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Completing resolution of yr 2019. 2019年の今年の目標達成
Yoko Katz November 24, 2019

Completing resolution of yr 2019. 2019年の今年の目標達成

Completing resolution of yr 2019. 2019年の今年の目標達成 My resolution for the year 2019, I have…

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Year 2019's Resolution 今年の目標
yoko katz January 5, 2019

Year 2019's Resolution 今年の目標

A happy healthy new year to you. (Japanese at the end: 日本語は英語の後)

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Cancer, Hats, and "To Live" 癌と帽子と「生きる」
yoko katz October 17, 2018

Cancer, Hats, and "To Live" 癌と帽子と「生きる」

I am really excited that my hats are on a musical stage, "Ikiru" in Tokyo, Japan since October 8, 2018, until October 28. This made-in-Japan musical is called "To Live," (or "Ikiru," in Japanese) and it is based on the Akira Kurosawa's same title movie from 1952. It really means a lot to me to be a part of that movie story.

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(JP language event) "Hair-loss with chemo" 「抗がん剤で髪が抜けたら」でお話します
yoko katz May 29, 2018

(JP language event) "Hair-loss with chemo" 「抗がん剤で髪が抜けたら」でお話します

(Sorry, only this event is in Japanese but) I will be speaking at an event at 6pm on June 11, 2018 at SHARE breast and ovarian cancer Japanese support group in NY. The program invites a medical researcher to discuss mechanism of hair loss during chemotherapy. I will be demonstrating turban wrapping. イベントでお話します。ニューヨークの乳癌・卵巣がんの日本語サポートプログラムSHAREにて、6月11日6時から、抗がん剤治療での髪が抜けるメカニズムの話があります。メモリアルスローンキャタリングの癌治療研究をしている田中先生のお話を中心にして、私は髪の毛が抜けたら、ターバンで素敵に変身できますよ というデモンストレーションをします。お会い出来たらうれしいです。

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After Surgery, Back to Work! 術後、お仕事復活
yoko katz September 11, 2017

After Surgery, Back to Work! 術後、お仕事復活

After 2 weeks of the recovery time, I went back to work. During these recovery days, I had basically no social life, no make-up and no hair-do. Some friends pop-up to check up on me, and that cheered me up! But otherwise, I was getting a low self-esteem over time. So, dressing up brought back my good energy! I really needed that effect from the styling.  

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Marking the 3rd anniversary of breast cancer diagnosis 乳がん宣告3年目
yoko katz May 20, 2017

Marking the 3rd anniversary of breast cancer diagnosis 乳がん宣告3年目

Three years ago, today, I received a phone call from a radiologist. My husband also pictures exactly where and what position he heard the terrible news when I picked up the phone that day. I still believe that was not done right that I was told "all three were cancer," and I was not informed of the stage of my cancer. How scared I was, you cannot imagine. The internet information only terrified me, telling me in statistics of "5 year survival rate." When I was completely, I thought, healthy 36 years old. My son was only 8 years old, quickly my wild and worse imagination occupied me and confined me in a darkness. It was hard to breath, I cried for days and months. 日本語は英文の後にあり。 [caption id="attachment_2293" align="alignnone" width="1024"] A beret hat by Hats by Yoko Katz, yes, my design![/caption]

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Normal Nails Again (21 Months after Breast Cancer Chemo) 爪がやっと元に戻ってくる(抗がん剤終了から21か月)
yoko katz September 7, 2016

Normal Nails Again (21 Months after Breast Cancer Chemo) 爪がやっと元に戻ってくる(抗がん剤終了から21か月)

After 1 year and 9 months from my last breast cancer chemotherapy treatments (ended in November 2014), I finally feel that my nails gained again the strength I used to had. Up to this summer, my nails had been chipping, cracking, and coming into multiple separated layers all the time. I could not grow them at all. But now I can!

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No more fussy hair after chemo, finally やっと抗がん剤後のボワボワ髪が無くなる
yoko katz May 11, 2016

No more fussy hair after chemo, finally やっと抗がん剤後のボワボワ髪が無くなる

Since my last chemotherapy about 18 months ago, I kept cutting my hair because it came out so unevenly strong wavy. I used to have straight hair in natural, but it came out very very wavy. Finally, it looks like much more of the hair I used to have today! (This picture is just before cutting for the final time to say good-bye to my wavy hair.)

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Pregnancy after Chemotherapy 抗がん剤治療後の妊娠について
yoko katz September 23, 2015

Pregnancy after Chemotherapy 抗がん剤治療後の妊娠について

(My hair has been growing into bushes. It's been 10 months since my last chemotherapy. I used to have very long silky straight hair, but now look how curly it is. I have no idea how to deal with this. It is always going so bushy. I don't feel this represents me and I cannot wait to have it grow much longer.) It depends on the types of breast cancer, but especially when one's cancer grows with hormone such as progesterone positive and estrogen positive breast cancer, getting pregnant raises some concerns. Chemotherapy let alone is a concern for damaging ovaries, there are other things to worry about, too. If a cancer patient is considering having babies after treatments, she should talk to doctors right upfront. This information is only based on my experience, please consult your physician when it comes to details and whether it can be applied to your case. Many cases, insurance companies may not cover this and it can be costly.

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My period is BAAAACK! 生理が戻ってきた(涙) Pose#480
yoko katz June 22, 2015

My period is BAAAACK! 生理が戻ってきた(涙) Pose#480

I am super excited to have my period back yesterday after the breast cancer treatments. I was told that chemotherapy could damage my totally healthy ovaries and could strip away my period FOREVER (at the age 36). I welcome back my period with joy today!

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Regaining Senses on My Reconstructed Breast 再建乳房に感覚が出てくる。Pose #489
yoko katz June 11, 2015

Regaining Senses on My Reconstructed Breast 再建乳房に感覚が出てくる。Pose #489

Teaching has been over awhile ago, but my treatments go on. I visited my plastic surgeon today, 3 weeks after the nipple reconstruction procedure. (I visited him last week, too.)

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15th Targeted Cancer Therapy 15回目分子標的癌治療 pose#61
yoko katz May 26, 2015

15th Targeted Cancer Therapy 15回目分子標的癌治療 pose#61

I came back from my 15th targeted cancer therapy. I visited a new chemotherapy treatment building. I normally go to NYC to do the treatment, but the hospital opened up the new building in my area recently.

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Day of a Nipple Reconstruction 乳首再建の日
yoko katz May 20, 2015

Day of a Nipple Reconstruction 乳首再建の日

This should be my very last time writing this blog title, it is slightly embarrassing. But it is done!

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Many 1st Anniversaries to Follow 多くの一年記念日が続く頃 Pose #449
yoko katz April 29, 2015

Many 1st Anniversaries to Follow 多くの一年記念日が続く頃 Pose #449

From today on, many 1 year anniversaries are coming up for me. Exactly a year ago was the day I visited my family doctor requesting a mammography prescription for "just a check up." WOW, so many, I mean, so many things happened to me for this 1 year. Thank you so much for all of your supports to me from near to far. Knowing that I am not alone gave me the strength to be here standing strong today. Thank you!

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Attending Meetings ミーティングな一日 Pose #735
yoko katz April 24, 2015

Attending Meetings ミーティングな一日 Pose #735

"TPO": Time, Place and Occasion. This is a made up acronym by the Japanese society and a widely used term today in Japan. It is used as TPO, as is in alphabets, in the Japanese language. That means people has to dress and behave according to a "TPO". It is used as "She was not considering the TPO for today's meeting." Either she dressed inappropriate for the meeting or used inappropriate tone of the language in the meeting. Some fashion magazines' editorials in Japan show a set of appropriate attires for a certain TPO, such as an office party TPO dresses, or weekend trip with a boyfriend TPO outfits.

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