Guest Blog by: Kendall Scott, CHHC

“PREVIVOR” is a term used to describe those who have an increased risk for developing cancer due to close family history or due to certain genetic mutations, like mutations of the BRCA1 or BRCA2 genes, but who do not have a cancer diagnosis. My friend and coauthor, Annette Ramke, carries the BRCA1 gene, which you’ll read about in her story in our book, Kicking Cancer in the Kitchen.

In 2007 Time magazine chose “previvor” as number three of the top buzzwords...

I was diagnosed in January 2012 at age 33 with stage 3 cervical adenocarcinoma. I have gone through surgery, internal and external radiation and chemotherapy. After going through treatment I found out that the cancer had metastasized to my lungs turning it into stage 4. This certainly was not the result I wanted to hear but I am determined to continue fighting this disease.

 Lirasgirl33

 So far so good! Treatment is shrinking the cancer and I'm happy and enjoying life. Treatment...

In early December for the last 41 years or so, I’ve search out a single word or phrase that will help guide and direct me in the year ahead - hopefully keeping me on track! It’s a handy tool I use for personal accountability. I call it my “compass phrase”.

"Keep climbing"…… my compass phrase for 2013. I will post these words in various places – on post-it notes in my office, one inside my side of the medicine cabinet, written on a slip of paper in my wallet, or make a book-marker with the...

As an endurance athlete, I developed the ability to push through obstacles to reach a goal. I’ve completed marathons and triathlons, and even the Ironman World Championship in Kona, Hawaii. Yet the biggest obstacle – the one that has had the greatest impact on my life – was largely avoidable. That obstacle is colon cancer.

Terri Griege - Stage 4 Colon Cancer Survivor, Iron Man Endurance Athlete 

Colon cancer has a wide range of symptoms that don’t always point to cancer – particularly...

All I have to do is look at the television to see the children that are in the hospitals who are dealing with cancer as babies and tiny children. I also know people who have dealt with cancer as teenagers and I just read many articles about the increasing numbers of those in their 20’s who are being diagnosed with breast cancer, in particular. That doesn’t even begin to address the new cancer patients who are in their 30‘s and 40‘s and way beyond. The numbers are becoming staggering and I don...

My Introduction to Meditation

As a child, I was an overly nervous, shy creature. If I had to get up in front of a class and read a book report, I would become physically ill with debilitating stomach cramps and nausea. My experience with nerves and anxiety made me aware of the mind’s power over the body at an early age, but I had no idea what to do about it!

During chemo, you join an elite group that enjoys a camaraderie that many hope not to ever have to know. You get to know people by how far along in their treatment they are by the amount of hair they have on their head or if they have eyebrows or eyelashes. You can tell what kind of week they have had by the color of their skin – is it jaundice yellow? Is it pale and accompanied by sunken cheeks and black circles under their eyes? 

Care speaking at Relay For Life

You can tell how they...

Cancer treatments like chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and some cancer medications can cause dry mouth, mouth sores, thick saliva, and loss of taste. Dry mouth is not a dangerous side effect of these treatments, but it changes the quality of life and becomes a daily irritation. Here are some suggestions if you are experiencing dry mouth.

Chicken, Fish, and Casseroles

It is important to continue to get protein in your meals every day; soft-cooked poultry and fish are a great substitute for...

When a person is diagnosed with cancer, it can become quite isolating for both the patient and the family. Often times, friends and family may feel their visit is an imposition not wanting to “get in the way” or “bother the patient.” This couldn’t be further from the truth, at least not in our case.

A large part of treatment is the positive reinforcement patients hear not only from their healthcare professionals but from family and friends alike. Day after day, week after week, we received...

Valerie Harper announced that she has a rare type of brain cancer. The doctors have declared her cancer terminal. Harper is best known for her role as Rhoda in the 1970’s sitcom, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, and the ensuring spinoff, Rhoda. Harper is 73.

During her successful career as an actress, Harper earned four Emmys and a Golden Globe Award. Her cancer is a rare form in which the cancer cells invade the membrane around the brain. Harper says that her doctors have given her three months...