One of my all-time favorite bands is The Killers. I still remember calling in to 104.9 in Baton Rouge when I would drive home from high school asking the DJ to play “Mr. Brightside.” I didn’t realize then that they were from Las Vegas, but I should have, because it affects so many of their… Continue reading Battle Born
After 15 years of dyeing my hair and desperately wanting it to be drastically lighter than my God-given dark brown, borderline-black, natural hair color, the universe finally answered my wish. It’s so hysterical it’s absurd. You may recall I’ve said before the medication I’m on – Cabozantinib – has some really wonky side effects. The… Continue reading White as Snow
“Bright light city gonna set my soul/Gonna set my soul on fire.” – Elvis Presley, “Viva Las Vegas” I’ll let you in on a little secret. OK, it’s not really a secret. I really, honest-to-goodness love living in Las Vegas. I find most people either love or hate living here; there doesn’t seem to be… Continue reading Lady Luck
I was 19 when I became a mother. I didn’t have a child grow in my belly under my heart though. I didn’t endure a difficult labor and delivery. I didn’t hold a newborn, breathing in his or her sweet powdery scent as I rocked the baby to sleep. No, I met my daughters when… Continue reading The Air I Breathe
Please tell me I’m not the only one who can see the wonderful humor in my oncologist using gambling terminology when speaking to his patient who has spent the past few years working for casinos. Anyway, so it’s sometimes difficult to find silver linings, but even though this stupid cancer had morphed into a massive… Continue reading The Jackpot
When I was hospitalized after my nephrectomy, I joked I felt like a monkey on display in the circus. Especially when I was in ICU, which was very comfortable for the record as far as these things go, my room “door” was sliding glass doors, so I could see when the doctors and residents were congregating… Continue reading Monkey On Display
When I was 19, during the summer between my freshman and sophomore years of college, I took a day trip to New Orleans with a group of friends from high school. We went to the French Market and strolled around, and then we went to the French Quarter. We ate beignets at Cafe du Monde,… Continue reading No Guarantees
Quite frankly, cancer is just one big game of deception. Deception is why it took so long for me to be diagnosed. Multiple doctors dismissed the signs and symptoms I did have for years before my diagnosis, because my age deceived them. People in their late 20s are not supposed to get kidney cancer. Had… Continue reading Deception
It must be my morbid sense of curiosity. Blame it on a girl who decided to be a journalist when she was about 6 years old (until she realized the dark side pays better). I’ve always wondered when I heard of people who get life-changing diagnoses, how did it feel? What did you decide to… Continue reading D-Day
Welcome to your new life, post-diagnosis.
