Three years ago, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer.
I didn’t expect how much I’d miss Lefty.
Welcome! I'm Chiara, triple negative breast cancer survivor; here is my journey, I hope it helps you!
Welcome! I'm Chiara, triple negative breast cancer survivor; here is my journey, I hope it helps you!
Three years ago, I was diagnosed with Stage 1 breast cancer.
I didn’t expect how much I’d miss Lefty.
What Does Being a Caregiver Mean? In the case of my wife, her cancer diagnosis meant she was going to be spending 100% of her time and energy fighting the disease. As a caregiver, I was going to help her with this battle, and then take over everything else so she could focus on fighting mesothelioma. Again, I just thought of it as being a good husband, I keep thinking of the passage in our wedding vows “in sickness and in health.” This was the sickness part.
In Cape May, NJ, with a drain protruding from my right side after a single, prophylactic mastectomy less than two weeks ago, I'm here to recuperate. I barely slept last night, the site where the plastic tube exits my side burns. I text my plastic surgeon a photo of the site and he tells me it's time for the drain to be removed. It's 8:30 pm and I'm three hours from his office on the tail-end of December, how is how this infected drain going to be removed so I can get some sleep tonight?
CANCER-PETEING: When you tell a person you have/had cancer and they tell you unsolicited stories of their grandmother/first grade teacher/Starbucks server’s cancer journey that usually ends in death. #nothelpful
Independence Day is a celebration that can't be missed: marching bands parade the streets, fireworks illuminate the sky and sounds of joy and laughter fill the air; summer has begun! I wonder why, then, on a day like this, I'm feeling blue?
Cancer is like a truth serum: You find out what you are made of as well as what everyone else is all about. That was a lesson I was not prepared for, or welcomed, when I was diagnosed with breast cancer. It was also an unexpected upside of an otherwise calamitous situation.When you are diagnosed with cancer you are forced to look at your life, relationships and the choices you have made on a whole new scale....
An oddly familiar thing happened tonight, my panties were instantaneously soaked through to my jeans (and not because I was excited)! Stunned, has my period returned after chemotherapy?
The answer to the most common question since my mastectomy, will you get bigger breasts with reconstruction? is a resounding YES! But how far down the alphabet will I go?
Please donate to Mary's Place by the Sea's Walkathon, a nurturing home that provides a place to heal for women with cancer in mind body and soul. If you don't give back, no one will like you.
Cancercare invited survivors to enjoy a complimentary makeover and photoshoot: if you've learned anything about me by now, it's that I love to be in front of the camera!
At The Rainbow Room in New York City, Revlon hosted a glamorous event for their top winners; Mary's Place graciously included me in their RSVP.
The night before my prophylactic mastectomy, I wanted to be surrounded by my friends' love and light, so I made it happen: I threw a Boob-Bye™ party!
What's a woman to do when Hay House comes to town? Grab your girlfriend and head over to the Javits Center to hear some of today's leaders in healing share their stories.
I "unleash the power of organic healing" daily and nightly on my face, neck and surgery scars, my skin feels hydrated all day.
According to The National Cancer Institute, aluminum-based compounds are used as the active ingredient in antiperspirants; they form a temporary plug within the sweat duct that stops the flow of sweat to the skin's surface.
On bus 66 tonight, headphones in, song on repeat, my eyes moisten, I get nostalgic; what am I to do with this sad energy in my lap, seated first row?
My eyes lit up with the array of colors and designs that make up Mary's collection; her pieces range from simple and elegant to colorful and playful; all of them bold.
Cancer has made me live boldly - I ask for what I want, dare to take that step, reach for the stars; why not? Now, on the "other side" of cancer (for the time being), I can say that cancer gave me the gift of fully living, being awake in my life, plucking the day.
I'm a warm-weather kind of woman, but I love autumn because it marks my birthday, my sobriety anniversary and the day my life changed from that breast lump.
Three hundred sixty five days ago my life changed forever. I lay on the bed and brushed my hand against my chest: chills illuminated my spine. Fear, terror: Oh My God, this doesn't feel normal, it's too big and too hard!
