Martha Carlson

Exercise had become a way of life for this metastatic breast cancer patient, but the Livestrong program at the YMCA provided the chance to add more variety into her routine and, more importantly, offered the chance to see the strength and hope in fellow survivors.

Do you log in to your online health account when you know the news could be bad?

Can the wait-and-see approach used to treat metastatic breast cancer help a friendship survive?

When this patient with metastatic breast cancer couldn't find a way out of isolation and depression on her own, a serendipitous evening with women confronting the same diagnosis did the trick.

It is impossible for this patient to thank just one nurse as the third year in treatment gets underway.

A brief interaction at the gym gives this metastatic breast cancer patient a reason to reflect on the hope we must nurture.

We face loss everyday, and that's amplified this time of year--but there are things you can do to help.

Sometimes you can find comfort and a little bit of relief in an irrational (and a bit silly) behavior.

Research in preventing that tingling and numbness in feet and hands is progressing slowly, but what can those of us already living with it do?

Know when that pink ribbon makes a difference (and when it doesn't).

Forget advice, forget the stories of others with cancer, and leave silence behind you when you learn about a friend's cancer diagnosis

Confronted by a simple question, this cancer patient finds a new perspective on health.

What does it feel like when a friend with metastatic cancer learns that cancer has spread again?

When treatments are working, it can be hard for loved ones to understand the divide between appearances and the reality of the diagnosis.

Here are 12 things I learned after hearing the words, "You have cancer."

Every day seems to link another food or behavior to my cancer diagnosis. Those endless recommendations sometimes just minimize what I am going through. Am I wrong to say enough is enough?

A lesson in the power of graciousness for the hardheaded cancer patient.

Cancer anxiety has come close to taking me down, but I've learned how to put it back in its place and keep it there.

Cancer at any stage is hard for friends and family, but it requires special strength from those who know someone with metastatic disease.

It took time to learn that protecting my kids from what I am going through also takes away my ability to support them.

Perspective matters when confronting what the future holds.

Eighteen months into a metastatic breast cancer diagnosis, and my thinking--and life--has changed in an unexpected way.

Balancing hope and fear? I can do that.

Whether routine or not, those MRI and CT scans force a last-minute pep talk.

A good attitude means so much more than a smile to cancer patients.

Am I alone in wanting to reassure everyone I meet?

Exercise, protein, belief and visualization are my not-so-secret weapons in my life with metastatic breast cancer.

In a world where cancer means loss, can letting go bring peace and joy?