Dying with Debra

Happy 10 months to Abigail. She is such a gift! Of course, it is also the 10 month anniversary of my colon cancer diagnosis. I am less then thrilled that our dates align but it is what it is. The perfect demonstration of how our life stories are a balance of good and bad. Last…

Today, I thought I would share a letter from my mother that I received on May 21, 1980. The letter was titled “On Being 21.” I believe that mom’s messages to me in this beautifully written letter are timeless and apply to all of us whatever age we are. Have a read. I had to…

Snacking on Joy. By my sister Judith. Tagging along with my sister Deb on her journey through her frightening disease has caused me to face mortality more forthrightly than I ever have in my life. But accepting mortality has not led to sadness or despair. Rather, it has led me to cherish life more than…

Good morning. Actually, it is almost afternoon. A combination of Hydrocodone, medical pot and Tylenol Pm kept me in bed until 11:30 am! I used to be on such a natural schedule, mindful of going to sleep by 11 pm and waking up at 7:30 am without the aid of an alarm. Now, sleep has…

Good morning. Who would have thought that I would be so thrilled to be vacuuming and mopping? Yet, thrilled I was when I woke up feeling well enough to get the house in order. The pink eye is still present, but less annoying and definitely heading towards resolution. The afternoon was uneventful save for the…

Today’s pink eye report brought to you by Never Clear, a subsidiary of Cancer inc. I still have pink eye. It’s getting a little less red, a smidge less puffy. Seems to be moving in the right direction. good. Today’s colon cancer report brought to you by twist your gut, a Subsidiary of cancer Inc.…

I didn’t write in my journal last night. I had a 23 day streak going, but I didn’t write. I’ve written through my whole journey so far. From diagnosis to treatment to treatment to treatment. But yesterday and last night…I didn’t write. I didn’t write because I have been overwhelmed with despair. Despair is not…

This is an excerpt from an article called “3 Ways to Be Kind to Yourself When You’re Feeling Blue” by Elaine Smookler. Read the rest on Mindful.org. Does this sound familiar? You’re exhausted, you can barely get out of bed, you feel unappreciated, unseen, sad. You’re doing everything right: meditating, writing in your gratitude journal, eating well,…

This morning I woke up feeling better but looking worse! The viral pink eye has now taken hold in both of my eyes. Fortunately, I have over-the-counter eyedrops to help relieve the pain and the Tylenol and medical marijuana to take care of any residual misery. And sunglasses😉 I’m watching season three of Dead to…

Today I learned about the two kinds of pink eye. Did you know it can be caused either by bacteria or viruses? Viral basically means you have a cold in your eye — in fact, you’ll often have it along with a cold or upper respiratory infection. Bacterial pink eye often occurs along with an…