Articles & Stories

When you’re living with a serious illness, you may be experiencing physical pain. Treating that pain is crucial to your well-being and quality of life. Why? Managing pain not only makes you feel better, but it helps you to stay on the treatment plan for your illness. Pain makes recovering harder. … Read More

When living with a serious illness, it’s important to know that feeling easily and constantly tired—or fatigued—is a common symptom. In fact, many people experience fatigue, no matter if they are living with cancer, COPD, kidney disease, or another serious illness. Fatigue may make you or your loved one feel forgetful and unable to stay focused or have energy to do everyday things. This may include activities like seeing friends, pursuing hobbies, or even pursuing treatment for the serious illness.   … Read More

Whether you have recently learned that your child is living with a serious illness (like cancer or a genetic disorder), or you received the diagnosis years ago, it is never easy to hear this news. Plus, running around from doctor appointment to doctor appointment is tiring and stressful. It can make you and your family feel out of control—at a time when you want to be in the driver’s seat.

Pediatric palliative care can help.  … Read More

If you’re living with a serious illness like cancer, heart failure, and so many others, it’s easy not to recognize the symptoms of anxiety or depression. You may think it’s normal to feel sad or worried because of your diagnosis, and you may believe that these symptoms are tied to this. While it’s normal to have days when you’re feeling blue, if these feelings stick around, you’re having trouble sleeping or eating, or you’re not enjoying hobbies the way you normally do, something is wrong. Palliative care can help.  … Read More

It’s been almost 10 years since we recorded our first video with Debbie, and we are happy to report that she is doing well. This summer, Debbie agreed to join us for another video, to talk about how palliative care has helped her through the years.  … Read More

June is Pride Month, a time to celebrate the LGBTQ+ community’s voices, culture, and civil rights. In honor of Pride, we spoke with Dr. Noelle Marie Javier, who is a palliative care doctor and a woman of transgender experience. She works with patients every day who are living with serious illnesses, such as cancer and heart disease.

In our conversation with Dr. Javier, she shared a few things that people who identify as LGBTQ+ may want to keep in mind when visiting a palliative care doctor (or any other doctor, really!). … Read More

Rae Anne is in remission from stage 4 head and neck cancer and enjoys sharing how palliative care changed her and her family’s life for the better. She is living well after treatment and wants to help other people living with a serious illness understand how palliative care can help them, too. In her video series, Rae Anne Reflects, she speaks with different members of the palliative care team. Her goal is to share how palliative care adds an extra layer of support for patients and families – from the time of diagnosis, through, and after treatment.  … Read More

Meet twenty-three year old Aly, a college student who lives with Eosinophil-Associated Disease (EAD) of her gastrointestinal system. With multiple symptoms including chronic pain and discomfort, as well as stress, Aly’s palliative care team helps her manage it all. 

This means helping Aly set goals for herself—both short term and long term—so that she is still able to participate in social activities, and attend band marches and performances at school. They also help her by working closely with her other doctors.  … Read More

Many people don’t know what palliative care is or how it can help people living with a serious illness like cancer, COPD, or heart disease. So, let’s define it.

Palliative Care (pronounced pal-lee-uh-tiv) is specialized medical care that is focused on relieving the symptoms and stress of a serious illness. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family. Palliative care is provided by a specially-trained team of doctors, nurses and other specialists who work together with your other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage in an illness, and it can be provided along with curative treatment.

Here is a great video, which explains palliative care very well. It compares people living with a serious illness to a bridge that needs support. While a serious illness may weaken the foundation, the palliative care team provides a stronger, necessary layer of support.

Rae Anne, who was diagnosed with stage 4 head and neck cancer after finding a lump on her neck, is back to share more of her story. This time, she joins our podcast to speak with Dr. Diane E. Meier about how palliative care helped change her life—and her family’s—for the better. 

If unfamiliar with her story, Rae Anne started chemotherapy and radiation treatments soon after her diagnosis. Later, she received a call from the palliative care team at her cancer center, who met with her and her family to help figure out how they can help. Together, they thought of ways to help Rae Anne feel more like herself, which included communicating with and coordinating care between all of her different doctors, managing her medications, and much more. 

Rae Anne shares, “I absolutely attribute palliative care to being able to take next steps, to becoming healthier again. They tied the knot that made everything better.” … Read More