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STOMP OUT CANCER FROM THE KICK OFF

October 5, 2024 by

Stomp out cancer was the theme for the Oregon Ducks v Michigan State football game at Autzen stadium. It was a fitting theme in my family where cancer is no stranger. Maybe your family, too, but I hope not. Here’s what it looks like and sounds like:

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BREAKING STRIDE, LOSING MOMENTUM, PICKING IT UP

September 13, 2024 by

Breaking stride matters when you’re the lead horse in a harness race. Do that and you’re disqualified. What happens when you breakdown in your regular day to day life? Who notices that? You. Or you should, since everyone else does.

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STORM CHASING IN THE CANCER WARD

May 8, 2024 by

Storm chasing without a tornado on the horizon? The storm in the cancer ward is chemo therapy that runs through everything in your body sweeping out the good and the bad cells. It shakes you down to your core hoping the good cells prevail. Not everyone is built for this particular battle.

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GIVING UP, BUT NOT A QUITTER?

May 4, 2024 by

Giving up is different than quitting. Really. Quitting means done, all over, finished. The Day I Quit. Giving up is a longer process. One is a reaction, the other a journey. Who’s got the map?

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DIFFERENCE MAKER, THE RECIPE

March 27, 2024 by

A difference maker is often the last to know what’s up. Who has ever been to a funeral or memorial and heard strangers talk about the deceased in terms so glowing it sounds like nobody you know. And you’ve known them most of your life. How does that happen?

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CHEMO STORY FROM THE MEMOIR WIP

February 22, 2024 by

One chemo story is not much different than another: Cancer diagnosis, testing, further testing, test some more, then sign up for the juice. Not much different until it’s you, and it’s your story. So why not write it? Here’s what it looks like:

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CANCER CONVERSATIONS ONLINE AND OFF

August 11, 2023 by

Cancer conversations never get old for people who’ve had it, and those living with it. They happen in waiting rooms for chemo, waiting rooms for radiation, and waiting rooms for scans and probes. Sound fun yet? This isn’t a suggestion: Make it fun or a little of you dies in that waiting room. Find something.

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QUIT NOW? THEN WHAT

July 12, 2023 by

Quit now and forever hold your peace? Who do you say that to? And who would listen? Quitting is the easy part, it’s what comes next that’s hard to figure out.

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CALM SURRENDER LIFESTYLE, AND DOG TRAINING

January 25, 2023 by

The first I’d heard of ‘calm surrender’ came from a chemo clinic nurse. I asked her what someone like me was supposed to do during cancer treatment. She said surrender calmly. I told her Gillaspie isn’t a French name. Nurse Michel was not amused, but she was right.

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CHEMO CLOTHES GET A NEW BELT NOTCH

October 22, 2022 by

You’ve heard of ‘chemo clothes?’ That’s what you wear after getting the hell chemo-ed out of you, (hell = cancer.) Either that or you’ll be walking around like a kid in big boy trousers that don’t fit, but might some day. Today is that day. But it’s more about the belt.

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