Then I got cancer. One year after the cancer diagnosis that sent my life spinning into uncharted territories, my oncologist patted me on the back, told me he’d see me next year, and sent me on my way. I left his office, drove home, sat down on my couch, and sobbed for two hours. Ugly crying. Uncontrollable ugly crying. For two straight hours. What the fuck had just happened to me? From the outside, and certainly to my oncologist, it must have looked like I was in the home stretch of a scary chapter in my otherwise pretty good life. I had gone through surgeries and radiation treatments, fac ..read more

I guess part of why I have not written in so long is because there is too much in my head. Scary right? 2020 has been a royal pain in the ever loving ass. There are so many things we lost this year and I do not just mean the deaths we are grieving. The isolation, the fear, missing our family and friends are all giving us so much grief. Grief many do not know how to handle or what to do with that feeling. Let me be the first to tell you that it is ok to be pissed you can not do the things you normally do. To be angry you lost your job. You can be annoyed, you can not get your nails or hair ..read more

One year after the cancer diagnosis that sent my life spinning into uncharted territories, my oncologist patted me on the back, told me he’d see me next year, and sent me on my way. I left his office, drove home, sat down on my couch, and sobbed for two hours. Ugly crying. Uncontrollable ugly crying. For two straight hours. What the fuck had just happened to me? From the outside, and certainly to my oncologist, it must have looked like I was in the home stretch of a scary chapter in my otherwise pretty good life. I had gone through surgeries and radiation treatments, facing ..read more

It's been forever since I've written and I'm not really sure why I guess I am busy, covid, kids-ya know life. I've been dancing with NED for  a month now and it's been truly surreal. I do feel as though so I got a bit of my life back almost like I feel alive again. Does that mean I don't think about cancer and what it's done to me the past 8 years absofuckinglutly not. The reality is it still looming in the background. Through this ridiculous pandemic that's going on, no hate I know it's a thing it just took it in a different way because ya know-Cancer is still part of my life. I found my ..read more

I don’t necessarily talk about my mom’s death very much. I guess mostly because my family still has so much grief around it. There’s no real processing of it back then or learning how to handle your grief. It was all about making it through the day and survival but not what you were really feeling. For me it’s so intense sometimes I can’t contain my tears. What the reality of her death has meant to me and how real my grief is on a day-to-day basis is something I struggle with. If I could get over it I would.   It’s funny because recently I was with a friend and somebody asked about my family ..read more

Filming has wrapped for a 60-second PSA, which is onschedule for release at the end of November. To request a copy, to schedule an interview, or for more details, contact AnnMarie Giannino-Otis via email at wwym19@gmail.com. "What WouldYou Miss?"WWYM is catapulting forward with a PSA, a new website, a sweeping social media presence, and coming soon, a TV talk show and podcast.   Fayetteville,New York:  With Last month’s launch of What Would You Miss? AnnMarie Giannino-Otis has inspired a new kind of conversation about dep ..read more

Th following is a guest blog post from an amazing friend. I am one of the many faces of Metastatic Breast Cancer In a culture focused on survivorship, those with metastatic breast cancer who will be in treatment for the rest of their lives can feel isolated and misunderstood Let me educate you on what this means: Metastatic breast cancer, stage 4 breast cancer, is a stage of breast cancer where the disease has spread to distant sites beyond the axillary lymph nodes. Liver, Bones, Lung, Brain Between 20 and 30 percent of ..read more

 The day I was diagnosed is a day I will never forget. Countless things were running through my mind and on the list was how was I going to tell my family -- especially my children. When I first became a mom, I knew I had to learn how to get through the diaper rashes, the terrible twos, potty training and the teenage years. Never did I think I would have to learn how to tell my kids I had cancer. I came home after my appointment to my father watching my then 4 year old son. I revealed to my dad that I had cancer and he started to cry. I asked him to please stop, that this was my cancer and I ..read more

Sometimes when you are needing a little help it pops into your life. Laurie and I grew up in the same community only years later to connect cause of stupid dumb breast cancer. Then again when she was slammed with a Stage 4 diagnosis. I missed doing my bravery bags but no time. BAM Laurie has the drive, passion and reason to start this up. It is now called “Bags of Inspiration” and we are ready for action! Please read Laurie’s story… Hello, My name is Laurie Sutherland and I’d like to tell you a little bit about myself ..read more

This article was written by a friend, hope it sheds some light on a very real issue. Is there a link between breast cancer and mesothelioma? One is a common cancer in women, and the other is rare and caused by asbestos exposure, usually in men. Researchers are finding similarities between the two, and further studies are underway.  The connection between asbestos and mesothelioma is already clear, but scientists say asbestos might contribute to cancer of the breast, digestive system, reproductive, and lymph systems. What is mesothelioma? Mesothelioma is an incurable cancer that starts in ..read more