Health
My friends and clients describe me as resourceful. In earlier years, my family may have just described me as very apt at getting what I wanted with a minimum amount of hassle. (Okay, they may have been a little more direct and called it lazy). I would say that I like to know where to get information.
As a survivor of childhood cancer, in the last few years- particularly after the publication of the NEJM article on the topic, I learned the term “late effects.” I have met adult survivors of childhood cancer – even from the 1970′s and before- and have collected a wealth of information from them.
I enjoy my work with people challenged with illness, particularly children, as they are resilient and full of life. The financial burden on families faced with catastrophic illness is enormous, and sometimes I find myself more of a social worker than a therapist, which is fine too.
Then of course, there is the change in lifestyle that goes along with managing one’s health. I know, huh? That’s what I said. Exercise, eating healthy, organic foods, whole grains. For those of you who have been in my office during lunch you also know that I am not going to spend my life chasing it- and sometimes in-n-out burger is just the thing to cure a bad mood. My secretary thinks so, and my husband would agree. But, on the whole, many of the people who cross my path are on a similar journey. Life is funny like that.
Since it all started at a doctors office- I have amassed a collection of links to cancer related sites, books, articles and whatnot. Many of the links found here may be related to cancer but applicable to health conditions of all sorts.
But if that doctor’s office were a fly, and I were an old lady…
You know the old nursery tale? “There was an old lady who swallowed a fly, I don’t know why she swallowed a fly, perhaps she’ll die.” But no, she goes on…eventually.. “There was an old lady who swallowed a cat, fancy that, to swallow a cat! She swallowed a cat to catch the bird. She swallowed the bird to catch the spider. She swallowed the spider to catch the fly. Why oh why did she swallow that fly?”
I don’t know why I swallowed that fly. But, I am fairly certain I have not swallowed the horse. Yet.
Cancer
According to the American Cancer Society, men have a 1 in 2 chance of developing some kind of cancer in their lifetime, women a 1 in 3 chance (statistics presentation 2009, American Cancer Society). Those are alarming figures. I highly recommend Anticancer by David Servan Schreiber for those concerned about preventing cancer.
Related Posts:
- Cancer Survivorship
- Books
- Scholarships
- Advocacy, Information and References
- Copay Assistance
- Cancer Support
