The Financial Toll of Cancer: What Nobody Tells You About Medical Debt, Fear, and Serious Illness
There is a part of the cancer journey that people do not talk about very much. It does not even have to be cancer. Any serious health crisis will do. There are the bills. In the beginning, there is fear and chaos. You wonder what will happen. You wonder…
Defeating the Dairy Demon: A Grocery Trip Lesson in Moderation
This afternoon, during a trip to the local grocery store, I discovered that sometimes your list may fail. Guys, it is okay to go off script from time to time. I pulled into the parking lot, and what did I see? Eight spaces near the door, open and…
Life in the Cardiac Cath Lab: A Healthcare Worker’s Journey to Cardiac Survival
Forged In The Flames of Oz Here it is Monday, 5:25 in the morning, and I work night shift tonight. There was a time when night shift felt almost sacred to me. The hospital halls would settle down, the noise would thin out, and the place would take on a…
Living in the Shadow of Cancer: An Honest Look at Survival and Loss
“This is the forest primeval, the murmuring pines and the hemlocks…” Wait. Are we sure this is how all great pieces of writing are supposed to begin? Over the past few months, I have tried my hand at prose. Well, writing. Let’s not get carried away and…
Snail Farts, Silver Cups, and Openus Wallettus
Somewhere between my coffee and my better judgment, my phone coughed up another miracle cure. This one was dressed real nice. It had ancient Egypt in one pocket, medieval Europe in the other, and enough confidence to make a used-car salesman blush. The…
The Package Is Not Always The Problem
Somewhere along the way, food got loud. One crowd says everything in a package is poison. Another crowd says it does not matter as long as the label has the right numbers. Then somebody else walks in wearing a lab coat made out of opinions and starts…
Something to Think About: Easy Can Visit, But It Doesn’t Get a Key
Some days the plan changes. You may have every intention of cooking from scratch. You may have the beans ready, the greens picked out, the seasonings waiting, and a fine little supper already built in your mind. Then life walks through the kitchen, moves…