Alan Christensen: On living life in fast forward. I met Alan at his St. Paul home in mid-December. He and Sara, his wife, had moved there in early 2018, 4 months before her first symptoms began and 5 months before she was diagnosed with Angiosarcoma cancer.

My wife, who has been living with cancer for over 4 years, received some troubling news about our cancer journey. This isn't uncommon for those of us in the cancer world and there's actually a term for it: Scan Day . Despite what the name might imply, Scan Day isn't the scan itself that causes ...

Chris Meuleners: happiness, sadness, hope, despair, and places between. Caring for his wife, Amanda, who has been fighting AML Leukemia for over two years. Like the flip of a coin, never knowing if it's heads or tails, and living like it landed on its side. I met Chris on the last Saturday of ...

Tony Peterson: Between Seasons Tony Peterson loves all things outdoors and nothing beats duck hunting in the fall. To him, true beauty is a crisp fall morning, with the sun coming up over the swamp and the geese migrating South, forming patterns across the blue and white sky. He’s preparing for ...

Through the tragedy of a terminal cancer diagnosis, the desperation of multiple failed treatments, the reality of facing their children with the truth of it all, a mission and hope shines through.

It has been 50+ months since my wife's diagnosis with cancer and a lot of things have changed during that time. Yes, there's been a lot of undesired changes that cancer-goers, caregivers, friends and family must traverse on the cancer journey -- but there are also good things that happen as well. ...

On an unusually chilly August morning, 5 brave souls met at the shores of Lake Minnetonka for what it was to be a totally new and exciting experience (as usual as it happens with Jack’s). None of us knew exactly what we were in for but were willing to give it a go. That kind of feeling is very ...

Michael Greene, Bringing The New ‘Jack-to-Jack’ Program To Life - But Getting So Much More! Michael Greene was thrown into caregiving for his wife, Sarah, when she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2010. At the time, he had no peers he could relate to; no one he could talk to about what he was ...

They inspire us: Cindy Bartlett on her mission, Priceless4Purpose Meet Cindy Bartlett. Her purpose is priceless.

Our weekend at Mystic Views B & B – no agendas, no stresses, no expenses. To us, it was Priceless! Mystic Views, just north of the Tension Zone

Have you ever noticed that anybody driving slower than you is an idiot, and anyone going faster than you is a maniac? — George Carlin The author appears to be winning our recent "Stupid Fast Go-Karting" Event, but in reality he's being lapped!

With summer finally here, it’s the perfect weather to have a BBQ, and that’s exactly what we did at our BBQ Fam Jam—but to us, the event is so much more than just another BBQ! It’s an event where Jack's members can meet and spend time with Jack's volunteers. It’s the perfect opportunity for ...

*This is the second of a two part blog series on parenting through cancer. Here's part one. Hashing it out with Kyle, my Jack-to-Jack Coach – who’s also a dad. Kyle Kyle, how did you know your kids were getting the support they needed to get through your cancer journey? No one can know that with ...

Eyes blurry, I found myself dazed waiting in the Gilda’s Club lobby while my wife was inside taking a Qigong class. My wife had recently been diagnosed with Stage IV breast cancer. She “beat” cancer six years prior, but it was returning like a two-headed monster. And it was bad.

This isn’t a rant about toxic masculinity. On this Father’s Day, my mission is for you to be inspired by men. If you’re like most people you’ve never considered what the masculine ideal looks like. But most of us can think of a man in our experience that we admire. It’s time to illuminate those men ...

I’m 33 years old. My big brother Kyle is 40. And I’ve always looked up to him. Despite the scar in my eyebrow from the ping pong paddle that supposedly slipped from his hand. And that other time that he convinced me to chew up a vitamin that was NOT a chewable vitamin…. Liz, the author, and her ...

Ever wonder what it’s like to be a caregiver for a loved one with cancer? Imagine you're riding in a plane (your life) without a care in the world and all of a sudden the pilot comes on the intercom and says, “folks, there’s something wrong with the plane (cancer) and we all have to exit. Exit the ...

A conversation with the Angel Foundation and an adult who's been in my kids' shoes. People say thing like, ‘kids are resilient,’ ‘they’ll bounce back,’ and so many platitudes. The truth is, I’ve had a hard time getting over some of the stuff I’ve seen with my wife’s cancer, so how can I expect our ...

It was a normal, though slightly bleak, Sunday afternoon in April and caregivers came from across the metro area to leave our situations, challenges, and stresses behind us and focus on one thing: Who had the biggest WhirlyBalls of them all? The quick answer: Bob. But as with most things, it is the ...

By the time Tracy was tested for multiple myeloma, we were months into utter panic. Her back pain was worsening and several weeks before she had cracked something in her back when standing up at our son’s baseball game. She drove herself to the ER and was given pain killers and told it was a muscle ...

When friends and family hear the news - they will almost immediately want to help. This is great, of course, because we all need help. But it's often difficult to figure out what help we need - and for the helper, how best to help. Without any guidance though, your family and friends may choose ...

Our Caregiver Klatch happens the first Thursday of every month (except for December). Caregivers gather at the Common Roots Café in Minneapolis, in the private meeting room where Jack’s provides plenty of delicious food and beverages. As the only coed Jack’s program, both men and women attend the ...

A message from Kyle Woody, a Jack's Founder & Executive Director Dear friends, I'm excited to announce that I've gone to work for Jack's full time, continuing to lead the organization as I have since 2014 when we were founded. It's my hope this news will further inspire all of you that have ...

“One is the loneliest number . . .” begins a popular 1960’s song by Three Dog Night. But 2 can be the loneliest number when your partner has cancer. Treatments left Cindy* and her husband stranded at home and away from family and friends in order to keep germs and illness at bay.

A collaboration with our friends at The Firefly Sisterhood. We're starting with the perspective of Caregivers who are caring for their partner. In future posts we'll begin exploring other perspectives.

Are you new to cancer caregiving? Do you know someone who is? When cancer strikes our loved one, we caregivers instantly begin playing a role we've never played before. Cancer impacts every aspect of our life. We get no training, no chance to get good at it first. We just start playing the game!