Articles

If you tell someone you’re a cancer survivor, they pat your back and say “good show!” Or they’ll congratulate you on your effort and perseverance. Some might say you’re a...

If you are just joining me, please read “The Prelude: Learning to Cope with Anxiety and Panic Attacks” and then come back here. There is some important backstory that will...

It's been over two years now since my life changed forever. Two years since the birth of "Winnie," my stoma. You would think that I would be used to "her" by...

Anxiety begins to manifest itself, in earnest, about a month out. It starts with the automated call confirming the upcoming appointment. It may be three weeks prior. I just know...

My rounds done and me wan' go home (Apologies to Harry Belafonte.) I had neoadjuvant chemotherapy before I had my cystectomy and prostatectomy. Neoadjuvant therapy means I had chemo administered...

Many people in the bladder cancer community have described coming face to face with their bladder tumor in the exam room during a cystoscopy. One survivor described the moment by...

One of the worst underlying symptoms of cancer is the unmitigated fatigue it brings. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a problem with multiple causes: the effect of your immune system trying...

Important background info: 6-year bladder cancer survivor, neobladder, no need to catheterize, continent during the day – pretty good at night with a 3.5-hour schedule. No other issues for all...

In this article, I want to discuss dating and bladder cancer. A few months ago, I wrote a companion article on this topic for ProstateCancer.net. I suggest you take a...

Faith (noun): Let me say, here, at the beginning, I am not trying to convert or proselytize anyone. I am not trying to tell you my way is right and...

My “new normal,” a phrase often used in cancer circles to describe life in survivorship, completely took me by surprise when I exited treatment. It happened both times I experienced cancer! I...

I hadn't been thinking about bladder cancer a lot until recently. During treatment, that's all I thought about. I thought about it for the next several months every time I'd...

While there are several different treatments for bladder cancer available, many patients with high-risk or muscle-invasive cancer will undergo a procedure known as a radical cystectomy - total removal of...

I became a Nana this year to the gorgeous Jackson James, but I have been a step-Nana for over a year, and in that time, there have been a few...

Bladder cancer is newly diagnosed in approximately 71,000 Americans each year. There are several treatments for bladder cancer, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Many patients depend on medications being...

For those of you who don't know me or my journey, my name is Anita, and at the grand old age of 45, I was diagnosed with terminal small cell bladder...

Cancer has been an incredible teacher, a constant companion, and a challenge on so many fronts. The one area I have often struggled with and failed at is keeping in...

Service to others may well be the greatest treatment for nearly any ailment. When we serve others, we can immerse ourselves in the needs and life and struggles of another...

As a bladder cancer advocate, I spend a lot of time on Twitter, and I had made "friends" with a few cancer nurse specialists. These nurses are the backbone of...

Having gone through a number of cystoscopies, TURBTs, and ultimately, a radical cystectomy (complete bladder removal), I began to think of all the people that have been involved in my...