Category Archives: Life After Cancer

jet lag: a whirlwind trip to planet cancer

Posted on November 15, 2011 by Emily

Last fall, in the aftermath of my GI scopes, I remember coming home from work one evening and flashing back to the “bite blocker” being shoved between my teeth, and feeling like I was an escapee from some kind of … Continue reading →

Posted in Life After Cancer, medicine, running | Tagged Clark Kent, fiction, GI scopes, half-marathon, Lynch Syndrome, Superman, surveillance, Veteran's Day, warriors | Leave a comment

the whole story: thoughts inspired by “50/50”

Posted on October 17, 2011 by Emily

I am constantly running up against the thought that it’s time to stop this exercise, that my story is stale. That it’s time to step aside and let some other young adult with cancer shout to the world – as … Continue reading →

Posted in adoption, cancer, Film, Humor, Life After Cancer, Writing | Tagged 50/50, adoption, alienation, gurney, invisibility, operating table, real mother, recognition, story-telling, vomiting | 9 Comments

not yet

Posted on August 31, 2011 by Emily

I’ve reached the point where I have a stock reply when people ask if I have children: “Not yet.” It’s simple, straightforward and conveys my intention to be a parent. Most people who ask me don’t know about my cancer … Continue reading →

Posted in adoption, fellow fighters, Infertility, Life After Cancer, Work | Tagged 50/50, adoption, belly, teaching moment, tumbleweeds | 2 Comments

ready for anything

Posted on August 25, 2011 by Emily

If there’s one thing cancer teaches us, it’s to be flexible, and ready to adapt to any and all circumstances. Try as we might to control our surroundings, to plan for an ever-elusive future, there’s simply no way we can … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, Family, Life After Cancer | Tagged cheesesteak, Cliff Lee back to school gym bag, control, Harry Potter, Hurricane Irene, nephew, New York, Oscar, over-night, Phillies, planning, popcorn | 2 Comments

third time’s the charm: first descents, montana, july 2011

Posted on August 4, 2011 by Emily

They say the third time’s the charm. But how can I possibly measure my most recent trip to the divine land of First Descents love and laughter against my previous sojourns? It’s simply not appropriate. So maybe all I can … Continue reading →

Posted in fellow fighters, First Descents, Life After Cancer | Tagged fear, First Descents, Flathead River, Glacier, Iceman, kayaking, Lake McDonald, Montana, Patch, Spam | 1 Comment

believed, seen: a dream comes true

Posted on July 15, 2011 by Emily

When a dream comes true after cancer, it carries a certain extra heft. It need not be a dream of life-altering magnitude, like having a child. It can be something much smaller, even seemingly trivial, like getting up close with … Continue reading →

Posted in fellow fighters, Life After Cancer, music, Philadelphia | Tagged dreams, First Descents, friends, queue, social media, Twitter, U2 | 1 Comment

a survivor’s wait

Posted on June 29, 2011 by Emily

Recently, I connected with the folks at curetoday.com, the on-line branch of the well-known cancer publication, CURE. They frequently accept contributions from guest bloggers, and I told them I’d be interested in writing about my experience as a cancer survivor … Continue reading →

Posted in adoption, Infertility, Life After Cancer | Tagged adoption, birth mothers, cancer in the closet, crusade, families, fertility, mourning, parents, social worker, waiting | 3 Comments

opening; anniversaries

Posted on April 11, 2011 by Emily

It’s fast becoming clear that Sunday evening’s Yin yoga class is in large part about clearing the mind. So, on the drive home, it begins to fill up. After an hour and a half of stretching and expanding and opening … Continue reading →

Posted in adoption, fellow fighters, First Descents, Life After Cancer, New Orleans, yoga | Tagged Anders Osborne, clarity, Coop's, First Descents, gardens, Jazzfest, Moab, New Orleans, opening, serenity, Wall Street, Yin yoga | Leave a comment

stillness

Posted on April 4, 2011 by Emily

Stillness is invaluable. Quiet feeds the soul. Surviving cancer, all I wanted was to move. Run, ride, climb, dance, walk, create – anything to be in motion. I wanted to reclaim all of the lost months, the days and weeks … Continue reading →

Posted in Life After Cancer, yoga | Tagged counterpose, imperative, inertia, movement, pose, quiet, stillness, vinyasa, withdrawal, yin, yoga | Leave a comment