When Thomas, at age 2, developed a fever and an earache at the beach, I didn't hesitate to call his pediatrician, even though we were hundreds of miles away. ©Karen Gooding 1995

In my last post, I told you how one doctor’s brusque bedside manner almost kept me from getting help for a real problem.

Although that happened several years ago, it reminded me of the importance of being my own health care advocate. Since then, I’ve read lots of articles about knowing my body, communicating with health care providers, pushing for time-sensitive tests and navigating financial issues.

I’ve also learned a few things on my own. Here are some strategies that have worked for me:

If you’re a mom, treat yourself the way you treat your children. I have never once worried that I was wasting a doctor’s time when it comes to the health of my children. I’ve been persistent sometimes to the point of being annoying. [click to continue…]

©Thomas Gooding 2012

My worst health care experience had nothing to do with cancer. I was in my early 40s – well past my breast cancer treatment and a couple of years before my ovarian cancer diagnosis.

I’d been having chest pains on and off for a few weeks – even occasionally waking in the night. I brushed it off as stress. But one day, when the pain felt unusually intense, I called my doctor from my car.

When he couldn’t convince me to go straight to the emergency room, he had me come to his office. When I got there, he had already called a cardiologist with an office in the same building. A nurse escorted me and handed me off to a technician ready to do an electrocardiogram (EKG) before I saw the doctor. [click to continue…]

The hosts of the TV show "What Not to Wear" would approve of the crisp, white T-shirt and perfectly appointed, subtle jewelry my mother-in-law wore on a sunset cruise in 2010. As for my T-shirt and sweatshirt jacket, both hand-me-downs from my daughter? Not so much. Three years later, I still have both in my closet. ©Jim Gooding 2010

I read recently that after 10 seasons, the show What Not to Wear is going off the air. I haven’t seen it in a while, but I used to love that show. It gave me hope that I may one day actually pull my wardrobe together.

If you’ve never seen it, each show involved Stacy London and Clinton Kelly helping (that is, forcing) people to toss out their old, ill-fitting, out-of-style clothes and start fresh.

Those two would have had a field day with my closet. Just for fun, I decided to take a look, and here’s what I found: [click to continue…]

Mom, with my brother and me in 1970. My dad, who took the photo, loved to make her laugh. ©Libby Fisher

My mom will be 76 this Thursday. Here’s a bit of what she did last year: Volunteered, traveled, gardened and played bridge. She participated in water aerobics, a book club, a study club and too many church activities to name. She spent lots of time with her family and friends. Oh, and she tried – and learned – stand-up paddle boarding for the first time.

Here’s what she was doing 43 years ago: Recovering from a radical mastectomy. She was 33. It was 1970, and there were no pink ribbons. There was no Breast Cancer Awareness Month or Race for the Cure®. Breast cancer, if it was mentioned at all, was discussed quietly, behind closed doors. [click to continue…]

Elizabeth (far right) celebrates with her friends Lindsay and Leigh. Photo by Phillip Daniel CR.

We awoke to a Carolina blue sky and celebrated a Carolina tradition yesterday. As our daughter marched into Kenan Stadium, she represented the fourth generation on both sides of our family to graduate from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

The commencement speaker spoke of people, passion and perseverance, but all I could think about was that my first baby was about to embark on the adventure that would be her life as an adult. Sure, she’s technically been an adult for more than a year now (or for more than four years, depending on your definition), but there’s just something about that college diploma that makes it so much more real. [click to continue…]

Best wishes to the American Cancer Society from my kids and a few of their friends at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. ©Thomas Gooding

Sixty years ago, 1 out of 3 people diagnosed with cancer survived at least 5 years. Today, thanks in part to the work of the American Cancer Society, 2 out of 3 survive. Let’s make it 3 out of 3. Join us to help finish the fight.

 –  American Cancer Society^®

I reached a pretty significant milestone last month. As of April 3, I’m a one-year survivor of recurrent ovarian cancer. It’s been six years since my first ovarian cancer diagnosis, and – get this – I’ve been a breast cancer survivor for more than 17 years.

Speaking of milestones, I hope you’ll join me in celebrating an important one for all of us. May 22 marks the 100^th birthday of the American Cancer Society, the nonprofit organization dedicated to saving lives and creating a world with less cancer and more birthdays. In honor of its 100^th, the official sponsor of birthdays is encouraging people to join together, make some noise, and help finish the fight against cancer.  [click to continue…]

Pinterest. The perfect place for virtual productivity. ©Karen Gooding 2013

Do you know what to eat when you’re feeling stressed, cranky or tired? I do. How to plan the perfect art arrangement? Yep, I know that, too. How to propagate rosemary and lavender? Uh huh.

And, I know how a suit should fit, what I should read next, how to prune everything, how to stock my pantry for better nutrition, how to paint perfect lines and how to correctly store produce.

How do I know all these things? Why I learned them on Pinterest, of course. And how many of these things have I actually done? Um. Well, really, who’s counting? Let’s stick to the point. I now know how to do them. [click to continue…]

Hair grows back! Two months after finishing chemo. ©Karen Gooding 2007

Every now and then, I like to share a few random thoughts about this illness so many of us live with. Here, in no particular order, is what popped into my mind recently:

Hair grows back – even in the places you wish it wouldn’t.

It’s hard to ask for help. In the overused words of the Nike® slogan: Just do it.

Some people will act as if you’re dying, even when you’re not. Cut them some slack. They love you. [click to continue…]

Mom fixing Thanksgiving dinner in the early 1970s. Check out the avocado green appliances, dark cabinets and groovy cafe curtains -- not to mention Mom's stylish glasses and denim ensemble. ©Libby Fisher

After living in the same house for more than 45 years, my mom is moving to a condo. It’s a wonderful condo. In the words of Mary Poppins, practically perfect in every way. But her old house – my parents’ first – was special in that way that only the family homeplace can be.

There are pencil marks on the laundry room door that commemorate, by inches and years, the growth of my brother, my children and my nieces. There are scribbles inside the closet of what used to be my bedroom: “Kim was here.” “Hey Karen!” “So-and-so loves so-and-so.” (Yeah, not going to tell my friends’ secrets. Even now.) [click to continue…]