Caregiver

The story in March that a Kaiser Permanente hospital in the San Francisco Bay Area used a telemedicine doctor to inform a patient and his granddaughter that there was nothing...

When my first husband had metastatic bladder cancer, our needs for help and support shifted frequently. One week, pain management would be our primary challenge. The next week it would...

The moment I became a caregiver to a bladder cancer patient, was when my first husband was diagnosed with metastatic disease. Suddenly, there was so much to do: research treatment...

Caregivers are starting to get more attention—in the press, in research, and in discussions about healthcare and illness. And I am both happy and relieved to see this. What I...

We had just settled into the hospital room when the phone rang. I answered it. “Is this Ms. Khoshroo?” a perky female voice asked. “Yes,” I said, while mentally calculating...

Receiving a diagnosis of bladder cancer can be a life-altering experience, not only for the person diagnosed but also for the spouse, child, parent or friend who becomes the person’s...

In 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...

Mindfulness has become a very popular concept in recent years as a means of relaxation and remaining anchored in the present moment. It originated in Zen Buddhism as a way...

If you compare our lives in 2018 to 25 years ago, it is stunning how much work has been outsourced to us as consumers. We scan our own groceries; we...

I’ve been talking to and working with bladder cancer patients and caregivers for five years. I have been a caregiver myself and I am a volunteer patient advocate. Time and...

I’ve shared nine pieces about the beginning of my grandfather’s journey with bladder cancer. The scary times, hospital issues, rehab, coming home and life adjustments. To be honest, I’m not...

This is the 9th entry in a series that chronicles my grandfather’s journey with bladder cancer. The following are actual emails or messages in our family’s closed Facebook group where...

This is the 8th entry in a series that chronicles my grandfather’s journey with bladder cancer. The following are actual emails or messages in our family’s closed Facebook group where...

This is the 7th entry in a series that chronicles my grandfather’s journey with bladder cancer. The following are actual emails or messages in our family’s closed Facebook group where...

We live in a culture that admires and celebrates hard work. This is a good thing to the extent it inspires us and keeps us motivated. But I believe our...

I lost my first husband to bladder cancer in 2014. Since then, I have become a patient advocate. When he was ill, and subsequently in my advocacy work, I have...

Time and again, I have heard bladder cancer patients and caregivers describe that moment when they received the cancer diagnosis as a stopping of time. They say they had a...

This is the 6th entry in a series that chronicles my grandfather’s journey with bladder cancer. The following are actual emails or messages in our family’s closed Facebook group where...

“Patient-centered” has become a buzzword in healthcare in the past few years. Doctors and nurses talk about “patient-centered” care at conferences. Research projects— and clinical trials— strive to include a...

I think living with the uncertainty that bladder cancer presents us is one of the most challenging aspects of the disease. Whether you are diagnosed early stage or late stage...