#25 Dazzling
When you read the word chimera you may or may not recall your Greek mythology. From Wikipedia we have: a chimera has come to describe any mythical or fictional creature with parts taken from various animals, to describe anything composed of disparate parts or...
#24 Patience
I came home two weeks ago! Today is the one-month mark since I was blessed with my new stem cells. I was able to send a heartfelt, de-personalized note of thanks to my 23-year-old donor who remains anonymous. If she agrees, which I hope she will, we can meet at the...
#23 Sandbox
Alas, I emerge from the worst of the transplant times back to some semblance of myself. I will need to process many things like the role of suffering and the purpose of pain, but for today, I’d like to focus on getting along well in the sandbox. I think about all the...
#22 Whipping Up
A lesser-known offering at MGH is their Integrative Therapies Program. On my first day back, I let the staff know I’d like access to it all: Reiki, Therapeutic Touch, Massage, Acupressure, Art Therapy, Music Therapy. Why not? I have already reframed my central line...
#21 Rainbow Blessings
The list of things a rainbow might signify runs long and reads like feel-good-about-it all dime store psychobabble: acceptance, new beginnings, harmony, happiness, hope, inspiration, integration, love, luck, joy, transformation. Let’s not even get started with equity...
Breathe Deep, Reconsider Your Singulair Rx
Potential Mental Health Side Effects of Common Asthma and Allergy Medication Recent information, underscoring the potential mental health risks of the common asthma medication, Singulair is essential information to share. About 8% of Americans are diagnosed with...
#20 Hawks
Many of us who live in the country have our lives punctuated by sightings of wild things. We like to think we’re civilized, eating with a spoon, paying our bills, opening the door for a friend, but then a row of bats is dangling from near the front door gutter, or a...
#19 Fair Weather Friend
Dear Friends and Family, Wow, it’s been a month since I posted any information about my current state of affairs! That is because I feel most excellent, enjoying time with family and friends, celebrating milestones, completing some home and yard projects, and gleaning...
#18 Ode to the Nurses
The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others. Mahatma Gandhi While I have amazing doctors and researchers at MGH and Dana Farber who have weighed in on my case and helped carve out a plan I trust will see me back to pristine health, it’s...
#17 Continuum
I don’t want to be cavalier. I don’t want to take one tiny bit for granted. And I don’t want to jinx anything. That said, I feel damn good. Bounced back from two months of chemo and now am taking in my immunotherapy 24/7, but have no sense of it, except for the...