Category Archives: First Descents

never relent: thoughts on game six

Posted on October 23, 2010 by Emily

I could never/Give it up/I could never relent/And I can’t/Wait to see/ What will happen/To me next I will take my chances/’Cause anything can happen/I don’t believe it’s over/’Cause anything can happen Neil and Tim Finn Increasingly, over the past … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, First Descents, Life After Cancer, Philadelphia | Tagged 10K, 2008, beautiful sea of red, Denver, duck-fuzz hair, First Descents, Marhaba, neuropathy, NLCS, Phillies, possibility, Rock 'n' Roll marathon, scars, tears, treadmill, World Series | Leave a comment

these things help

Posted on October 8, 2010 by Emily

I am generally averse to lists. But on a Friday afternoon, shorthand is useful. And since I spent last evening processing my pre-scope anxiety in a rather more flowerly fashion than I’d originally intended, let me try to break it … Continue reading →

Posted in fellow fighters, First Descents, Life After Cancer, medicine | Tagged anxiety, Citizens Bank Park, fabulous husband, Fridge, giving cancer the bird, no-hitter, referrals, Roy Halladay, Shotgun, sunshine | 2 Comments

dreams, whiplash and pre-scope anxiety (oh my!)

Posted on October 7, 2010 by Emily

It is expected and logical that the eve of two surveillance scopes (lower and upper GI in a delicious one-two punch) would find me in a somewhat heightened state of anxiety. The psychological whiplash goes something like this: Spend an … Continue reading →

Posted in adoption, Death, First Descents, Life After Cancer, medicine, running, Work | Tagged 10K, adoption seminar, anxiety, buzz-kill, colonoscopy, Dali, David Cronenberg, Denver Marathon, Dr. Chu, First Descents, going nuclear, HNPCC, NLDS, Nurse Sarah, Paul Thomas Anderson, recurrence, referrals, upper endoscopy | 1 Comment

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

small steps, big love

Posted on May 23, 2010 by Emily

Last week, my wonderful friend and gardening guru, Judy, came over to our new house. It was a saturated, sunless late afternoon, so we were limited to drinking tea, standing in the sun room and surveying the back yard. I … Continue reading →

Posted in Family, First Descents, Life After Cancer | Tagged 5K, Bald Fox, excitement, First Descents, gardening, Hottie Bucks, love, Mike, rain | Leave a comment

increasing the happy

Posted on May 16, 2010 by Emily

There are moments – increasing in frequency and intensity – when I am amazed at the depth of my happiness. The happiness I know now is richer, more substantial, than anything I knew before cancer. This weekend, not unexpectedly, was … Continue reading →

Posted in adoption, Family, First Descents, Life After Cancer | Tagged adoption, Ceasar, CML, cookies, duck-duck-goose, Eve, happy, love, Moab, New York, Oscar, Phoenix, saggy diaper, Utah | 1 Comment

everything that rises must converge

Posted on May 8, 2010 by Emily

This phrase, from Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, via Flannery O’Connor, came into my head this afternoon as I strolled through my new neighborhood and thought, as I inevitably do, about First Descents. The words struck me hard, with precision, though … Continue reading →

Posted in First Descents, Life After Cancer, running, Uncategorized | Tagged ascent, Bear, devil's butt crack, discomfort, First Descents, Fridge, Humor, laughter, New Orleans, pain, Phoenix, Pierre Teilhard de Chardin, recovery, running, summit, wind | 2 Comments

first descents, take two: a boundless blessing

Posted on April 27, 2010 by Emily

Three days ago, I unpacked from a week in Moab, Utah with First Descents. Tonight, I should be packing again, but instead I am sitting in my pajamas, fumbling with words. It’s overdue. It’s late, and I am tired. Back … Continue reading →

Posted in First Descents, Life After Cancer | Tagged First Descents, Jackson, New Orleans, rappelling, rock-climbing, running, Utah | 2 Comments