After My Diagnosis, Meditation Made My Mental Health Worse – and Then a Lot BetterWhen people I know are diagnosed with cancer, I'm always amazed by how they react to the news. Within the past year, two women in my life have been given...reactionscomments
Can Dogs Detect Cancer?Before my diagnosis and in the weeks after, my dog – an eight-year-old pug named Tang Tang – stuck pretty closely to my side. I didn't think anything of it...reactionscomments
What the Heck is “Second Cancer”?When I first heard the term “second cancer” about a year ago, it sounded like a bad joke. Unfortunately, it's something very real. Second cancer, I learned, is not the...reactions2comments
Using Humor to Cope With CancerWhen I noticed blood in my urine, my doctors sent me to get an ultrasound to rule out anything serious. Instead, what they found was a 4-cm mass on the...reactions3comments
Surviving Cancer with My “Online Friends”Like many in my generation, I have “real” friends – people whom I've met in person -- and “Facebook” friends – people with whom I've only spoken online. At the...reactions3comments
Advice to My Younger SelfWhen I got my bladder cancer diagnosis I had no personal experience with cancer and I had just turned 29. Because I was relatively young, and because none of my...reactionscomments
How Oversharing on Facebook Helped Me After My DiagnosisMy friends joke that there's nothing too personal for me not to share on Facebook, and I have to agree. For some reason I don't understand, things just feel more...reactions1comment
Recovery from SurgeryIllustrations by Lucius Wisniewski for this comic done in partnership with his wife, Sarah Watts. There were many things that surprised me about my journey with bladder cancer. Maybe one...reactionscomments
Cereal for DinnerTelling our kids about cancer and surgery was not an easy task. Thankfully, they responded a lot better than we thought they would. Illustrations by Lucius Wisniewski for this comic...reactionscomments
Cancer with an Anxiety DisorderGetting a cancer diagnosis is never easy. But when you have cancer and an anxiety disorder, you tend to jump to the worst possible conclusions. Illustrations by Lucius Wisniewski for...reactionscomments
Two Caregivers Share Their StoriesIn so many ways, caregivers make it possible for people diagnosed with bladder cancer to survive. After I had my TURBT surgery, my mother drove me home from the hospital...reactionscomments
Here's What Chemo Feels LikeWhen I first heard that I'd need chemotherapy to treat my bladder cancer, terrifying visions swam into my head. Knowing virtually nothing about cancer treatment, I pictured chemotherapy like it's...reactions1comment
Dr. GoogleMaybe it's a generational thing (I'm a Millennial), but when I get news that's confusing or scary, my first urge is to research it extensively on the Internet. My urologist...reactionscomments
Urine AnxietyIt sounds silly, but hear me out: Having bladder cancer has given me a renewed appreciation for my health and my mortality, sure. But it's also given me a phobia...reactions8comments
The Six-Month LeashEvery six months, my friend Cheryl and I get together and celebrate our good health. Cheryl and I are both cancer survivors – bladder cancer for me, and appendix cancer...reactions4comments
The CatheterWhen I had my bladder cancer removed last year, the doctor warned me that I would need to wear a catheter bag for a few weeks after surgery to give...reactions1comment
How Bladder Cancer Helped Me Get My Life TogetherLike other survivors I've spoken with, my life seems permanently divided into two parts – Before Cancer and After Cancer. Before Cancer, it's safe to say I was a hot...reactionscomments
Women Fare Worse with Bladder Cancer – and Now I Know WhyWhen I was first diagnosed with bladder cancer, I turned immediately to statistics to try to make sense of this new and terrifying disease. I wanted to know – what...reactions14comments
Surviving Cancer – With a Spiritual Practice?Over lunch, a friend and fellow cancer survivor confided in me that in addition to chemotherapy and a total lifestyle overhaul, one of the things she credits with staying cancer-free...reactionscomments
Can I Call Myself a Survivor?When we hear the word cancer, there are certain images that tend to pop up in our heads. We picture a balding patient with dark circles under her eyes and...reactions1comment
