Caregiver

How do you break the news of your diagnosis to your adult children? That question is hard enough to answer when your children live locally. But if your children live...

Mom always told me that she loved how I explained things. She said I had a way of making people understand. An understanding was something that was sorely lacking in...

About 10 days after Mom's successful TURBT procedure, her oncology surgeon began her on a regimen of BCG. Fortunately, the progression of the cancer after her TURBT showed stage 1...

Mom's second attempt and first successful transurethral resection of a bladder tumor occurred about 10 days after the first unsuccessful attempt. I was so unbelievably nervous on the way to...

It seemed like no time from when we finally got Mom's bladder cancer diagnosis that she was scheduled for the first surgery. The very word surgery made my skin crawl...

I've heard many cancer survivors say that they remember exactly where they were or what they were doing when they found out they had cancer. I imagine this has to be...

Hello! My name is Charles and I am sad and glad to be a part of this conversation. I want to formally introduce myself and let you know what you can...

As we enter the season of being "thankful", we'd be remiss to not acknowledge that November is Caregiver Awareness Month! Having come from a long line of caregivers, I know...

Just how important a caregiver can be to a person with cancer is becoming clearer. Many studies have shown that a person’s own emotions can affect their choices and thoughts...

Millions of people are caring for loved ones who are sick or disabled. In fact, some 25 percent of U.S. adults report providing care or assistance to someone with a...

We hear a lot from bladder cancer survivors — about their stories, their recommendations, their fears, and their triumphs over cancer. But what about the people who don’t survive? The...

In May, the AARP released a report, Caregiving in the United States 2020. It is a comprehensive survey of unpaid caregivers in the U.S. The data was gathered via an...

I don’t need the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) to tell me that unpaid caregiving is a tough job in the United States. But it is validating, as well...

Cancer caregivers are often described — in brochures or panel discussions – as selfless. Friends, family, and providers have a tendency put them on a pedestal. In my experience, though...

It has been 6 years since I was a caregiver in the trenches of stage IV bladder cancer. My husband and I were on a desperate quest to save his...

In my Part One article, I wrote about the nonprofit AnCan's Advanced Cancer Caregivers’ Call that I co-moderate. This virtual support group is based on a “peer-to-peer” format. What does...

It is astonishing to me as I write in mid-May that the United States has now lost nearly 87,000 people to COVID-19.1 The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) estimates...

When my husband Ahmad had metastatic bladder cancer, I was very limited in how often and for how long I could leave home. He was too sick and too groggy...

The only version of bladder cancer that I know well is the worst one. The one that kills. The one that made me a widow at age 45. The one...

I’ve recently had some nerve pain in my hand that is likely to be carpal tunnel syndrome. It’s not that bad, very manageable, and likely to get better. But it...