Author Archives: Sarah Franz

Within two seconds of hearing the words I had cancer I was dreading the fact I would lose my hair. That’s not an exaggeration. Now granted in that same moment I did not know if my treatment plan would even include chemo, which is the very factor that causes hair loss. But in the momentContinue reading “Hair today, gone tomorrow.”

I’ve had a lot of people ask me what chemo is like, so I thought I would bring you along with me to my third treatment (which actually took place yesterday). Before diving in I have to note the chemo experience is different for every single patient. This is simply my experience. The night beforeContinue reading “Come with me to chemo!”

…and with those words softly spoken into the phone I realized life as I’d known it was changing. The pathology report was positive, which was not the news we were hoping and praying for. Allow me to back up. January 2021: I had my annual exam where they — you know — check for stuffContinue reading ““Breathe. Sarah, I’m going to need you to keep breathing…””

Writing this just shy of a month into this detour chapter of cancer, and I’m finding the horrific c-word to be so much more than a medical diagnosis. This might sound irrational and extreme to those of you reading this, but for me cancer has this far been… Opening the NOTES app on my phoneContinue reading “What is cancer?”

During the first meeting I had with my oncologist he warned me that cancer was a lot of hurry-up-and-wait. I heard what he said, but my gosh I now realize he wasn’t kidding. As I write this I am about three and a half weeks post diagnosis. The call telling me I had cancer quicklyContinue reading “In the eye of the hurricane”

It’s 12:21am on Thursday, June 10th. I have to be at the hospital by 6am to surgically have a port placed in my chest for my upcoming treatments to fight cancer. …and I cannot sleep. Honestly, I felt like I have kept it together fairly well since the week of my diagnosis (which was sixContinue reading “The beginning of the end of this nightmare…”

C + 8 = eight days post chemo treatment. Funny (and sad) how you start to mark your days as you journey through cancer. But here I am, eight days after my first chemo treatment (and port placement). Fighting. Surviving. Desperately wanting this journey to be over, if I’m being honest. But it’s here –Continue reading “A C+8 brain dump”

This is a topic I prayed I would not experience and therefore would not have a need to capture and/or share thoughts on with others; however, the last few days I’ve had a run-in with this topic on multiple occasions. So allow me to share some thoughts (knowing I hope you’ll keep these in theContinue reading “To share or not to share: a lesson on consideration during cancer (and other tough life seasons)”