I was at a lab corp yesterday to get blood work and had to call Hopkins because they hadn’t sent over the order yet. A few minutes after I got off the phone, a woman who was leaving came up to me, touched my leg and said “I overheard you are going through chemo and I wanted to tell you I’m praying for you and everything is going to be okay, baby. Stay strong!” and then she gave me a big bear hug. This woman was so genuine, our interaction brought tears to my eyes. After she l

I have stage 4 adenocarcinoma colorectal cancer; it's spread to my liver and lymph nodes. Here's how I found out: By suggestion of Dr. Imran, I contacted Dr. Michael Brooks' office, who ended up being booked through October, so I scheduled an apt. for 6/29/17 with another physician in his office, Dr. Michael Bass. I talked with Dr. Bass for over an hour that day. It was the first time I felt like I was actually listened to.. like I was finally being asked the right questions.

If you’ve spent any time with me over the past couple years, you’ve probably heard me complain about my challenges with gut health, painful bloating, food sensitivities and maybe even (if I was comfortable enough with you) constipation. My earliest memory of an extreme bloating “episode” was in January of 2015, when Andy and I visited Aaron and Melinda in Pittsburgh. After arriving on a Friday night, Bug, Melinda and I crushed martinis that destroyed my stomach. The next day,