November 1, 2011 - Posted by tamilb - 4 Comments
I am only sharing this for reference. This is not a message I would convey!
Ah Facebook, I just can’t seem to leave it alone! I’m a social person, and most of the time I’m sitting at home on my computer alone without coworkers to chat with or a boss to pile work on me. So I find myself trolling on Facebook to get a peek into people’s lives and thought processes.
One day I was wishing one of my Facebook friends a happy birthday when I came upon her profile picture (shown here). I also noticed other people sharing this graphic. A wave of anger came over me as it did that fateful day when an oncologist told me with certainty that I would die of breast cancer.
Being the outspoken person I am, I posted my reaction on Facebook: “Life is 100 percent fatal. Let’s focus on living!” I was amazed by the vast number of comments I received from fabulous metastatic survivors, like Heather Jose, who has been living (very well, thank you) with metastatic breast cancer for 13 years. “Stage IV. Terminal? Whatever,” she said.
October 26, 2011 - Posted by tamilb - 2 Comments
Dr. Vincent Tuohy took the time to give us a tour of his lab, where he is developing vaccines to prevent breast and ovarian cancer.
Last year I heard an amazing story on NPR. Dr. Vincent Tuohy, an immunologist at The Cleveland Clinic was developing a vaccine to prevent breast cancer. Last year, Dr. Tuohy released his findings: a first-of-its-kind vaccine to prevent breast cancer, which has shown extremely favorable results in animal models. The researchers found that a single vaccination prevents breast cancer tumors from forming in mice, while also inhibiting the growth of already existing tumors.
Dr. Tuohy and his research team targeted α-lactalbumin — a protein found in the majority of breast cancers, but is not found in healthy women, except during lactation. The vaccine can cause a woman’s immune system to target α-lactalbumin — thus stopping tumor formation — without damaging healthy breast tissue. In the study, genetically cancer-prone mice were vaccinated — half with a vaccine containing α-lactalbumin and half with a vaccine that did not contain the antigen. None of the mice vaccinated with α-lactalbumin developed breast cancer, while all of the other mice did.
I was so impressed, I decided to designate the $5,000 I received as a 2010
Pink Power Mom finalist to his research. I was very surprised when I received a phone call from Dr. Tuohy to personally thank me for the donation.
October 23, 2011 - Posted by tamilb - 2 Comments
Flo Singer is indeed a Miracle Survivor and a great cancer coach!
Flo Singer’s humor was fully intact when she learned in 2002, at age 55, she had stage IV rectal cancer.
She recalls, “The doctor said, ‘Sorry Flo, but you have rectal cancer.’ I responded, that at least they caught it early. But he said ‘no’ and recommended surgery that day. He saw the scan, so he knew it was advanced. I deal with everything with humor, so I said. “I got it from all the smoke my ex blew up my ass.”
October 18, 2011 - Posted by tamilb - 10 Comments
Caring for aging parents, kids and yourself can bite, but remember to put yourself first.
I remember a curmudgeonly man I used to know who would like to say, “Life is a s*&t sandwich.” I certainly don’t believe that, but for cancer survivors who have kids and aging parents, it’s like a triple-decker sandwich. Not only are you caring for your own family and parents, but you’re also trying to take care of yourself.
This is the situation I currently face. My mother has been failing for some years now and recently took a turn for the worse. A couple of months ago, I went over to take her to the doctor and found her collapsing in my arms. A neighbor called an ambulance and she was admitted for pneumonia. After a couple of weeks, she was sent to a nursing home for rehabilitation. We took her home this weekend. She looks like a walking skeleton, and unfortunately, my brother who lives with her has mental problems and is in terrible physical condition. I want to help and change their living conditions, yet they are determined to stay put. It’s very frustrating, to say the least.
October 12, 2011 - Posted by tamilb - 4 Comments
Nancy and her husband (AKA badass bikers!) 
Sometimes I sit at my computer and wonder if anyone is out there. Sure, I read my stats and know people are following my blog. But it’s sure nice to hear from my readers and know that their lives have been enriched somehow from the work I’m doing. I’ve made some really great online friends from this blog, my book and speaking engagements. It has made my life richer, and I believe, I’m healthier in body, mind and spirit as a result. Thanks to all of you who follow me here, on Facebook, and Twitter and share your lives with me!
I was having “one of those moments” when I received a wonderful comment from Nancy Mogavero-Olivares, a fellow metastatic breast cancer survivor. It really made my day, and I asked her to share her story with the rest of you:
October 6, 2011 - Posted by tamilb - 0 Comments
Grinning ear to ear with Kris Carr after she signed my book at The Pink Fund luncheon
I haven’t had a chance to post in a while with all my travels. I’ve had an exciting week so far. On Saturday, my husband and I traveled to Detroit to attend The Pink Fund luncheon/fundraiser featuring Kris Carr, best-selling author of Crazy Sexy Cancer Tips, Crazy Sexy Cancer Survivor and Crazy Sexy Diet. I was thrilled to meet her and have her sign my book. I gave her a copy of From Incurable to Incredible and she seemed genuinely pleased. She even suggested that she hold my book while we took the obligatory picture she so graciously agreed to.
I am grateful to Molly MacDonald for inviting me as her guest. More than 400 people attended, with proceeds benefiting Michigan breast cancer patients for whom they provide emergency financial assistance. I’ve been blogging for The Pink Fund for several months now, but learned more about the wonderful work they do helping Michigan women pay for basic necessities while going through treatment. Like Molly, who was almost homeless at one time, these women’s finances are stripped from paying for medical expenses, making them choose between rent/mortgages and treatment.
September 29, 2011 - Posted by tamilb - 4 Comments
Laura Nicklolaides is helping bring researchers together.
With October approaching, I’ve been thinking about what breast cancer organization to support. There are so many! I’ve become disillusioned with Komen, given their questionable marketing relationships and relatively low percentage of funds going to research. I wanted to find an organization that is aggressive about finding a cure. I recently had the opportunity to have coffee with Laura Nicklolaides, Director of Research & Quality Care Programs at National Breast Cancer Coalition (NBBC) - an organization that has the chutzpah to set a deadline to end breast cancer. Their mission – and they choose to accept it – is to find a way to prevent breast cancer and its metastases by 2020.
Laura’s drive to help NBBC achieve its goal comes from personal experience. In 2007 at age 45, Laura was diagnosed with stage III breast cancer. Laura became a volunteer advocate with the Cincinnati Breast Cancer and the Environment Research Center, where a fellow cancer advocate introduced her to the National Breast Cancer Coalition. Several months later, she attended NBBC’s national conference and decided to take part in NBBC’s Project Lead advocacy training, which teaches fundamentals of breast cancer science, research design, and the skills needed to become a Department of Defense Breast Cancer Research Program consumer reviewer.
September 24, 2011 - Posted by tamilb - 7 Comments
Vanessa Tiemeyer, a Cincinnati resident, exhibits quiet courage
If you’ve been following my blog regularly, you’ll remember some posts about three Cincinnati and Dayton-area women who participated in the Scar Project, a powerful photo exhibit featuring young breast cancer survivors. The beautiful and unflinching Pulitzer-Prize -nominated show is finally coming to Cincinnati, Sept. 29-Oct. 2, with proceeds benefiting the Pink Ribbon Girls.
Today’s guest post is by Douglas Flora, MD, an oncologist at the practice where I’m a patient, Oncology Hematology Care. I think he explains better than I can about why it’s important to see this exhibit.
September 20, 2011 - Posted by tamilb - 3 Comments
Reality is what you make of it
Today I read an interesting post by a fellow blogger about the realities of breast cancer. She received a lot of praise for her well-written post about the grim realities of this disease — side effects, fears, people dying. One of the cancer bloggers she mentioned who lost their lives this year was my dear friend Ashley Oehler. I’ve lost too many people to this disease, and Ashley’s death hit me hard.
So how, in the face of all of this can I remain positive and hopeful? To me, it’s a choice. I can focus on the awfullness of it all, or I can choose to focus on the good things in my life. While I mourn the death of yet another friend, it really puts into focus how grateful I am to be here for my family. I hug my daughter a little tighter, I appreciate having a husband who has stood beside me every step of the way. I cherish the wonderful connections I’ve made in the breast cancer community. I choose to be hopeful that all the things I’m doing to ward off my disease (traditional therapy, nutrition, supplements, yoga, spiritual connection, etc., etc,) will keep me here long enough to find a cure or at least make this a manageable, chronic disease.
September 13, 2011 - Posted by tamilb - 8 Comments
e-Patient Dave deBronkart
I recently had the honor of speaking with Dave deBronkart, widely known as “e-Patient Dave.” Dave is the leading spokesperson for the e-Patient movement–Empowered, Engaged, Equipped, Enabled. A high-tech executive and online community leader for many years, he was diagnosed in 2007 with Stage IV kidney cancer, with median survival 24 weeks. e-Patient Dave is a living testament to the power of taking charge of your own health and being the captain of your medical team. He used the Internet every way possible to partner with his care team; today he is well.
During our conversation, I discussed my frustration with doctors who give death sentence to patients, thus taking away their hope. He agreed that statistics are often misleading and can be detrimental to patients. When Dave was diagnosed, he turned to patient online communities, such as the Association of Cancer Online Resources (ACOR), and learned some valuable information.
