My Dad Hid His Cancer From Me For Years. His Secret Changed Our Relationship In Ways I Never Imagined.
The author and her father celebrating her 21st birthday. Courtesy of Sophie Katzman My parents were visiting last spring when an argument broke out. Since our family does not shy away from debate, that wasn’t surprising. But when my father yelled, “You know I’m a cancer survivor!” during this particular fight, I was taken aback […]
I Almost Died Giving Birth — Twice. This Is The Lifesaving Knowledge I Wish I’d Had.
The author holds her 1-week-old son after returning home from the hospital, in the wake of an emergency D&C and postpartum hemorrhage. Courtesy of Lisa McCarty After I almost bled out during the delivery of my first child due to postpartum hemorrhage, or PPH, I had nightmares about it happening again. One week after giving […]
I Thought I Was Dying. When I Learned The Truth, I Became Desperate To Keep It Secret.
The author on a moms’ night out. “This was just one of the ways I busied myself to avoid some of the hard feelings and anxieties I was dealing with,” she writes. Courtesy of Lauren Dunn If you know me, or see me on the street, I might appear to be carefree. That is a […]
I Was Given 6 Months To Live. I Made 1 Unexpected Decision That Helped Me Beat The Odds.
The author at Antelope Island in Utah, near the Great Salt Lake, in summer 2022. Courtesy of Jillian Meyer Photo On October 1, 2021, after having what I had thought was routine thyroid surgery, I was diagnosed with anaplastic thyroid cancer, a cancer so rare that none of my doctors had ever seen it before. […]
I Kept My Schizophrenia A Secret For 20 Years. Everything Changed When I Told A Friend.
The author today. Photo Courtesy of Rebecca Chamaa On a Thursday this past July, my husband and I drove to our county’s police academy training facility. A uniformed officer let us in. We were escorted through several hallways and into a conference room, where I was scheduled to speak representing our local National Alliance on […]
I Nearly Died From ‘Broken Heart Syndrome’ — And Here’s Why You Could Be At Risk, Too
The author and her husband on their honeymoon in 2017. Courtesy of Melisse Lombard “I hope you’re taking care of yourself.” That’s the line that’s been coming at me for years now –– across my texts, LinkedIn DMs and voicemails, across dinner tables and Slack messages, and haven’t-seen-you-in-forever emails. I know people mean well. I […]
I’m A Breast Cancer Survivor. I Was Slighted And Belittled Throughout My Treatment.
The author in the recovering room following her breast cancer surgery on March 28, 2023. Courtesy of Joy Jenkins I was scared as I approached the receptionist at my oncologists’ office. I had recently been diagnosed with breast cancer at age 56 after my annual mammogram. I didn’t know yet how bad things were. Was […]
My Doctor Missed My Postpartum Symptoms. I Started Treating Them Myself — And Got Addicted.
The author says many are still afraid to speak up about postpartum symptoms. Cooper Urlich I’m a recovering addict who published a memoir about my addiction to alcohol and pills earlier this year. A few weeks ago, I was being interviewed on a podcast and the host asked me when I thought I had become […]
Hank Green Has Cancer. Here’s What To Know About Hodgkin Lymphoma.
Monica Schipper via Getty Images YouTube personality and author Hank Green speaks onstage as he discusses his book “An Absolutely Remarkable Thing.” If you’ve ever crammed for an exam using a YouTube Crash Course, you might have had Hank Green teach you a few things about history, science, math and more. In a new YouTube […]
I Made A Decision At 17 That Completely Changed My Body. I Kept It A Secret — Until Now.
“My surgery was a secret from everyone I knew,” the author writes. Pramote Polyamate via Getty Images I was 16 when I first learned about the surgery. My mother told me she had heard of something that could help me. Something that could fix me. The lap band surgery would place an adjustable ring around […]