About 30% of people diagnosed with breast cancer at any stage will develop distal metastasis. I am one.
Yesterday I was in enough pain to take the stronger medication for it. I was also sad and upset about several unrelated bits of bad news that I’ve received recently. I was feeling alone and needy and, truth be told, more than a little sorry for myself. I spent most...
In the Land of Invisible Women: A Female Doctor’s Journey in the Saudi Kingdom by Qanta A. Ahmed My rating: 2 of 5 stars The writing ranges from indifferent to awkward, but that is not the only reason I rate this books as merely “ok”. It had the potential to...
Pontius Pilate by Ann Wroe My rating: 5 of 5 stars Saint Pontius Pilate? Ever since I learned that Pilate is venerated as a saint in the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, the figure of Pilate has intrigued me. On the one hand, bad man! Bad, bad man! On the other –...
I’ve written a few posts about acceptance. I sure hope I wasn’t too smug because warmed-up words are not a very tasty meal. It hit me suddenly today – I’ll be fifty-eight in two days. Will I live to see my next birthday? There is a good chance that I...
It is Christmas Eve in the Holy Land. I don’t often speak explicitly about my faith, but it’s no secret that I am a devoutly believing Christian. While the exact date is open to debate, Jesus was born – amazing event! – just about an hour’s walk from where I’m...
October being Anniversary Month, I am republishing some of my favorite posts. This one seems appropriate after my drama queenery of last week. It was originally posted on January 25th of this year. I chose it because it’s always good to remind myself that I am in charge of deciding where...
Today, the fourth of October, is the feast day of Francis of Assisi. Popular culture has made of him a sort of tree-hugging hippie – and there is that side to him – but the spirituality he developed and lived is exigent in the extreme. Nothing wishy-washy about it. The...
So. I have Stage IV breast cancer. I am not going to get better. I am already experiencing pain and fatigue. Barring an act of God, I will most likely die within the next few years. At the same time, I can still take care of myself. I cook (a...
It’s a poetry reading kind of day and I turned, as I so often do, to Emily Dickinson. Thumbing through a couple of collections, here is where I stopped (poem 749): All but Death, can be Adjusted— Dynasties repaired— Systems—settled in their Sockets— Citadels—dissolved— Wastes of Lives—resown with Colors...
After speaking with my oncologist, my GP called me back this evening. The onco asked for more tests: CT scans of my chest, abdomen and pelvis. The referrals were faxed to me this evening – they’re marked “urgent”. The oncologist said that after the CTs are read she may ask...