Category Archives: cancer

on becoming a cancer fairy godmother

Posted on November 2, 2009 by Emily

Last night’s brutal Phillies loss makes Friday seems about a million years ago. Perhaps I should have made an attempt to commit that day’s thoughts to writing earlier, but now – Sunday afternoon, with time further warped due to the … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, cancer, Life After Cancer | Tagged cancer, daylight savings, diagnosis, fairy godmother, fear, First Descents, Imerman Angels, Phillies, recurrence, uncertainty, Zen-like, Zoloft | Leave a comment

still champions: a look back at the ’08 phils (and emily)

Posted on October 12, 2009 by Emily

Last night – sometime after 2 AM Eastern Time – my beloved Phillies pulled out an extremely improbable win against the Colorado Rockies in a pivotal Game Three of the NLDS. I finally drifted off to sleep just as Matt … Continue reading →

Posted in Baseball, cancer, Life After Cancer, Philadelphia | Tagged "fuck yeah", beating the odds, Brad Lidge, cancer, champions, chemo, Jamie Moyer, Matt Stairs, NLDS, Philadelphia, Phillies, playoffs, Ryan Howard, Scott Franzke, World Series | 1 Comment

remarks delivered at first descents fundraiser, denver, co, 10/1/09: the miracle of humanity

Posted on October 2, 2009 by Emily

What follows is a slightly more formal version of the remarks I delivered in Denver, CO last night at the First Descents fundraiser at the Museum of Contemporary Art. It was a magical night that reenforced my commitment to this … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, Life After Cancer | Tagged connection, Denver, First Descents, fundraiser, isolation, miracle of humanity, nicknames, rehabilitation, rock-climbing, the rock | 3 Comments

three month check-up

Posted on September 23, 2009 by Emily

It’s that time again. Three-month check-up tomorrow. With each successive quarterly interval, I have found myself slightly less anxious. There is less of a sense of foreboding. I no longer see the designated date from weeks and weeks away, looming … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, Life After Cancer | Tagged anxiety, bald, bloodwork, cancer, check-up, First Descents, hair, Jackson Hole, liver, routine, stirrups | 3 Comments

the sounds

Posted on September 19, 2009 by Emily

I have long suspected that the reason I love music so much is because I lack a strong sense of smell. For most people, the conventional wisdom is that smell is the primary trigger for memory. Something else must be … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, Life After Cancer | Tagged cancer, city life, Flippy Floppy, friends, gardening, Hottie Bucks, Jackson Hole, Kings of Leon, knitting, memory, music, noise, suburbs, the Sounds, TLA | Leave a comment

been there, done that

Posted on September 14, 2009 by Emily

Tomorrow, my cousin’s wife will be starting chemo for breast cancer. She was diagnosed a few months ago and has already undergone a partial mastectomy. When I learned about her illness, I posted briefly over at my Planet Cancer page … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, Family, Life After Cancer | Tagged buttinsky, cancer, Cancer Cape, chemo, control, fear, Jackson Hole, Planet Cancer | Leave a comment

widening the embrace

Posted on September 13, 2009 by Emily

I have never thought of myself as having an addictive personality. In general, I can moderate my intake of things that are bad for me (ice cream, alcohol, television), and can avoid becoming obsessed with things that are good for … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, Life After Cancer | Tagged acupuncture, Anne, cancer, Cookie Monster, Dr. Freud, First Descents, Hollywood, Indian food, Jackson Hole, Joe, Love Sponge, Pf, Rachel, raiding the kitchen, Texas Hold 'em, treatment | 2 Comments

tongue-tied

Posted on September 8, 2009 by Emily

First Descents took me well outside of my comfort zone – as advertised – in ways that I expected (physically, socially), but this feeling that I have been left at a loss for words is definitely not something I anticipated. … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, Life After Cancer, Vacation, Writing | Tagged campfire, cancer, donuts, Double-Oh-Seven, First Descent, Governor's School, immortality, Jackson Hole, Larry Boy, Midsummer Night's Dream, secrets | 10 Comments

First Descents: Stills

Posted on September 6, 2009 by Emily

Still shots from First Descents, Jackson, WY.

Posted in cancer, Life After Cancer, Photography, Vacation | Leave a comment

first descents, jackson, WY: Aug 30 – Sept 4, 2009

Posted on September 6, 2009 by admin

They say a picture is worth a thousand words. By that measure, it would take me several volumes and likely many years to capture in writing what happened in Jackson this past week. So I am starting with this video. … Continue reading →

Posted in cancer, Humor, Life After Cancer, Vacation | Tagged cancer, First Descents, rock-climbing | 17 Comments