There is a talisman that hangs around my neck. I wear it every single day and depending on what I am wearing it is either on display or tucked deep inside my shirt. It is a gold bar that hangs on a chain and is nestled securely between my counterfeit tits. On one side of the bar sits a little charm of a gold flower set in an intricate silver disc that was made in Italy (half of my lineage). On the other side rests another charm that is a small silver four-leaf clover made in Ireland (the other half of my lineage). Stamped into the metal of each side of the bar itself is a word; brave, strong, fierce, tough. All are the adjectives I use to remind myself how far I've come. All are words that p

If you just walked past me in Penn station you most likely wouldn't have noticed anything different about me compared to any other commuter; white pants, black blouse, denim jacket, oversized black hipster glasses, and a ridiculously huge bag holding my shoes, an iPad, and lunch...among various and sundry other items. You wouldn't have noticed the panic in my eyes or the fact that I just popped a heavy duty vitamin X. You would have never seen the subtle shaking in my hands as a fumbled for the volume control on my iPhone because the Smiths came on a little louder than anticipated. You would have never known that I just got a call from my oncologist reminding me I'm due for bloodwork tomorro