Two Lucky Duck's

I was actually playing flag football. I was in a sorority in college and one of my favorite things to do was to play intramural’s with the girls. We would play other sororities and believe it or not, even though it was all supposed to be fun and friendly it could sometimes get a little competitive. And by a little competitive I mean A LOT competitive. I happen to be a fairly athletic sorority girl, as I was a Division 1 soccer player before I joined the sorority, so you can imagine my competitiveness. When I met Coach he was the coach of another sorority’s football team. Being a coach he is also supper competitive but also has an eye for talent and can’t stand to get beat! Well when they played us, I was constantly burning their team and they couldn’t stop me! This ate him up to the point where basically he just made a girl stand next to me the whole time and yell at his girls… “I don’t care what you have to do but DO NOT let her catch or run the ball”. So, it became pretty brutal a...

To say that I am overwhelmed by the love and support people have shown me over the last few days since I posted the picture of the article that Cosmopolitan Magazine published on my story about being diagnosed with lung cancer while in college is an understatement. I am humbled and honored to be able to share a small piece of my story to such a large audience. Say may think or ask, “Taylor was diagnosed with lung cancer 5.5 years ago… why does she continue to talk about her diagnosis?” Well for me the answer is simple. Those of you who know me and who know me well… know that I have spent a lot of time over the last 5.5 years speaking all across the country trying to advocate for lung cancer awareness and working to break the awful stigma that is associated with the disease. The funding for research lags FAR behind other cancers and the 15.5% STAGNANT survival rate hasn’t changed in 40 years since President Nixon declared the war on cancer in 1971. This to me is inexcusable. So, w...

I have been wanting to start a blog about being a coaches “wife” for a long time however there was one problem… I wasn’t a wife  yet . I started dating Coach in October of 2007 and we have been head over heels in love since that time but we both wanted to wait until I graduated from college and got started in my career before we got engaged and started planning a wedding. Three years after I graduated we are finally married! In my mind… I didn’t have a timeline of three years after graduation to wait to get married (I was thinking more like a year)…. and quite honestly there were times where I was tired of being introduced as “Coaches Girlfriend”… but looking back I am glad that we waited.   For the past five years we have had the opportunity to learn so much about each other. We have grown together, gone through hardships, had life changing experiences, been promoted, changed jobs, bought a house, purchased cars (anyone who knows me personally knows this is a big deal), ...

I just got a text from my godbrother who recently lost his grandmother to breast cancer, and I wanted to share it with yall. Josh said "Not sure if you meant it but in your stuff about lung cancer being forgotten in the last few days, you come off as very... I dont know the best way to put it but the most polite is probably desensitized to breast cancer. I get what you are trying to get across but other might not. It seems very close to, "Forget breast cancer. Thats not even the worst one." Just thought I would let you know so you dont allienate a potential proponent for awareness because they get turned off." I hope you guys dont feel that way. Here's my response, "I'm sorry if it comes across that way and anyone who knows me that I support all types of cancer! I work in cancer care and give every breathing second to cancer in some way. You know I actually admire what the breast cancer movement has done over the past 40 years by increasing survival ...

The White House is “Pink” this month, but what will they do for Lung Cancer Awareness in November? NOTHING I’M SURE. Do people even know that November is Lung Cancer awareness month? Unfortunately, I doubt it. Sad. Pathetic. Hurtful. Shameful. Stigmatized. Unrecognized. Underfunded. Unimportant to Most. Why? Because everyone thinks that in order to get Lung Cancer you have to smoke, and because you smoke you somehow deserve lung cancer. NO ONE deserves cancer of any kind. Not all smokers get lung cancer and not all lung cancer patients are smokers. Actually 80% of the newly diagnosed are NEVER smokers or former smokers who quit decades ago. ALL cancers deserve the same recognition and awareness that breast cancer gets. We as a society do a disservice to the general public by hyping up breast cancer as much as we do and ignoring all of the other cancers that effect EVERYONE, specifically lung cancer. I’ve said it before but I am going to say it again. Lung Cancer is the NUMBE...

Cancer is a diagnosis that everyone hopes and prays doesn't strike their family. Unfortunately almost all of us have some personal connection to cancer. The good news is there are roughly 12 million cancer survivors here in America who have beaten this disease and are surviving and thriving. More and more individuals are surviving because of the advancements in medicine and the ability to detect cancer early. None of this would be possible without scientific research and doctors devoting their lives to making a difference and finding better ways to treat this horrible monster. One of the doctors dedicated to making advancements in cancer medicine is Dr. Paul Walker. I first met Dr. Walker when I started working for a UNC program called Carolina Well located at the ECU Leo W. Jenkins Cancer Center in August. One day after he stopped by his thoracic nurse's desk he stopped by mine to introduce himself and I quickly became intrigued by his knowledge, attitude, determination, ...

Hi Y’all, At the Leo W. Jenkins Cancer Center, we are always striving to improve our services to meet patient's needs more effectively—not only with the best medical care, but also the support and resources that give people the courage to keep fighting. Today, you can help us in our efforts. We've applied for funding from LIVESTRONG to implement a program proven to support those fighting cancer. And we're excited to let you know that our application has been selected to advance to the final stage — a vote by the broader community. The organizations receiving the most votes within their regions will be awarded funds, materials and training. Please vote for our program and share it with your family and friends: http://vote.livestrong.org/applicants/76-unc-ch-carolina-well-survivorship-program-at-leo-w/ Cancer Transitions™ is designed to support, educate and empower people with cancer in the transitional period after treatment is over. The program incorporates support gr...