Where do I start getting information about cancer that I need?

A cancer diagnosis throws you for a loop…

Where do you even begin to find the information you need? Hopefully, our site and guide are a good start.

Hello, friend.

My name is Rachel Fisher and I'm a two-time survivor of a rare form of ovarian cancer. Having navigated sixteen years of the cancer journey, I decided to bring all of my Lessons Learned together into one place. Along with the stories and learnings of other cancer patients I've had the privilege to know, this website and my book, The No Bull**** Guide to Dealing with Cancer, contain information I wish I'd had when I was first diagnosed.

Who is The No Bull**** Guide to Dealing with Cancer book and this website for?

I, along with my co-author, Dr. Mercedes Castiel created this book to help:

• Cancer patients - Newly diagnosed or deep into your journey, it doesn't matter. We want to help.

• Loved ones of cancer patients - You're in the journey too. Learn how to help the patient and yourself navigate it.

• Anyone who'd like to better understand the myriad ways cancer touches the lives of all who encounter it.

Is this information just for ovarian cancer or female patients?

No, this information is quite general and applies for most cancer patients and their loved ones. Though I do include aspects of my own story and that of other patients', some of whom are female, that is only to help build context around the Lessons Learned. That said, we do address issues around gender and gender roles when it comes to a cancer diagnosis. We also discuss fertility concerns for both men and women, but for women this is a more complicated issue.

To give you confidence that you don’t have to be a woman to benefit from this, one of my male readers, a survivor himself, called it, “a firehose of useful information.”

Do you offer medical advice for cancer patients?

No. We do not offer medical advice or guidance, beyond how to navigate the medical system and maintain as much efficiency and control over your medical journey as possible. The field of cancer diagnosis and treatment is changing at breakneck speed. In addition, each patient is individual. Only a patient's physicians can offer informed medical advice.

What kind of information can I find here?

What this website and the guide book do provide is guidance around how to handle the overwhelming number of things in life that will be touched by a cancer diagnosis: medical/physical, personal/emotional, career/financial... at the time of diagnosis and for the long-term. These are the things that you don't find in the current books, websites, or insurance sites, or if you do, you must gather them and make sense of them yourself.

A good place to get started using this website besides the blog is the Resources page. On this page you will find many links to information both within this website and from reputable outside sources like the American Cancer Society and National Institutes of Health National Cancer Institute to help you navigate your journey and answer common questions. These links will take you straight to relevant pages for patients and caregivers seeking answers to common questions.

There is a wealth of information out there. It can be overwhelming searching through it to find what you need. That’s why we’ve done our best to link to the exact pages within websites that contain the information we’re describing in our blog posts and web pages.

Why did you create this Guide book and website?

When I was first diagnosed with cancer at 32 years old, I turned to books and the internet for guidance. I didn't really find what I needed. I pieced together the Lessons Learned that I share on this site and in my book through sixteens years of experiences, hard knocks, and mistakes. It would have been nice if someone could have prepared me for many of these things. When you get a cancer diagnosis, the clock starts ticking in your head.

You're heading into a battle with no armor, no training, and no idea how tough the enemy is going to be. The one thing you can't do is waste time.

When looking for a resource I wanted:

• Brevity

• Clarity

• Honesty

• Utility

Being a writer, I decided to create this book to fulfill that need for other cancer patients. When I shared early drafts, patients who were early in their journeys told me it was helpful, so I pushed on.

Dr Mercedes Castiel - I was also lucky enough to connect with Dr. Castiel when I was still writing the book. In seeking resources to support cancer patients, I came across her cancer care concierge services and saw that she is an Ob/Gyn who had run the general OB/GYN practice at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center for 20 years, developing one of the first comprehensive programs around survivorship. If there was one thing she knew, it was the constellation of non-medical things that affect cancer patients throughout their journeys. When we connected I learned she was writing a book for the same reasons I listed above.

Joining forces seemed obvious to us both. I'm so honored and pleased to have her help in this endeavor.

Why do you call it the "No Bull**** Guide to Dealing with Cancer?"

When I was first diagnosed and started reading resources, I found a lot of references that were too long, too complicated, and too inapplicable to most individuals.

I also found many offering a "positive-only" approach that frankly, doesn't work for me. I know there have been others who’ve used the "F*** Cancer," refrain and I'm all for that.

If the reference to a cuss word is offensive to potential readers, I do apologize, but cancer is one of the hardest, scariest human experiences there is. Sometimes people need to express that energy and anxiety in ways they find relieving. Like cussing. I will say that my mother-in-law, who is both a survivor and a woman who doesn't cuss, was nervous at first and then said we were judicious in our scattered use of cusses (with ****, of course). That I'd used them only when it made the most sense. I hope you feel the same way, future readers.

The truth is, cancer is a real b****, and sometimes it's okay to just say that. And then move on in your journey with us.