Patient & Researcher Blog
Here I aim to capture what I am learning as a newbie researcher from a patient perspective.
Living with a slow growing brain cancer
It is taboo for researchers to talk about their work before it is published.
I think that’s a bummer.
My favorite part about research is learning new things in real time. Here I share my observations as a learner and my n of 1 (personal) findings as a patient.
Note: I started blogging about brain cancer in 2008, at age 29.
I had no background or knowledge about healthcare when I began. Please excuse typos and other misconceptions. What you read here is me in real time, like a time capsule.
There are more than 500 posts here. Use this search to look for something specific. Good luck!
Expressing survivorship as an athlete
This experience, where I learned to love something I never knew I would be interested in and be good at it, has made me realize that there are millions of things in the world that I have never thought about… and I might love and be good at. I am so lucky to be alive and have the time and curiosity to search for these things and find my purpose in this world.
Does a brain tumor diagnosis mean you are disabled?
How we deal with our response to the diagnosis and treatment, our abilities or disabilities, is totally up to us. We can't perform our own brain surgeries or invent new drugs and treatment, but we can choose to strengthen our metal state of mind when it comes to our health. At the risk of sounding like a self-help book, it really is all about our attitude.
Lift with your head: the other 90% of my brain
I strongly believe in the power of advocacy as an important role in brain tumor survivorship. But advocacy only stimulates the 10% of my brain. There are many other parts of our brains--parts controlling crucial functions like heartbeats, muscles, balance, movement, the respiratory system, etc.--that require stimulation and use. That is the part of my brain I am just now starting to put to use and challenge for the sake of healing.