February 28, 2015
by TRatner
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Esophageal cancer (EC) sneaks up on people. My husband, Michael Ratner, (owner of a trendy Phoenix restaurant), was diagnosed with EC on my birthday, October 9, 2008. He had difficulty earlier in the week after he swallowed a piece of … Continue reading
July 20, 2014
by TRatner
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My right breast is deformed. Two surgeries and a five-day intensive radiation treatment have changed the structure of a perfectly beautiful breast. The skin is still smooth and the nipple looks identical to the original—it’s the implant itself that has … Continue reading
June 22, 2014
by TRatner
1 Comment
A permanent reminder of a time in one’s life I’m being chauffeured to my first radiation appointment by my boyfriend. The only sound is the faint hum of traffic around us. He isn’t sure what to say to make things … Continue reading
May 30, 2014
by TRatner
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I’m working out with weights in the gym—pressing 17.5 pounders above my head and then squatting and bringing them down to my ankles. After counting 16 reps, I stand the weights upright in front of me and look at myself … Continue reading
May 7, 2014
by TRatner
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The fear of cancer is legitimate: how we manage that fear, our responses to it, our emotions around it—can be manipulated, packaged, marketed and sold, sometimes by the very forces that claim to support us. That can color everything from … Continue reading
April 25, 2014
by TRatner
3 Comments
The surgery for an excision of a lump on my right breast was performed on a Monday morning. I’m groggy after my outpatient procedure and stumble around the house trying to act normal; clumsily fixing myself something to eat, tidying … Continue reading
April 20, 2014
by TRatner
2 Comments
My breast lump is tiny and pokey. It measures 0.6 x 0.3 x 0.2 cm, a circumscribed tumor nodule with a parallel orientation at the 11:00 position, approximately 9 cm from the nipple. Reading over the interim print report, I … Continue reading
April 19, 2014
by TRatner
2 Comments
Being diagnosed and treated for cancer is tantamount to being lead into the showers at a concentration camp under the pretenses of being deloused. Oblivious / Part 1 I have a lump on my right breast. It might be benign … Continue reading