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The older I get, the more Valentine’s feels like work. An obligation. Side note: I dearly love my husband and his dorky self and would not change a thing, most of the time. But there are expectations. The date night. The romance. The disco nap for energy. Being enthused to go out even if you might not feel like it. Twenty-year-old me completely disagrees and is just hoping Cupid pins someone with his arrow. But I had fewer responsibilities back then. No kids. No carpools. Tod

It's been almost two months since I got back from the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium. I'm still in awe of how amazing the experience was. It surpassed all my expectations. I had been warned this experience was going to be overwhelming. So of course I took that as a challenge to mentally prepare myself to not be overwhelmed. Needless to say, I was quite overwhelmed! First of all, as someone who has never been diagnosed with IBC, the honor of being asked to come and write

Every year, I fall for it. I look forward to that release from the holiday hustle and the opportunity to get my routine back. I want to take advantage of the simplicity and use the free time to renew my interests in taking care of myself. And then January comes and January hits. And she hits hard . Colds, flu, COVID, unresolved family drama from the holidays, December birthdays that were rescheduled so they didn't compete with Christmas, the guilt and panic from the holiday s

January teaches us to chase results. February is where we decide whether we actually want to keep going. Most health advice rewards outcomes: the scale moving, the pace dropping, the jeans fitting differently, the numbers changing. And when those things don’t happen fast enough, motivation evaporates. Not because we failed, but because the reward system was never designed to support real life. Consistency doesn’t feel exciting. It feels like a mad race to get through the firs

I remember a patient from when I worked in the cardiac ICU. She was a mid-40s female, obese, and an active STEMI (heart attack). She was alert, she was oriented, a little sweaty, very anxious, and having a lot of right shoulder pain. The cardiologist took her to the cath lab and immediately got to work to find the blockage and stop the heart attack. But there was no blockage. Only beautifully patent arteries. The woman returned to me, completely frightened. First of all, how

I talk a lot about breast cancer and I don’t have any immediate plans to stop. Breast cancer awareness has largely been lost to commercialism, and meaningful education is severely lacking. For many people, awareness now looks like “Pinktober,” vague familiarity, and knowing someone who has or has had breast cancer. While that isn’t always true, it’s usually a safe bet that people can name which football teams wear pink gear more easily than they can name a fact about breast

January is the time of year when we all start working toward healthier versions of ourselves. We have good intentions. We make plans. We tell ourselves this year will be different. And statistically speaking, the odds are not in our favor. Most health resolutions don’t fail because people don’t care. They fail because the plans don’t fit real life. Habits take time to form. Roughly a few weeks to feel routine, and often much longer to become part of a lifestyle. The way we in

By the time most people quit meal planning, it isn’t because they hate cooking. It’s because they’re tired of thinking. Recipes promise ease, but they often do the opposite. They require specific ingredients you don’t have, multiple steps, and the mental energy to decide whether it’s worth the effort after a long day. When one recipe doesn’t work, the whole plan can fall apart. Meal prep doesn't have to be rocket science. It can be simple and flexible for your lifestyle. That

If you’re still here, thank you. That tells me you’re not looking for perfection. You’re looking for something that  works . Here’s what my meal planning actually looks like in real life. Not on Pinterest. Not in an ideal week. In my house, with kids, schedules, sensory needs, and very limited patience. First, I stopped planning seven different dinners a week. That alone changed everything. Instead, I plan for only two or three main meals during the week. I fix larger portion

I always start the school year or a new year with the best intentions. I have this picture in my head of calm mornings, organized afternoons, and dinners that don’t feel rushed or chaotic. Breakfast together. Homework at the table. Maybe even a show before bed. And then life starts laughing at me. It’s easy to be ambitious when we’re making plans. The struggle comes when we try to live them out. Looking back at the times I’ve failed at meal planning and routines, the pattern

It’s that time of year. Everywhere you look, someone is sneezing, coughing, or both. Urgent cares are packed full of people with fevers, aches, chills, and fatigue. Moms are spreading the word of all the kids out of school and disinfectant wipes are in high demand. Flu season is here and it’s bad this year. Flu sucks but these tricks can help. Across the US, confirmed numbers of flu cases are quickly climbing and with the addition of the super flu, Subclade K, it’s no wonder.

You know what I don't think we talk about enough in medicine?   Women's health.   I feel like we are just skimming the surface for the biological differences the fairer sex and men. What's worse, we are completely ignoring the changes in women's health in women with metastatic breast cancer (MBC).   Women's health is generally quiet but with MBC, it's completely forgotten. MBC effects around 170,000 women in the U.S. Out of the tens of thousands of new cases every year, at le

I remember vividly the sensation. It's been so vivid and so intense, I've never been able to talk about it. I was working night shift. I had been at the hospital since 3 pm the previous day, wearing the same bright pink scrubs. My co-workers had covered my shift because I was too much of a wreck to take my patients. I could barely breathe and they could see it. Before my shift even started, I had found my way into the tiny locker room and lost all composure in front of one th

Back in early 2020, a meme circulated that perfectly captured the chaos of just the first few months of the year. It was funny because it was true. You can find that meme here . I have thought about that meme a lot over the past year. Healthcare looks different in 2025 Since Donald Trump returned to office and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was confirmed as Secretary of Health and Human Services, the “Make America Healthy Again” agenda has fundamentally reshaped how healthcare and pub

The San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposia is an exciting time for providers and advocates around the world. Every year, nearly approximately 2,000 abstracts are presented with posters revealing the latest findings on research in all aspects of breast cancer. It’s truly a blend of experience and innovation. The place where seasoned experts building on years of progress are found right alongside emerging researchers bringing fresh ideas and new technologies to the table. Together,

SABCS week is almost here! I’m packing my bags for the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium, gathering my notes for the largest breast cancer conference in the world, getting all of my chargers locked and loaded, and getting ready to represent The IBC Network Foundation as both a writer and an advocate. This isn’t just another conference. SABCS is where the newest research, clinical trials, and treatment breakthroughs make their debut. It’s where experts from all over the worl

STORYTIME   I remember the last time I was a charge nurse as an RN. I was just weeks away from finishing grad school and a month or two away from my boards. I was working on a 16-bed cardiac ICU unit. I had taken every Saturday-Monday shift during the last year of my master's. This was a win for the nurse manager - I was one of the more seniored nurses on the unit, even having been on the unit longer than her when she accepted the management position. She was also missing a "

Filling the gaps in research on the most aggressive breast cancer.

I am so excited to announce that I will be headed to the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) in December! I cannot wait!! I will get to cover the latest research, learn about breakthroughs, and get advocacy updates on behalf of The IBC Network Foundation! Texas-bound for the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium! I plan on sharing recaps on what’s new in treatment and diagnostics, the big sessions on the clinical trials, breast cancer in young women, liquid biopsy, IBC,

Photo from NBC Los Angeles Eat well without the guilt. Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. I love to cook and I love to eat. But I also hate stepping on the scale the next day. Ya’ll, Thanksgiving doesn’t have to be this way. This post is aiming to share some traditional Southern favorites with all the comfort and flavor with a few tweaks to make those calories count – except the dressing. Changing the dressing is a sin down here. Also, there are some swaps I saw whe