Being a nurse, my job is to help facilitate solving an “unknown.” Let’s say a student shows up in my school health office feeling unwell. I have to find out their symptoms, take their vitals, and get a history. I get a picture of what’s wrong, try to determine what it is, and then make […]
Blog
How I Learned to Give Myself Grace
A newish, but dear non-cancer friend (aka “muggle”) said to me once when I was lamenting on getting more involved in the cancer community, “You kind of let cancer become your whole personality.” I highly doubt she remembers telling me that—it’s most likely not verbatim what she said. I have no idea if she knows […]
Summer Blog #2
Hi everyone and Happy Monday. I have found myself writing on Monday mornings and decided I’d start writing and publishing every Monday for a few weeks. Blog Goals After I get you all caught up on all things Julia and cancer (such a riveting read, I know), I’m going to start a new blog series. […]
My July 2023 Update
It’s 8:00 AM, July 3rd, 2023. The last few mornings have been rainy, so I’ve been sleeping in, but today it’s back to routine. The routine for the last few weeks has been to sit outside with my caffeine of choice (Celsius from a powder, not can) in a coffee mug while wearing my big […]
Lymphedema
Lymphedema. Something I was terrified of even before my first treatment. Something I can hardly spell, and now share a very intimate relationship with. What is lymphedema? To understand what lymphedema is you have to know what the lymphatic system is and its purpose. What is Lymphedema? At the most basic: the lymphatic system is […]