good and we and our family are healthy, we often take for granted many small daily activities. We perform them with such ease that we don’t even...

When my first husband, Ahmad, was diagnosed with metastatic bladder cancer, the disease and prognosis were challenging enough. Dealing with the medical bills was its own devastation. Cancer patients and...

At risk of sounding at best cliché, and at worst, utterly insensitive: find the good in your or your family member’s cancer diagnosis. When my first husband Ahmad was diagnosed...

I was the caregiver to my first husband, Ahmad Khoshroo, during his 11 months facing Stage IV bladder cancer. It was the hardest thing I have ever done. Yes, it...

We all know that someday we will die. And while we know this in an intellectual way from a young age, I believe we only know it in a visceral...

When my first husband had Stage IV bladder cancer and our days were incredibly difficult, I remember wondering often: why doesn't the world seem to acknowledge how hard this is?...

I believe there is a sweet spot regarding being healthy and enjoying life. There is a way to balance pleasure and health. And it's worth remembering that illness will come...

Being a caregiver to anyone is exhausting. Being a caregiver to a terminally ill cancer patient can consume you. And make you sick with worry and physical illness. Many people...

Most major cancer centers offer support groups for patients and caregivers. Typically, these groups are organized by type of cancer (breast, lung, bladder, etc.) Bladder cancer groups are less common...

It is helpful – as a bladder cancer patient or caregiver – to keep in mind the idea that the medical system’s intention is to help you. If you don’t...

A bladder cancer diagnosis, for yourself or someone you love, is overwhelming. Even so-called good news (on the cancer spectrum) of an early stage diagnosis does not feel good. It’s...

A couple months after my first husband, Ahmad Khoshroo, was diagnosed with metastatic bladder cancer, I decided to go to a support group. He was too tired to go so...

There is a common misconception that palliative care is synonymous with hospice. And that to receive palliative care you must be enrolled in hospice. This is not true and it...

When my first husband, Ahmad, had metastatic bladder cancer, people often said “let me know how I can help.” And while I appreciated their good intentions, I found it difficult...

I lost my first husband to metastatic bladder cancer in 2014. That was after being told in 2011 that he had been “cured.” We experienced both the best case and...

“The tumor board agreed unanimously that surgery is not an option,” the urologist told us. He didn’t make much eye contact so we understood that this was bad news but...