Articles

As I write this, I am 4 months away from my 5th "stomaversary," the anniversary of my stomas and a key milestone in my prognosis. As I reach this milestone...

I'm almost six years into this journey now, and I cannot count the number of times that I see people post online how much they hate the "bag" and their...

I am a very positive person and like to think for the most part - I cope with living with life after bladder cancer and living with two ostomies. When...

The consultation day had arrived. It was here, the day I hoped would be a life changer for me however, due to the coronavirus, my consultation was to be held...

The last two years have been really hard. We, as a people worldwide, have faced challenges we have never faced before. For those of us on the cancer spectrum, this...

You may have noticed a pattern if you have read some of my articles. I write about the mental health side of cancer and survival. I focus on well-being far...

Dear Loved One, I don't know how to tell you this. But I have been diagnosed with cancer... Again. I know how deeply painful it is to hear. We have...

So, what is life like with two ostomies? Well, it is often double the work. They both need caring for and looking after - both in different ways. My ileal...

After all the years I've been around and all the times I've cautioned others, I recently didn't follow my own advice and very nearly got taken for $100! I know...

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...

If you have bladder cancer, some medical jargon may feel confusing. Many medical terms sound similar but have different meanings. This is the case with words you may have heard...

Some of the biggest cancer risks come from lifestyle factors known as environmental hazards. These hazards are present in many people's daily lives. Occupational hazards are a type of environmental...

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...

If you are reading this article and you are going to be having a cystectomy surgery or have the surgery already scheduled, I hope the article will help you to...

People talk to me. They open up and unload their burdens. Because of this, I know many intimate details of random people I come across in my day-to-day comings and...

The most common treatment for non-muscle-invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is called Bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG). BCG involves filling the bladder with a live strain of the bacteria Mycobacterium bovis, which works...

You never know when something will trigger your gratitude for the simple things in life. The things around you. The people around you who mean the most, life itself even...

"I've done this before," I have always said. Intravesical chemotherapy for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer is nothing new to me. I have survived TURBTS with mitomycin, and even a couple...

Summer has arrived in the southern United States, and the weather is sweltering. It's not unusual for the heat indexes here to reach the triple digits and this brings along...

Suppose you are reading this article and considering a radical cystectomy (RC) surgery or have the surgery already scheduled. In that case, I hope this article will help you emotionally...