Category Archives: cancer

holding it all

Posted on August 1, 2012 by Emily

Life can be extreme.  Our fears can consume us; joy can make us feel like our hearts will burst.  Holding it all, simultaneously, as I was made to do recently, can seem nothing short of defying emotional gravity. There are … Continue reading →

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the other shoe

Posted on July 15, 2012 by Emily

We survivors possess many unique skills.  Chief among them may be our ability to consciously deny our persistent, nagging fear of The Other Shoe Dropping.  It’s essential, if we want to keep on living in any meaningful, joyful way. Most … Continue reading →

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mitt romney steals my baby or, adoption anxiety

Posted on February 5, 2012 by Emily

My sister-in-law was in for a quick visit this weekend.  It was fabulous to see her and finally be able to share parenting stories.  For the past eight years, we have watched her raise her own children, always feeling a … Continue reading →

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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 →

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when hope is all we have: elizabeth edwards remembered

Posted on December 8, 2010 by Emily

Everyone has been writing tributes to Elizabeth Edwards over the last twenty-four hours.  The grief which I felt upon learning of her death yesterday was likely no greater than that of anyone else who admired her but never knew her personally.  But it may … Continue reading →

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mister mean genes (or, expect the unexpected)

Posted on June 23, 2010 by Emily

Today I have had the surprising experience of someone else’s good news making me feel like shit.  Are we in middle school again?  I recall, quite starkly, a “profound thought” from my high school notes of the same name, which … Continue reading →

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the essence of injustice

Posted on June 18, 2010 by Emily

Other women with ovarian cancer are dying.  Lots of them.  Young women, women my age.  I don’t understand why they are dying and I am not.  I feel a little guilty.  No, a lot guilty.  I am so fucking alive, … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, Death, Life After Cancer | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

does my cancer offend you? tough s*&#!

Posted on March 31, 2010 by Emily

I generally don’t spend much time reading random comments from anonymous folks on the Internet – in response to blogs, news bits, whatever – but today, I took a peek over at my ovarian sister Donna Trussell‘s latest cartoon, and … Continue reading →

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the lynch syndrome, with apologies

Posted on March 14, 2010 by Emily

Some things are just plain unexpected.  Or are they? Yesterday, when the rain-soaked mail fell through the slot in the front door, I discovered a thin envelope from Penn GI Genetics – far too thin to be the packet of … Continue reading →

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shine on

Posted on February 7, 2010 by Emily

When my husband and I moved into the house we have been renting for the last three and a half years, our heads promptly filled with visions of the happy life we would live here, even the family we would … Continue reading →

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