Author Archives: Emily

equilibrium restored, or brief notes on being a survivor

Posted on September 8, 2010 by Emily

This just in: sometimes, life after cancer completely sucks. I try not to spend a whole lot of time here feeling sorry for myself, or bitching about how hard my life has been since my diagnosis. The truth is, most … Continue reading →

Posted in Life After Cancer, fellow fighters, running | Tagged blackness, children, connection, crying, Facebook, fellow warriors, genetic mutation, GI scopes, husbands, illusory, iPods, isolation, running, shit storm, suffering, support, survivorship | Leave a comment

my left foot (or, what’s compulsive after cancer?)

Posted on September 6, 2010 by Emily

Today started with barking, dog wrestling and a power outage. We just spent ten days taking care of our friends’ Pomapoo, who loved to begin each day with a vigorous yet playful attack on our own aging basset hound. High-pitched … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Life After Cancer, adoption, cycling, fellow fighters, running | Tagged adoption, basset hound, buzzing, coffee with chicory, compulsive, cycling, genetic mutation, life expectancy, MS 150 CIty to Shore, mums, neuropathy, Pomapoo, power outage, prognosis, PSE&G, running, Sarah Sadtler Feather, weed whacking | 4 Comments

the invisible hand of first descents

Posted on August 29, 2010 by Emily

Some things are so obvious, we risk taking them for granted. Some things underpin so much of who we are, what we do, that it seems unnecessary, or redundant, to spend time reflecting on their significance. At the end of … Continue reading →

Posted in First Descents, Life After Cancer, adoption, cycling, running | Tagged adoption, Caesar, challenge, cycling, evolution, First Descents, Jackson, journey back to life, Moab, oxygen, resilience, Rock 'n' Roll marathon, rock-climbing, running, Stiletto, strength, three-part harmony, training | 1 Comment

heroes: roll-call

Posted on August 22, 2010 by Emily

In my own stillness today, it seems right to offer a round-up of a few of the fiercest fighters around me. I often think about this ad-hoc community of young adult survivors that I am so blessed to be a … Continue reading →

Posted in First Descents, Life After Cancer, Photography, fellow fighters | Tagged ALL, blogs, Caring Bridge, determination, Facebook, Fridge, Giggles, grace, heroes, Holly, Imerman Angels, Jennie, marathon, Ovarian Cancer Research Foundation, positivity, triathlon | Leave a comment

enjoy the silence

Posted on August 22, 2010 by Emily

It is an admittedly irrational fear of mine that if I rest for too long, or indulge in too much stillness, cancer will somehow have won. Ridiculous, I know. I am three months shy of the third anniversary of my … Continue reading →

Posted in First Descents, Life After Cancer, cycling, running | Tagged bliss, contentment, cycling, First Descents blog, fuel, humidity, irrational fear, joy, laundry, rest, running, silence, sloth, stillness | Leave a comment

the readiness is all

Posted on August 8, 2010 by Emily

Desperate to resume “living” as quickly as possible after finishing chemotherapy in June of 2008, I returned to work – part-time, and in a limited capacity, but returned nonetheless – just three short weeks after my last treatment. In hindsight, … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, Infertility, Life After Cancer, adoption | Tagged adoption, anxiety, cycling, determined, medical history, neuropathy, obstacles, readiness, rehabilitation, rock-climbing, running, sweat, tears, undetered, vertigo, Work | 5 Comments

hopeless/heroic

Posted on August 5, 2010 by Emily

Tonight, I would rather be sprawled out on the couch, listening to the Phillies game, eating mango sorbet and spacing out. It has been, to be blunt, kind of a shit week. Not in any dramatic, existential way, not in … Continue reading →

Posted in Life After Cancer, Writing | Tagged cancer blogs, Carinista, chronic illness, day job, fatigue, ignorance, mango sorbet, offenses against humanity, poverty, Sarah Sadtler Feather, tribute, unfocused despair, voices | 3 Comments

JUBILATION

Posted on August 1, 2010 by Emily

It may be that my current state of health and wellness – which I feel more acutely and intensely each time I go for a long bike ride (which I did yesterday) or push through a run when I am … Continue reading →

Posted in Life After Cancer, cycling, running | Tagged bowel movements, chronic illness, cycling, health, Multiple Sclerosis, pain-free, running | 3 Comments

twice if you’re lucky

Posted on July 25, 2010 by Emily

Tomorrow morning, bright and early, off I go to the Perleman Center for Advanced Medicine to start my day with a pelvic exam and a CA125. Ah, the joys of life as a stage III ovarian cancer survivor. It’s four … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, Life After Cancer, music | Tagged Atlantic City, CA125, check-up, Crowded House, diagnosis, House of Blues, Neil Finn, Perelman Center, prepubescence, remission, Split Enz | 1 Comment

chocolate shakes and ’80′s pop

Posted on July 16, 2010 by Emily

A wise person once said, “You don’t have to write a thousand words every time you sit down to do a post.” The same wise person has also said, “One of your great gifts as a writer is how direct … Continue reading →

Posted in Infertility, Life After Cancer, Work | Tagged adoption, child welfare, chocolate shake, Depeche Mode, humidity, injustice, pregnant co-workers, Talk Talk | 2 Comments