Category Archives: fellow fighters

a complicated miracle: parents at last

Posted on January 27, 2012 by Emily

Yesterday, a young woman reached out to me on this neglected blog, and shared a glimpse of her own cancer journey. She was diagnosed with ovarian cancer last fall at age 25, and is currently battling the post-treatment demons that … Continue reading →

Posted in adoption, fellow fighters, Infertility, Life After Cancer, Writing | Tagged adoption, delirium, Earl, infertility, nightmare, nursery, parenthood | 1 Comment

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

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

levon helm + cancer: an all-ages show

Posted on June 12, 2011 by Emily

It’s safe to say that an aging rock musician, whose arguable heyday was thirty-five years ago, doesn’t have much interest in being a cancer crusader. Old people are “supposed” to get cancer, especially after a lifetime of hard living and … Continue reading →

Posted in fellow fighters, music | Tagged Great Songs of the Sixties, Larry Campbell, Levon Helm, Martin Scorsese, radiation, Robbie Robertson, singing, The Big Chill, The Last Waltz, throat cancer, U2, Woodstock | Leave a comment

fight club

Posted on June 6, 2011 by Emily

It’s no accident that I haven’t written since my ovarian sister Sarah Feather passed away last month. I see now how she served as some kind of reference point for me, as if every time I sent my words out to … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, fellow fighters, running, Writing | Tagged check-up, fight, half-marathon, magical thinking, memorial service, neuropathy, running, Sarah Sadtler Feather, Shakespeare, Vermont | 4 Comments

dear sarah

Posted on May 2, 2011 by Emily

Dear Sarah, You have taught me so many things over the years – years that have unfolded with laughter and tears, with shared emotions, with rocks climbed. Now, you are teaching me how to say goodbye to someone I have … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, fellow fighters | Tagged Sarah Sadtler Feather | 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

over my head: a yoga/cancer miracle

Posted on March 16, 2011 by Emily

Today’s extraordinary lesson was about coincidence, unspoken connections, the unexpected and letting go. And all of that before 7 AM. Since January, I have been attending a weekly 6 AM core-strengthening yoga class. It’s been revelatory. It’s helped my running; … Continue reading →

Posted in fellow fighters, Life After Cancer, yoga | Tagged ballsiness, banana, bowel movement, Coach Joe, coffee, contact lenses, ego, Facebook, headstand, inversion, over-sleeping, rain, self-consciousness, substitute teacher, survivors, Twitter, unspoken connection, yoga | 4 Comments

echo chamber

Posted on January 9, 2011 by Emily

Words have never come with greater difficulty than they have in the weeks following the death of a fellow young adult cancer warrior with whom I shared an essential but hard to define connection. I didn’t know her well, but … Continue reading →

Posted in Death, fellow fighters, Life After Cancer, running | Tagged abyss, chemo, Chris Ward Blumer, Christmas, Death, demons, fate, fellow warriors, hangover, indignities, New Year's Eve, post traumatic stress, razor's edge, short ribs, slow cooker, trauma | 2 Comments