The pain of loss from chronic illness or a life-threatening diagnosis is very real Olivia’s lupus struck during her second year in college. An art major, she noticed her hands hurt a lot, and thought it was just because she was drawing so much. But her other symptoms prompted her to see a doctor on […]

We had the privilege of being joined by April Stearns on a recent episode of our Facebook Live series, Get Well and Stay Well. April is the Founder & Editor-in-Chief of Wildfire Magazine, a digital and print journal of survivorship issues faced by women diagnosed with breast cancer in their 20s, 30s, and 40s. The conversation […]

For some of us, the crackle of leaves underfoot and the first big storm of winter signal coziness. If you live where the days get shorter and the nights get longer, you may love bundling up, cooking favorite foods, and enjoying the great indoors. Or you may not. Seasonal affective disorder, or SAD, is a […]

This fall, we conducted an online survey with the Harris Poll to examine chronic pain management techniques and preferences, as well as to gain insight into how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted pain and pain management.  What we found might surprise you.  Chronic pain affects more than half of Americans (56%). In fact, about 3 […]

This year, focus on what’s possible. When you say, “I can’t believe the holidays are almost here!” your mind, spirit, and body may respond in different ways. Your mental response may be, “Ugh, the holidays. That means a lot of shopping! Prices are so much higher this year.” Your spirit might sigh, “I just can’t […]

Stephanie, 38, reached a financial milestone recently when she made her last debt payment. Not student debt, though. The debt was from her treatment for non-Hodgkin lymphoma—her cancer care. Diagnosed at age 30, Stephanie was successfully treated with chemotherapy and radiation and has been cancer-free for several years. However, the bills for hospital care, tests, […]

If you ever got separated from your parents in the store, you remember how it feels. Suddenly, everything around you is no longer familiar but strange and threatening. You look down one aisle, then another, searching for a face you recognize. The aisles have become an alien world. Instead of searching for your favorite toy […]

Sex and cancer. They may seem like totally separate concerns—or your biggest worry that no one talks about. Your doctors and even your partner may be focused on helping you survive, while you feel life won’t feel right if your sex life is nonexistent after treatment. Sex still matters Even if you’ve just been diagnosed […]

It seems like the cancer team addressed everything. Cancer stage, treatment options, side effects, what to eat and where to find a support group. Or did they? Cancer is not just a physical illness. It affects your mind and spirit, too. “What if … why did I get this? Did I cause it?” It also […]

Is pain inevitable when you have cancer? Can treatment cause pain? Is it worth mentioning discomfort to your oncologist? Or is only severe pain of real concern? Our new free Pocket Guide to Cancer Pain is part of our Integrative Cancer Care series of tools for patients, caregivers, and health care providers. It features an […]