My inspirational guest will be my good friend and assistant pastor, Dr. Rev. Anne Sims from the beautiful Ann Street United Methodist Church. Located in the historic district of downtown Beaufort, N.C. (my hometown), the pastors and congregation were so important to my family this year when we lost our dear mother in February from lung cancer. Dr. Sims (to one and all known as Anne) will be my very special inspiration for this pre-Christmas Eve show. And, she’s cool, too! Anne, YOU INSPIRE ME!

This week we’ll discuss healthy sexual relationships between a cancer patient and their spouse. It’s important to maintain an intimate relationship during treatment, but it has to be done in a healthy way for both partners. Can cancer be “caught” through intercourse? Can chemotherapy be transferred through sexual relations? We’ll find out from my guest Melissa Donahue, MSW, LCSW, OSW-C, CST, the New Jersey Society for Clinical Social Workers sex therapist with expertise in sexuality and cancer.

“Stress causes nothing, but aggravates everything.” What happens when extreme stress is compounded on top of other stresses (a.k.a. for a caregiver!)? Join us as we discuss the Social Readjustment Rating Scale which was developed at the University of Washington School of Medicine. The scale was based on the theory that good and bad events in a person’s life can increase stress levels, and make people more susceptible to illness and mental health problems. My guest is Dr. Dale Peterson, author of Building Health by Design: Adding Life to Your Years and Years to Your Life.

Ladies, Paget’s disease is a rare form of breast cancer which presents itself with red scaly patches of skin on the nipple and sometimes with a dark area of skin, or crusting, bleeding, or ulceration with a discharge from the nipple. It is often confused with other skin conditions, such as eczema, dermatitis or psoriasis. My guest is Dr. Linnea Chap, Hematology/Oncology Clinical Associate Professor at UCLA School of Medicine. She is a highly respected specialist in breast cancer and gynecologic malignancies.

In 1998, Lori Lober found a lump in her breast. A doctor said it was non-cancerous fibrocystic. Two years later, Lori went to another doctor, only to learn that it was stage IV breast cancer that had metastasized to her liver. The odds she would live five years were less than 3%. She created her own integrative treatment plan incorporating the best of conventional medicine with complementary therapies. For this miracle story, join me Monday with my guest Lori Lober. Still cancer free, Lori founded the Touched by Cancer Foundation to give hope to others.