Wendy Harpham on Healthy Survivorship

Poem in Coping Magazine

The current issue of Coping with Cancer contains my poem, "Variations on a Theme by Niebuhr." Writing it was one of those experiences where the poem practically wrote itself. I just held the pen.

Enjoy!

Letting Go Part II

I did not expect to blog about my husband's surgery. But a powerful interaction with the surgeon illustrates the healing power of letting go.

Letting Go

Oncologist Dr. Richard C. Frank shares his reflections on "Letting Go" in his most recent WebMD blog post. Let's take a closer look at this common end-of-life idiom in the context of Healthy Survivorship.

Reaction to Boston Bombing

I can feel afraid. But if I act afraid, the terrorists win.

What is CancerLinQ?

The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) has launched a prototype of a computer system that promises to bring the power of numbers to each and every cancer patient. It's called CancerLinq.

How Not to Say the Wrong Thing

An op-ed piece in yesterday's Los Angeles Times by Susan Silk and Barry Goldman presents a simple and provocative tool that "works in all kinds of crises – medical, legal, even existential." It's called the 'Ring Theory' of complaining.

Can You Help?

Can you help?

Computers and Compassion IX

Imagine that compassionate patient navigators accompany each patient to every doctor visit, test and treatment. Why would compassion continue to be an essential element of high-quality care?

Computers and Compassion VIII

A physician's encouraging word or hand squeeze can mean the world to a patient, buoying the patient's courage and fortitude. But in today's complex world of high-tech medicine, what patients need most from their physicians is what I call "medical" compassion: