Wendy Harpham on Healthy Survivorship

Diane Rose, Model Healthy Survivor

A picture is worth a thousand words. But what if you can't see the picture? It didn't stop Diane Rose.

Disenfranchised Grief

What is disenfranchised grief?

Empathy and Weight Loss

Obesity is linked to many serious medical conditions. Yet many physicians refrain from talking about "the elephant in the room" for fear of offending patients. 

Time for Empathy

In my last post, I discussed a study of the relationship between empathy and clinical outcomes. Let me clarify the definition of empathy and then look at a comment in the discussion section of the research paper:

Empathy and Positive Clinical Outcomes

A landmark study at Thomas Jefferson University quantifies the relationship between physicians' empathy and clinical outcomes of a group of (diabetic) patients. The researchers' conclusions should come as no surprise:  

Mantra for Healthy Survivors: "We'll See."

In yesterday's post, I shared a short story that has changed my life. Ever since I first read it, when unwanted change or loss seems to be ruining everything, I've thought, "We'll see."

A Parable for Healthy Survivors

A short story for Healthy Survivors:

The Pro-Diabetes Board

In 2006, leaders in the state of Washington created the Health Technology Assessment (HTA) program to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of various medical therapies. With our country facing a huge budget deficit, what could be better than determining which treatments are worth paying for?

Consider the Conversation

"Consider the Conversation" is a new documentary available to the public on DVD to help patients and their families talk with their physicians about end-of-life care.

When the Battle with Cancer Can't Be Won

Paula Span, author of When the Time Comes: Families With Aging Parents Share Their Struggles and Solutions, wrote about a new guide for patients and their loved ones entitled, “Advanced Cancer Care Planning: What Patients and Families Need to Know About Their Choices When Facing Serious Illness.”

Wedding Walk #2

This post is set to go live at the same time my husband and I have the honor and privilege of taking a short trip packed with joy and hope: We are walking our middle child, Jessica, down the aisle to be wed to the love of her life, Benedict.

Healthy Responses in The Gray Zone

When symptoms or signs are not dramatic, patients often find it stressful to decide whether or not to call the doctor or go straight to the emergency room. As a patient, I found it more stressful when a new problem put me in what I call "the gray zone" than when a sign or symptom was clearly a serious problem demanding immediate attention.

What's a Healthy Survivor to do?

The Gray Zone

Which is more distressing: Waking up in the middle of the night with a fever of 105 or coughing up blood? Or waking up with mild chest pressure or a somewhat itchy new rash?

Response to "When Optimism is Unrealistic"

An article by Dr. Pauline Chen entitled "When Optimism is Unrealistic" discussed a new study that led researchers to conclude that cancer patients who partake in clinical trials are experiencing "unrealistic optimism" that creates "the perfect ethical storm."

Inconceivable: Blaming Science

Inconceivable is the story of a couple who became pregnant with the wrong embryo. Early on, we learn that church and religion had played central roles in the lives of Carolyn and Sean Savage. When faced with their health crisis, their church became a source of both support and additional pain.

The Hope of My Atypical Grief

In my last two posts, I illustrated the value of recognizing and responding to atypical grief in healing ways. My example was in the context of an extraordinary situation. Today I'll illustrate using a personal story.

Inconceivable: The Hope of Atypical Grief

In my last post, I talked about how perceiving a significant loss as a sort of death can help Healthy Survivors understand, acknowledge, accept and adjust to that loss.

At the same time, focusing on the hope of atypical grief may help, too.

Inconceivable: Atypical Grief

Carolyn and Sean Savage struggled when pregnant with another couple's child. On page 108 of Inconceivable, therapist Dr. Kevin Anderson explains that what they are going through is like a death.

A Chance to Help Increase Knowledge of Support after Cancer

Jessye Cohen, a doctoral student at Virginia Commonwealth University, is conducting a study of social support of cancer survivors. Under the supervision of advisor Dr. Kathleen Ingram, an associate professor at VCU, Jessye hopes to "expand our knowledge about individuals diagnosed with cancer and their social support."