As told to Sue Morris, PsyD As director of Dana-Farber’s Bereavement Program, I regularly sit with bereaved individuals, listen to their stories, and help them navigate their lives after they have been completely turned upside down. I recently spoke with three bereaved parents who are members of Dana-Farber’s Pediatric Patient and Family Advisory Committee (PFAC), … Read more
By Rosemary Maconchie When my husband Jim died from stage IV pancreatic cancer in April 2015, I was suddenly without my lifelong partner. We were together since high school; and when he died at age 69 I was suddenly alone for the first time in my life. The experience of grief is different for everyone, … Read more
By Sue Morris, PsyD Traditionally, the stages of grief have been identified as denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. But do these stages really exist? What happens if you skip one? And how long does each last? These are all normal questions, especially if someone you loved has recently died from cancer and you are … Read more
By Sue Morris, PsyD While the number of cancer survivors continues to increase, unfortunately some cancer patients do die from their diseases, leaving grieving family members and friends behind. Many people avoid talking to someone whose loved one has just died – from cancer or other causes – because it makes them feel uncomfortable and … Read more
When Phoebe Clark was 14-months old, she had little knowledge of what was happening to her brother, Harry. The 5-year-old had been diagnosed with a brain tumor and was undergoing multiple surgeries and radiation therapy at Dana-Farber/Boston Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Center. But a few years later, when Phoebe was 5-years old, her brother … Read more
This post originally appeared on WBUR’s Cognoscenti blog. By Joanne Wolfe, MD, MPH How is it that, in this day and age, a talented teenager treated for lymphoma emerges cured but with a life-threatening eating disorder? How is it that, in our nation’s capital, a boy dying at home from neuroblastoma experiences excruciating pain in his final moments? … Read more