I ran frantically through the house, sweat dripping down my back and my eyes wide open with that familiar gritty I’ve-spent-all-night-awake-in-the-hospital-feeling. I grabbed things and flung them into suitcases and yelled again for my kids to get out! No one answered and I redoubled my efforts. Piles of laundry gave… Read more“The Blood and the PTSD”
Tag: childhood cancer
Submersion or Submission: Which would you choose?
In the fifth part of our series on how caregivers seem to experience the same reactions to circumstances that a drowning person experiences, we explore the options a drowning person has–submersion or submission. “From beginning to end of the Instinctive Drowning Response people’s bodies remain upright in the water, with… Read more“Submersion or Submission: Which would you choose?”
Angels and Lifeguards: What a Caregiver Needs
In this third part of our series on Drowning in Plain Sight, we salute those ‘lifeguards’ and ‘guardian angels’ who recognize a caregiver’s silent struggle in the waters of caregiving despair. “Drowning people cannot wave for help. Nature instinctively forces them to extend their arms laterally and press down on… Read more“Angels and Lifeguards: What a Caregiver Needs”
Hurricanes, Hospitals and Nurses
Ever since spending an inordinate amount of time in three different children’s hospitals during my son’s fight with leukemia, I’ve had a soft-spot for nurses, social workers and other personnel who dedicate their lives to not only saving children, but improving their quality of life in the process. They routinely… Read more“Hurricanes, Hospitals and Nurses”
What If and If Only
As I stood under the spray of my shower yesterday morning, the what if moments of our cancer journey replayed through my mind. The remonstrating hospital staff telling me that I shouldn’t do that repeated in my head as well. But my son bleeding in his tears haunts me and… Read more“What If and If Only”
Take Care of Yourself: Six Ways to Avoid Caregiver Burnout
Cancer Caregiving 101: Take Care of Yourself and Prevent Caregiver Burnout “Now you must realize,” the doctor straightened the papers into the already thick folder as he finished summarizing the diagnosis, treatment protocol and prognosis, “with a best-case scenario, we’re in for a long haul. You two must take care… Read more“Take Care of Yourself: Six Ways to Avoid Caregiver Burnout”
Expectations Can Make All the Difference
It was one of those mornings where expectations of an normal chemo treatment were obliterated – everything that could go wrong, was going from bad to worse! We had arrived on time for four-year-old Andrew’s chemotherapy, but the nurse hadn’t. When she finally arrived, the doctor wasn’t there yet, neither was… Read more“Expectations Can Make All the Difference”
Praying for a Cure – Childhood Cancer
The words, “children” and “cancer” should never be in the same sentence, let alone the words, “childhood cancer.” It’s just wrong. I might be extra sensitive, having battled through my boy’s childhood leukemia and still dealing with the consequences all these years later. But I don’t think I’m special… Read more“Praying for a Cure – Childhood Cancer”
Karma or Grace
Many of us know popular phrases regarding Karma in our lives, even if it’s not our belief system. A few of us have wished Karma to happen to those around us. One or two of us have had our choices come back around and bite us. Karma seems to be… Read more“Karma or Grace”
Freedom of Choice in Everything
Freedom of Choice: It’s what my son advised me to write about today. My son, the leukemia survivor who watches my writing from the sidelines, knowing it’s about him and keeping out of it in ways only a sixteen-year-old can do. He’s given me permission to write about him, and,… Read more“Freedom of Choice in Everything”
