Sue Franke

There are many times in life when we celebrate or mourn some of the events from our past. We have days of great joy and days of great sadness. Many...

When my husband was diagnosed with prostate cancer many years ago, the nurse asked me if I was going to be his caregiver. My response: “be his what?” I had...

After hearing the initial diagnosis of cancer and talking with your family, one of the most difficult parts of figuring out your cancer journey can be decision-making. Cancer has been...

There are a lot of tips on how to avoid or manage caregiver burnout, but I think recognizing caregiver burnout is another equally important topic. Some of us are caregivers...

Anniversaries may record and celebrate happy occasions: wedding anniversaries, celebrations for tenure at a job, milestone birthdays. There are also milestones, or anniversaries, for cancer patients, too. We likely don’t...

As we drive to Chicago to celebrate our 50th wedding anniversary, we remember our lives together during the past 50 years. After my husband Dan’s prostate cancer, bladder cancer, and...

As we go through life, there are lessons for us at every junction, every turn, every corner. We learn from teachers, we learn from friends, we learn from experiences and...

I try to always select a word of the year and focus on that word throughout the year. And like a resolution, you can really decide to make changes, big...

When someone you love is diagnosed with cancer, it can be a big shock to both of you. Yes, that’s quite an understatement. As a caregiver for my husband with...

The holidays bring a level of joy and excitement that we don't often experience the rest of the year. There’s the hustle and bustle of shopping for gifts, invitations to...

I’ve always anxiously waited with my husband as we watched for the latest blood test results to be posted showing whether his PSA was on the increase. We waited together...

We’ve all spent time in doctors' waiting rooms, sometimes for only a few minutes and sometimes much longer. We may have been alone or we may have had the company...

Am I a Pollyanna? According to Wikipedia, the Pollyanna principle is the tendency for people to remember pleasant things more accurately than unpleasant ones. A Pollyanna is illogically optimistic. It’s being...

I recently read several articles that discussed what percent of all cancers are inherited, passed down from members within the family structure. One article estimated that up to 10 percent...

Many articles have been written about being a caregiver. I’ll limit this article to addressing mental health and nutrition. My experiences are not all related to caregiving for a prostate...

Lately, as of my writing this, I’ve been feeling overwhelmed with everything associated with cancer and cancer care. Being a caregiver for my husband due to prostate and bladder cancer...

Selecting a surgeon or treating physician for a serious illness such as cancer can be a tough decision. Some decisions are made after careful research, while other decisions may be...

Most of us have experienced guilt at one time or another. Sometimes guilt is justified: when we do something wrong, when we didn’t do something that we should have, when...

They say there are two sides to every story. As a caregiver for my husband, a prostate cancer survivor for 14 years, I’ve witnessed our physical, mental and emotional challenges...