Today, I worked around 12 hours in the hospital. It was a busy, frustrating, and fulfilling day. As a hospitalist, my schedule is somewhat unique. I work seven very long days in a row followed by seven days of “rest.” My rest usually consists of writing blogs, prepping and performing speaking engagements, advocacy work, some relaxation, and travel. Many hospitalists use their seven days to work in hospital administration/leadership, to teach, to care for their families, to research, etc. I am incredibly fortunate to have a job that gives me flexibility, but I will not lie and say that it’s ea ..read more

I traveled to Chicago recently. I walked down familiar streets, surprised to see both how much and how little had changed since I lived there. As tends to be the case when I keep my mind alert and open to the ‘messages of the universe,’ as a Balinese shaman once told me to do, I noticed a common thread during my journey. That thread was time- both as a moment and a phase. While walking to brunch on the first day of the trip, I overheard a young man talking to his friends at the bus stop, “Time is the most precious investment,” was the only part of the conversation I heard. I stopped in my tra ..read more

Sometimes, we look at the negative side of things and then feel hopeless. This, I think, is a wrong view.  ~HH the Dalai Lama I won’t say I was ever “happy” to receive a life changing cancer diagnosis, but I also was never exceptionally sad. Many people ask me how this is possible. Life changes. Things happen. People get sick and people die. These facts are just facts. We can let these facts crush us, or we can find a way to smile through the tears. This photo from the week of my diagnosis is me in the midst of a “happy cry.” I don’t believe in ignoring sadness or pursuing positivity ove ..read more

My trip to Thailand was an incredible experience. Returning to the last place that knew the “pre cancer” version of me was both terrifying and necessary. It felt as if I left a piece of me there three years ago. The time came to reclaim the missing piece and put myself back together again. I experienced emotions I’ve never felt before; I smiled while simultaneously crying as I walked familiar yet changed streets and found my missing piece- yet realized it didn’t fit into my puzzle anymore. It was a shape no longer needed, one that had been slowly replaced by new experiences, relationships, an ..read more

I find comfort in writing. Writing these blogs, writing stories, poems, memories, even short social media captions, gives me an outlet to share thoughts that could potentially help someone else going through a difficult time. That in itself is enough for me to live a full, purposeful life. I feel that I’ve fallen behind on this blog over the past few months, but then I remind myself that this is because I’ve been living- fiercely and with intention. “Fiercely and with intention” is how I’ve been trying to pitch my second book proposal. I think it has a nice ring to it. Unfortunately, I’ve sta ..read more

A short and sweet post for you, dear readers. This post comes from a stunning private villa in Indonesia. As I wake up this morning to the sounds of birds chirping, fountains splashing, and sun shining, I find myself in awe of the beauty available to us all. Here in Bali, my mind finds peace in both the uncertainty of a foreign world and the certainty of the things that unite us all- breath, nature, and the realization that we are endlessly lucky for each new step on this earth. My last step in Southeast Asia was in 2020. After many steps with brain cancer since that time, I now step lightly ..read more

https://www.fightingpretty.org/blog/selfadvocacy Hello Friends, Over the past few years living with cancer, I’ve become involved with a number of cancer-related organizations. I’ve found so much strength can come from community, shared stories of courage and vulnerability, and frequent reminders that I don’t face this bizarre way of life alone. One of these organizations is called Fighting Pretty (through Cancer). I was introduced to this group, whose mission is to help women facing cancer feel strong and beautiful, when my friend gifted me a pair of their signature “mini boxing gloves” in th ..read more

Drinking coffee in Paris Nov 2021. Not tea, but close enough :) Some weeks are tough. This was one of them. I’ve been working on reminding myself that sometimes sitting, breathing, and trying to find gratitude in the most difficult of gifts is all we can do, at first. I’m not going to go into details of why this week was tough because this tough situation involved the rug being pulled out from someone dear to me. My own brain cancer journey is thankfully status quo. I have my next MRI in 3 weeks, so until then, as far as I’m concerned my cancerous brain is still kicking butt. This week, howev ..read more

Dear Readers and Friends, This blog post is unlike my usual posts. This one is a call to action for inclusivity. The “Minnesota nice” in me is scared to ask for more from you. I ask you for too much already: your time, your understanding, your comments, and occasionally, your donations to help in the underfunded, under-recognized realm of brain tumor research. My ask today is different. Although most of my non-medical time is spent on advocacy activities (writing, speaking, networking) for brain cancer awareness, I am also passionate about many other causes, especially those that, like cancer ..read more

Khao soi, pronounced somewhat like “cow soy” is a delectable, rich dish originating from Northern Thailand and surrounding areas like Burma/Myanmar. This dish, made up of noodles, yellow curry, spiced meat, and toppings in a thick, rich coconut milk broth is hands down my favorite Thai dish. It is spicy, creamy, savory, acidic, and, in my opinion, an “elevated” bowl of noodles as my favorite chef Gordon Ramsey might say. If you’ve never tried this dish, stop reading this blog and immediately Google where to find it. If you don’t have any nearby, imagine a delicious bowl of ramen filled wit ..read more