Uncategorized Archives - Page 3 of 4

Waiting for Oncologist at UVA

Mar 11, 20169 CommentsUncategorized

I am in “my” corner office at the Emily Couric Cancer Center at UVA, waiting to see my oncologist, Dr. Fadul. I was supposed to see him next Friday, but I’ve been having some pressure in my head this week, along with some unusual fatigue and water weight gain that made us all want to move my appointment up just to make sure I am okay. I’m feeling okay today – better than yesterday – but sluggish. I definitely overdid it in terms of activity this past week and I think I am just paying for it now. I […]

Food

Mar 8, 20161 CommentUncategorized

Food and Cancer. As you can probably tell by my constant focus on food lately, I believe that what I do, nutritionally speaking, is going to matter a great deal in terms of how well and to what extent I heal and recover from my brain tumor surgery. I don’t mean that what I eat will totally dictate or control my prognosis or life expectancy, but I know it will have an impact – an important one. Thus, what I choose to put into my mouth at each meal is becoming increasingly important to me. I now know: I need […]

A Big First Outing at UVA Women’s B-Ball Game!

Feb 21, 201625 CommentsUncategorized

Here I am at UVA’s Women’s game vs. Clemson! Score is 29-23 right now with UVA up by 3 with 45 seconds to go in the first half. Here’s a picture of me and Hannah: Here’s a picture of me and Marshall, taken by our favorite daughter, Hannah! I can’t even begin to tell you just how wonderful it is to be here with my whole family. When I first sat down in my seat, my own tears surprised me, and I realized I couldn’t see the court for my eyes. It is amazing how I can be […]

Hard to Believe – I am HOME! And I am very grateful to be here.

Feb 16, 201629 CommentsUncategorized

I am really, truly, here at home! I got home at about 4:00 p.m. yesterday (Valentine’s Day) afternoon. This is just going to be a quick show of some of what I’ve experienced since I’ve been home and at the hospital, but mostly I want you to know that I am actually typing this myself at about 11:30 p.m. tonight – Monday. (I know, I should be asleep in bed – that is my next stop, I promise!) Here’s what some of today looked like for me: Hannah helped me with my Elf Hair today. Good thing we’d had a […]

The Belly of the Whale

Feb 11, 201650 CommentsUncategorized

This is not the “dark night of the soul” for me that John of the Cross speaks of. I think I have been through such a dark night earlier in life, where I felt like Job on his dung heap, railing against the unfairness of the Universe and muttering against the things we humans must bear during the course of our lifetimes. This experience is not that for me. This feels more like heading into the belly of the whale. It hit me yesterday, after a very long – over four hour – series of meetings at the […]

Healing in My Brain, Healing in Our World

Feb 8, 201619 CommentsUncategorized

I’ve explained before how I’ve decided to not engage in “battle” and “fight” metaphors with regard to my brain tumor, and instead choose “healing” and “wholeness” as themes in my unexpected journey dealing with brain cancer. I can’t afford to spend time and energy fighting a part of myself that needs to be healed. The very definition of wholeness means that nothing can be excluded or marginalized. Nothing is to be rejected or dismissed. Everything must be included, accepted and loved for what it is – brokenness, sickness, warts, and all. As one of my favorite spiritual writers, Richard Rohr, […]

A Tough Day: Functional MRI

Feb 6, 201614 CommentsUncategorized

I won’t sugar coat it: today was a rough day. I went to UVA this morning to get my functional MRI. I knew it wasn’t going to be a cake walk since I am a little claustrophobic, but I had some good strategies lined up to help me with that, including closing my eyes during a large chunk of it, and centering prayer. I also knew the MRI would be hard on my body since I’d be laying in a tight tube for a couple of hours without being able to move. That would translate into big-time muscle tension […]

My Surgery Date is Set

Feb 3, 201617 CommentsUncategorized

We have a date for my brain surgery: Thursday, February 11, 2016. Right now, the place marker time for surgery is 5:30 a.m., but they will call me with the actual time the night before. I am fairly certain it will be in the morning, though. I will let you know the exact time when I find out on the 10th – please watch this spot for details! Please continue to hold me and my medical team in your prayers. The only way through this for me is grace – to let myself be carried, completely, by others. It is […]

The Morning Person I Always Wanted to Be

Feb 1, 201627 CommentsUncategorized

Since my initial trip to the emergency room two weeks ago yesterday, I have been waking up and beginning my day at 4 or 5:00 in the morning. This is SO not me. I have always been a late sleeper – mornings have been an epic struggle ever since I was a teenager. I am a natural night owl, and happily so. And yet, many times in my life I’ve wished to be a morning person. It just seems so psychologically and spiritually healthy to start out the day by taking time to become recollected, meditative, and mindful – instead […]

Imagery for Cancer

Jan 31, 201628 CommentsUncategorizedA Wrinkle in Time and cancer, An unexpected journey, Brain Cancer, cancer as healing, Cancer imagery, cancer isn't a battle, Fran Cannon Slayton, healing cancer, imagery for cancer, imagery for healing, metaphors for cancer, not battling cancer, not fighting cancer

I want to tell you a little bit about my approach to having a brain tumor – the metaphor through which I am viewing my experience. Many people interpret cancer as a fight – a battle. I am choosing a different way to think about it. My view is that it’s a journey towards wholeness. I see my brain tumor as a part of me that needs to be healed. I have begun thinking of myself as a universe in which trillions of cells live. These cells are a “we” that collectively make up “me” – Fran. We (all these cells […]