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Nobody Wants to Suffer

“Everyone who is born holds dual citizenship– in the kingdom of the well and in the kingdom of the sick. Although we all prefer to use the good passport, sooner or later each of us is obliged, at least for a spell, to identify ourselves as citizens of that other place.”

Nobody wants to suffer. Not the Ukrainian women and children frantically pushing their way into trains, trains heading anywhere.

Not the leukemia patient who wakes up to discover her cancer is gone, but so is her longtime boyfriend, career, and identity…..(continue reading)

Waltzing With Cancer

This is what cancer does. It walks you into moving traffic, then quickly pulls you back from your collar at the last minute, but leaves you close to the near fatality long enough that you’re never quite the same once back on the curb, safe in your driveway framed by the rose hedges.

This is what cancer does. It shakes you free of the ridiculous corset of perfectionism or concern about your career or whether we should paint the exterior house greige to maximize re-sale value …(continue reading)

Chit Chat With Cancer Muggles

When they say their cousin cured their cancer without drugs, take a beat, swallow your rage, and say, “Wow, that’s lucky for them!” then locate the nearest exit or party guest.

When they say, “How is that possible? You are the healthiest eater I know,” take a breath and grin thank you, and if feeling generous, add, “Well, at least I don’t have to change my lifestyle very much”–although that second half is only a half-truth…. (continue reading)