Health Topics /

Cancer

My breast cancer story: Learning to “just roll with it”

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Oct 26, 2020

Never did I think I would hear those words. “You have cancer.”Nope, not me! I am the person who takes care of everyone else. I am a 41-year-old momma with three kiddos and I was working full-time in retail. Plus,...

Coping with cancer during COVID-19

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Sep 30, 2020

For many of us, 2020 has certainly changed how we live our lives in unexpected and challenging ways. Social distancing, mask wearing and staying at home may at times create feelings of isolation, sadness and frustration. Add a cancer diagnosis into...

What I learned beating bladder cancer

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Sep 24, 2020

It’s gone. God willing, it’ll never be back. In a recent advertising campaign, Baylor Scott & White declared: “Cancer hates us.” That’s the kind of partner I wanted when I fought a life-threatening disease. It’s the kind of partner that...

Staring in the mirror and seeing breast cancer: A young mom’s story

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Sep 19, 2020

Rocking back and forth, 26-year-old Jennifer Donald sat nursing her infant before bed. With her husband away in Afghanistan and two little kids to take care of, Jennifer had her hands full, so she cherished this quiet time spent breastfeeding...

Swimming through the tidal wave of cancer

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Sep 18, 2020

Cancer. The very bane of my existence and the reason why I fight for cancer research today.When my mother called me on the phone one day, doubled over in pain, hearing her in distress was not something I was used...

Prostate Cancer 101: When and why you should get screened

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Sep 9, 2020

For many men, growing older also means you’re growing in confidence, opportunity and achievement. You’re reaching new career goals. You’re feeling great pride as you watch your children reach milestones of their own. You’re enjoying life and learning daily, every...

What to consider before postponing your cancer screening

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Jun 29, 2020

In recent months, the COVID-19 outbreak has given rise to a troubling trend: a sudden plummet in cancer diagnoses. On the surface, fewer cancer diagnoses may sound like good news, but the underlying truth is anything but positive.Fewer cancer diagnoses...

My son’s leukemia story: How art is healing us

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Feb 18, 2020

It was just after lunch on a Monday, and the bright lights and antiseptic smell of the Baylor Scott & White Medical Center – Hillcrest emergency department that normally would have overwhelmed my senses were dulled by the confusion and...

Why cancer hates pioneers like me

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Dec 4, 2019

Using science to help sick people is what doctors and nurses do, right? At least, that’s what I thought when I was growing up. As a kid, I loved science, but I didn’t see myself entering medicine. I decided to...

My winding journey with prostate cancer

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Dec 3, 2019

As you go through life, you often hear that with age comes the potential for health issues — not so much if, but when. I have lived a very healthy life, and I’m active with a passion for outdoor activities...

Why cancer hates fighters like me

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Nov 1, 2019

I was diagnosed with breast cancer on December 26, 2018. I had just turned 36 and my year had already been rough. After having to leave my hometown, losing a relationship of five years and moving to Dallas all on...

Novel treatment gives triple-negative breast cancer patients new hope

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Oct 25, 2019

For people battling metastatic triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC), one of the most aggressive forms of the disease, options are often limited. Joyce O’Shaughnessy, MD, an oncologist on the medical staff at Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center at Dallas and...

Why cancer hates believers like me

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Oct 21, 2019

There was no history of cancer in my family. With the diagnosis no one wants to hear, that history changed. As I approached my 70th birthday, I had no idea how grateful I would be to survive that milestone. During the months...

Why Kristin Chenoweth dreams of a world without breast cancer

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Oct 15, 2019

An interview with Kristin Chenoweth at the 20th annual CelebratingWomen Luncheon in Dallas. Speaking to an audience of more than 1300 supporters — donors, researchers, physicians, patients, survivors and loved ones — Kristin shared how her life has been touched...

Prostate cancer: Separating myths from facts

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Oct 14, 2019

Prostate cancer — it’s a topic that has garnered more and more attention through the years, but that attention seems to be paying off. Death rates for prostate cancer are going down, and due to better screening processes, more men are...

Why fighting cancer is like learning how to swim

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Oct 8, 2019

­­­­­Before cancer, I did not know how to swim, but I am learning. Journeying through cancer three times has taught me how.Recently, I was asked to speak at a luncheon for Swim Across America, an organization that supports cancer research....

Why cancer hates warriors like me

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Oct 3, 2019

So, here I was… Finally going to my general practitioner to get him to look at my swollen lymph nodes. I feel great and figure my never-ending allergies are simply acting up again, but I go to the doctor anyway...

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What I’ve learned watching my husband fight pancreatic cancer

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Sep 6, 2019

Our cancer story is like millions of others. We certainly aren’t special. But we certainly are scared, broken, traumatized, frustrated, angry and sad. We are also hopeful, grateful, strong, supported and full of life. My husband, Thomas, was diagnosed with...

Why I became a patient navigator

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Jul 11, 2019

Most of us have experienced cancer from at least one perspective — as a family member or friend, a caregiver, a patient or perhaps a volunteer. Each perspective is different, like looking through a prism. My story links all of...

5 lessons cancer patients have taught me about faith

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May 14, 2019

One of the first lessons I learned starting out as a young chaplain 23 years ago was to listen. My experienced supervisor assured me that the patients I encounter will be some of the wisest people with whom I’d ever...