March is almost over—have you committed to scheduling your colonoscopy? Yes? Great, let me give you a few tips since I’ve had about 10 of these procedures!

Way back in 2005 when I was diagnosed with stage 1 colorectal cancer, we didn‘t have smart phone cameras to capture every image nor did we have social media to document my treatment. I was still shooting on film! I never knew if my images were going to turn out as I’d hoped until I had taken them to a film lab, waited a couple of days, then payed for my prints. I would open the print envelope with great anticipation—would my photos turn out beautifully or would they disappoint?

If you live in America, chances are you‘ve heard of this mystical thing called the Enneagram. Always a hot topic in our house, especially this week because my husband bought a book by Christopher L. Heuertz called The Sacred Enneagram…

If you've ever had a baby or gone through surgery, you probably know the gift of home-cooked meals showing up at your door just in time for dinner. As a cancer patient, our family was on the receiving end of this most gracious of offerings. In light of that experience, I thought I'd share a few thoughts and suggestions for those of you taking food to a loved one with cancer…

World Cancer Day is coming up on February 4th and every year on this day, I take stock of myself and my life here on the other side of cancer…

There are a million reasons why you won't feel like taking of yourself during cancer treatment. You've already got so much to deal with, you're tired and maybe even a little depressed, or maybe you just don't think you have the time…

How are you holding up at the end of 2020? If the entire year weren’t difficult enough, we end it with a season that can bring so much strain on relationships, the image has become a trope. Throw in a cancer diagnosis and a family member or friend who is railing against the trustworthiness of the medical community, and you have the makings of severed ties…

I thought I'd share a favorite family recipe of ours with you…Mulled White Wine Sangria!

There are SO many great things about the winter weather: cozy fires, hot chocolate, fun scarves, the holiday season. But, winter can be tough if you're sick and stuck at home. And, especially so this year with the added burden of Covid-19…

It's finally fall and I am here for it. Anybody else excited about the chilly mornings, leaves changing colors, hot tea on rotation, and the fireplace being back in business?

Do you have someone in your life who's in the midst of cancer treatment? If you do, I'm guessing you've struggled with how to encourage them during this season of restricted visiting…

Tennessee’s cancer statistics show that there have been nearly 5700 new breast cancer diagnoses in 2020. Those numbers multiply as you look at statistics across the country, with 279,100 new breast cancer diagnoses just this year…

But, World Cancer Day reminds me of something profound: I’m here and alive! I really could have died twice! And I’m not sure what the future holds for me as a breast cancer survivor…

Isn't there something we'd all like to change about our personal history? I'm currently experiencing regrets about a handful of choices I made over a decade ago. They weren't mistakes, just choices that didn't yield the promise that, in their germinative state, seemed to peek at me with hope in their eyes…

This week I celebrate three years since I underwent bilateral mastectomy surgery and the first phase of reconstruction. And three years with no evidence of disease! While I'm thankful to have these fake boobs that won't try to kill me like he real ones did, there are some real downsides…

When my mom told us she was diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer back in 2012 my heart sank - I felt like someone punched me in the stomach. I knew in that instant I was going to be by her side throughout her treatment journey. I knew it in my soul. Almost as if I was fulfilling some kind of bigger purpose…

Call me paranoid, but I've had enough brushes with cancer at this point to get any and all scans, so long as insurance will pay. This week I had my colonoscopy and a CT/PET scan..

I'm bad at relaxing. I don't know what to do with stillness. My body likes it well enough considering I still haven't lost the 20 chemo pounds that I gained 2 years ago, but my mind? The only thing that has ever taken my mind out of real life is reading, and I can do it for hours…

My first Lucent Gift blog post, and I can’t think of much to say. I could tell you that cancer is a long journey, but that’s apparent. I could say it was a blessing in disguise, but that may be hard to believe…