My cry echoed the cries of many throughout the centuries, culminating in the haunting strains of “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel.” In 2006, my treadmill of holiday festivities sputtered to a halt. Instead of my Christmas letter brimming with the clever antics of beloved children and pets, I announced, “I have ovarian cancer.” Chemotherapy had sapped my stamina, […]
How could anything good come from cancer? As an oncology nurse, I was familiar with the ravages of cancer and chemotherapy. But in 2006, ovarian cancer flung me to the other side of the bed. I dutifully exchanged my nursing scrubs for peekaboo gowns and skid free gripper socks. Instead of threading needles into the […]
I want to thank Tony Gambone for featuring my ovarian cancer story and book, In Her Shoes: Dancing in the Shadow of Cancer on Tough Talk Christian Radio September 30. For encouragement and inspiration, check out this program link. http://tobtr.com/s/11812639 In Her Shoes: Dancing in the Shadow of Cancer is now available in an audiobook […]
Interview with In Her Shoes Narrator Julie Stein
Self-care is often last on the list of priorities for busy women. Bucky, the UW mascot, would like to share a few thoughts on this subject since July is self-care month. He is assisted by a few of his comrades displayed throughout the Madison area during Bucky on Parade. Let’s help Broadcaster Bucky get the […]
Frightened, bewildered, and shut away—the hallmarks of this quarantined season. I don’t understand why we’ve been engulfed in a pandemic and why so many people suffered the loss of loved ones and livelihood. The following verse has challenged me: Trust in the Lord with all your heart,and lean not on your own understanding. (Proverbs 3:5 NKJV) “Trust […]
Have you heard the whispers of ovarian cancer? Stop. Listen. Despite my background in oncology nursing, I had missed an ovarian cancer whisper—nausea. Over the course of a few months in 2006, I experienced several bouts of nausea, but I dismissed them as the flu. Fleeting thoughts of ovarian cancer crept into my mind. But […]
It was time to organize, pitch, and clean. The disarray of my physical environment was interfering with my productivity. I’d start a writing project, but I couldn’t maintain my focus. So, I stuffed garbage bags with stacks of mail and magazines, deleted thousands of emails, shredded paper, and rearranged closets. But decluttering my physical surroundings […]
I never met my Great-Aunt Lucy. She wasn’t famous. But she lived a life marked by courage and adventure. When WWII rocked the world, the Red Cross recruited nurses. Great-Aunt Lucy responded to the call as did her nursing classmates, graduates from the New York Post Graduate Hospital. They were quite a public-spirited group. Aunt […]
In 2006, my Christmas letter neglected to tell the tales of brilliant, talented, and amazing children and pets. Instead, I dropped a bomb–I had ovarian cancer. Bald, fatigued and in pain from chemotherapy, I had to lay aside my usual baking and Christmas decorating traditions. I needed to simplify. What could I delete from my […]
