Literally and metaphorically: it’s been a year, today. One year since I was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive cancer I had never heard of. And a year of sickness, surgery, healing, and change, so much change…in and around me. It’s hard to know what to do on an anniversary like this. There’s a lot […]
Tag: Merkel Cell Carcinoma
Embracing the Incarnation with Frail Flesh
I’m beginning this in the infusion waiting room just a few days into Advent. With my church ministry days behind me (at least for now, probably for good) I’m relearning how to love this time of the year. I can, in good conscience, light the candle of peace this year, not feeling like a fraud, […]
The Road Ahead Goes Through the Wilderness
Now that I am almost healed from my successful surgery, I’m onto the next step in my cancer journey: radiation. I’ll be getting 30 doses of radiation daily, targeted at where my lymph nodes are (well, were). My oncologists have warned me to strap in, as each dose contributes to lethargy and a sun burn […]
Somewhere Between
In two days, I will know if, and to what extent, my immunotherapy treatments are destroying the merkel cancer cells in my body. I’ll also add another form of treatment (radiation or limb perfusion) to my regiment, and so once again – in two days – my life will change in a way that I […]
Ash Wednesday’s Whisper
This year, I skipped Ash Wednesday. After the months of suffering through PTSD, I didn’t feel like one more reminder of the fragility of our mortal lives. But this morning, Ash Wednesday tracked me down in an oncologist’s waiting room to whisper in my ear the words I have heard time and again: You are […]
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