Dear Loved One, Today is Valentine’s Day. I have no candy or flowers to give. The only heart that I am offering is mine. I have breast cancer. I can see that this makes you sad. And scared. And helpless, especially helpless. You don’t know what to say or do

Ubiquitous. That’s how Dr. Ritu Chopra, my plastic surgeon, described breast cancer on the first follow-up appointment after my bi-lateral mastectomy this past December. This is what I found when I looked it up. Pervasive. Abundant. Permeating. That didn’t make me feel any better. Eight years ago, I directed an

In an article in the New York Times today, My Medical Choice, Angelina Jolie promised to share some background about her medical treatment with women seeking more information about BRCA gene mutations and what it might mean for them. This blog describes the main stages of her treatment. It is

I am curious to know, how many people get a divorce after the diagnosis of breast cancer. I know of several women, including myself, that found themselves single in the midst of all the turmoil! It is just insane!! My personal story is this: I was diagnosed with Inflammatory Breast

Most women do not look forward to their annual mammograms. After all, who wants to be reminded that there is a 1 in 8 chance that you might get breast cancer in your lifetime? When I was diagnosed at age 43, it came as an unwelcome shock – I was not only

If you have been diagnosed with breast cancer, you might have a fear of the word cancer and if it will change who you are. The questions that ran through my mind on the day I was diagnosed with stage three Breast Cancer were scary and were nothing but what

So far, my cancer journey has been pretty easy. I’ve just gone to some appointments to meet with the members of my new healthcare team which includes a breast surgeon, oncologist and breast navigator (when you are diagnosed with breast cancer, or any cancer, you quickly learn that you need someone to help

Is there really any “right” way to say, “Hey, I’ve got cancer?” I think not. However, it is a subject that must be dealt with and can be very emotional for the person relaying the news as well as for the people hearing it. I think every family has to

It’s not like I go around flashing my bare breasts around for the world to see. For the most part, that part of my body is covered up with clothing and the appropriate undergarment. The undergarments that I wear are typically more for function than for show, as in the seamless underwire kind

Being a Stage Three Breast Cancer survivor reveals alot about myself. I still have not finished my surgeries after five years but am confident about the women that I am. So many times we try to hide our scars whether they are on the outside or inside of us. Cancer teaches us