Many thanks to Ebony Harwood from ZayZoh for inviting Liz Benditt as a guest on her video podcast to talk about the importance of self care for cancer patients. We had a wonderful, honest, and highly personal chat about our own experiences as both patients and caregivers. Link is below - enjoy! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ueRItmf6OEU
I like to think of myself as a medical miracle. I survived four cancers over 8 years: 2009: Melanoma Skin Cancer 2010: Thyroid Cancer 2015: Basal Cell Skin Cancer 2017: Breast Cancer By necessity, my approach to treating myself and my illnesses have changed over time. After experiencing VERY RARE side effects from thyroid surgery, I stopped automatically following ‘standard treatment’ protocols and took back control of my care and recovery process. I found that when I contributed to my treatment plans, I was better prepared for the inevitable side effects. Although the melanoma was by far my most potentially...
Hi. I’m Eve. I’m almost 15, I love volleyball and Grey’s Anatomy, and I’m the daughter of a four-time cancer survivor. Yes, you heard that right. Four separate cancers; eight years; one person. Some families play football, some families go to Harvard, but what do we do? We beat cancer. I don’t remember much about my mom’s first 2 cancers since they all happened before I was 5 years old. I remember hearing my mom screaming in pain from a surgical complication as she was carried out by a stretcher in the middle of the night while my neighbors held...
I was sitting in the passenger terminal at KCI, waiting for my flight to Shanghai. I was anxious to get on the flight and begin my long journey to see my husband, who had not been home for a month. It had been a long year of infrequent home visits since he had been assigned to a long stint in China. Just as I was gathering my things to get ready to board the flight, I received a terrifying call from my daughter, Liz. “Mom, I just got back my test results. I have melanoma!” Words of horror to a...
