Archive for May 2014

The war metaphor and the bloodsport of hating Gwyneth Paltrow

The war metaphor and the bloodsport of hating Gwyneth Paltrow
We use war metaphors every day. We say that we’ve declared war on cancer. When someone is angry at work, we hear, “This is war.” It is woven throughout our language. “You may win the battle, but lose the war.” “Choose your battles.” “It’s a war of words.” We fight and struggle, campaign and crusade. And we compare... Read more »
By Kerri K. Morris,
May 29, 2014 at 6:49 pm • 

David Servan-Schreiber didn't believe in false hopelessness

David Servan-Schreiber didn't believe in false hopelessness
David Servan-Schreiber died 13 months before I was diagnosed with cancer. He was 50 years old when he died from a brain tumor, the third time a tumor had appeared. His death seems so sad  because he was there for me in the days after my treatment began. He pushed the sun back up above... Read more »
By Kerri K. Morris,
May 28, 2014 at 10:01 pm • 

People who attempt suicide say, "I'm glad I didn't die"

People who attempt suicide say, "I'm glad I didn't die"
When I was about 15 years old, I wandered into my parents’ bathroom and found my mom sitting on the floor with a handful of pills. I startled her and she was horrified. I don’t think we ever talked about it, and I don’t recall talking about it with anyone else until years later with... Read more »
By Kerri K. Morris,
May 22, 2014 at 3:49 pm • 
Advertisement:

Aging gracefully: lessons in resilience

Aging gracefully: lessons in resilience
I hear a lot about aging gracefully, usually in the context of judging someone for “getting work done” or dressing too young. Our measure for grace is a tenuous balance between looking halfway decent and not looking too much younger than we are. For instance, Meryl Streep is aging gracefully. Yeah, well, Meryl Streep has... Read more »
By Kerri K. Morris,
May 21, 2014 at 10:06 am • 

Mayo clinic successfully treats cancer with measles virus

Mayo clinic successfully treats cancer with measles virus
The Mayo Clinic has successfully treated two women with multiple myeloma using an engineered form of the measles vaccine. One woman showed significant improvement and the other has been in remission for six months. Oncolytic virotherapy, using viruses to treat cancer, has been around for quite a while. This particular treatment and its notable success,... Read more »
By Kerri K. Morris,
May 15, 2014 at 9:59 pm • 

President of Institute for Natural Healing responds to her advertising being described as a scam

I wrote a blog post in December about cancer scams. A representative of one of the companies I mentioned commented on the post and then the president of the company agreed to correspond with me via email. Below is the email I sent to Angela Salerno. After that is Salerno’s response to my email. The... Read more »
By Kerri K. Morris,
May 14, 2014 at 9:49 pm • 
Advertisement:

Cancer Fraud: a $98 subscription will not cure your cancer

Cancer Fraud: a $98 subscription will not cure your cancer
In December I published a post on this blog about health scams. Cancer makes us and our families vulnerable. We’re often exhausted and afraid, sick and stressed, overwhelmed and confused. It’s harder to make good decisions in this state of mind. When we’re sick we’re even more susceptible to scams and fraud. I included an... Read more »
By Kerri K. Morris,
May 14, 2014 at 2:48 pm • 

Letter to a motherless daughter on Mother’s Day

Dear W, I was much, much older than you were when my mom died, so I don’t pretend to understand anything about your experience. But, I do remember that I was hungry for stories about my mom after she died, from people who knew her differently than I did. Her other life, the one apart... Read more »
By Kerri K. Morris,
May 11, 2014 at 9:59 am • 

Letter to a New Mom: Say "Yes" and Have Fun

Letter to a New Mom: Say "Yes" and Have Fun
This blog is sponsored by ChicagoNow, a collection of bloggers who write about everything from quilting and parenting to baseball and cosplay. We have community managers, who guide, cheer, teach and answer so many questions that they must feel like parents of toddlers. Every now and again we do something collectively. Today a group of... Read more »
By Kerri K. Morris,
May 7, 2014 at 9:15 am • 
Advertisement: