New direction

Hi folks!

I'm happy to say that breast cancer has increasingly become a background (rather than foreground) presence in my life. The rhythm of my days is no longer dictated by treatments and weakness. Sometimes, perhaps, I even leave it too far behind, caught up as I am in the headlong pursuit of tenure and the juggling of daily demands.

In any case, I find myself with less to say regularly about the cancer journey--and I'm glad of that, and hope it stays that way! But that doesn't mean I need to throw over the blog. I think I'll morph it into another common blog form: the compendium. I'm constantly struck by the constant barrage of news coverage related to breast cancer. I figure I'll post links here, and--when something is particularly interesting--even comments.

And never fear, those who prefer the logorrheaic blog, I'll still post when noteworthy things arise!

So, to begin:
Bad News
So far, John Edwards is my favorite presidential candidate for '08. And although I didn't love getting added to a fundraising list when I wrote a note of support, I've been pleased and impressed by how he and his wife Elizabeth have handled her recurrence of cancer. It was terrifying to hear about her. Many articles refer to her "particularly deadly" form of cancer, the "triple-negative" (estrogen-negative, progesterone-negative, her-2 neu negative). Well, I'm a triple-negative too, with the highest (worst) possible Bloom-Richardson score. News like this makes me seek refuge in the numbers, and hope I land on their good side: 80% chance I'm free, 20% chance I'm not.

Cute News
The LA Times yesterday carried an odd but somewhat heartwarming story about the recovery of 2000 wedding dresses, intended for a breast cancer fundraiser, then stolen, then found at the Mexican border.

Important News
Not that it's clear at all, but the news/debates on best diagnostic practices is worth attention: good summaries at salon.com.