February 28, 2015
by cancerBrat
1 Comment
Esophageal cancer (EC) sneaks up on people. My husband, Michael Ratner, (owner of a trendy Phoenix restaurant), was diagnosed with EC on my birthday, October 9, 2008. He had difficulty earlier in the week after he swallowed a piece of … Continue reading
August 11, 2014
by cancerBrat
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Those of you who have followed my column, you know about my October 2013 diagnosis of breast cancer. Before you start feeling sorry for me and saying, “What a shame she has cancer”, I want you to know that I … Continue reading
July 26, 2014
by cancerBrat
6 Comments
You have to listen real hard to hear anything at all: the sound of tippy-toes on wood stairs, the soft tap of a paw on the bedroom door, the digging around in her bed to find a perfect spot for … Continue reading
July 20, 2014
by cancerBrat
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My right breast is deformed. Two surgeries and a five-day intensive radiation treatment have changed the structure of a perfectly beautiful breast. The skin is still smooth and the nipple looks identical to the original—it’s the implant itself that has … Continue reading
June 22, 2014
by cancerBrat
1 Comment
A permanent reminder of a time in one’s life I’m being chauffeured to my first radiation appointment by my boyfriend. The only sound is the faint hum of traffic around us. He isn’t sure what to say to make things … Continue reading
May 30, 2014
by cancerBrat
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I’m working out with weights in the gym—pressing 17.5 pounders above my head and then squatting and bringing them down to my ankles. After counting 16 reps, I stand the weights upright in front of me and look at myself … Continue reading
May 7, 2014
by cancerBrat
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The fear of cancer is legitimate: how we manage that fear, our responses to it, our emotions around it—can be manipulated, packaged, marketed and sold, sometimes by the very forces that claim to support us. That can color everything from … Continue reading
April 25, 2014
by cancerBrat
3 Comments
The surgery for an excision of a lump on my right breast was performed on a Monday morning. I’m groggy after my outpatient procedure and stumble around the house trying to act normal; clumsily fixing myself something to eat, tidying … Continue reading
April 19, 2014
by cancerBrat
4 Comments
Being diagnosed and treated for cancer is tantamount to being lead into the showers at a concentration camp under the pretenses of being deloused. Oblivious / Part 1 I have a lump on my right breast. It might be benign … Continue reading