Becoming a caregiver can be a different experience for everyone. You may have always expected you would provide care for a parent or family member one day, or the need for care can come as a surprise after a sudden cancer diagnosis. No matter how you start your role as a caregiver, the dangers of stress and mental fatigue are always immense. That’s why you need some self-care steps to keep yourself grounded and prevent yourself from burning out. Don’t Feel Guilty for Asking f

My mom’s death brought me back to life But not immediately. Losing my mom rocked my world much more then I actually thought it would. Maybe it was the 8 months of seeing her decline, maybe it was seeing her starting to check out, maybe it was explaining to my kids that my mother was dying and they too would be losing someone they loved. Whatever it was, it was terrible. All of it. I knew it would be. At least I thought I did. But nothing could prepare me for losing my mom. My

"It's ovarian cancer Debra" are the words ingrained in my mind that I hear over and over. I remember it well because I had worked for an OB/GYN for 10 years. Weekly I would hear patients complaining about abdominal pain, bloating and " just not feeling right" so when my mom called me one day and told me she had these symptoms I knew...I asked her primary doctor to run a CA125 but she refused and stated "just because you worked for a doctor doesn't make you one." Instead she

June 10, 2008 was the day my life changed; everything turned upside down. I heard the words "your daughter has cancer. It's stage 4." My daughter, Heather. Beautiful, smart, talented, kind...23 years old. She'd always dreamed of dancing. She was a fierce competitor, winning local, state and national dance competitions. She majored in dance in college and was accepted immediately into an international dance tour with Sesame Street Live when she graduated. Finishing her t