About Me

Living with cancer—and an attitude.

Jeanne Sather, author of The Assertive Cancer Patient, is an outspoken advocate for the cancer patient’s point of view. She has written about taking part in clinical trials, living with incurable cancer, “pink ribbon” marketing run amok, strategies for getting through cancer treatment, how to help when a friend has cancer, and much more.

Jeanne has also been interviewed by major newspapers on such topics as her firing while in cancer treatment, writing your own obituary, and teaching doctors how to say goodbye to dying patients. Jeanne coined the term “MIA doctors” to refer to doctors, in particular oncologists, who disappear when their patients are dying.

Jeanne began her career as a journalist, working for newspapers, magazines, and wire services, including Newsweek in Tokyo, Reuters in Seattle, MSN (also in Seattle), and a number of other publications.

When she was diagnosed with breast cancer in 1998 at age 43, she started writing about cancer. First she wrote about her own experience, with a weekly feature on the OnHealth Web site called “Jeanne’s Diary” that chronicled the ups and downs of her first series of cancer treatments.

Then she began writing for the Web site of the cancer center where she gets her treatment. She also writes an occasional piece for other publications, including Seattle Weekly, which put her story, “Running With Fear,” on its cover in December of 2003.

Jeanne teaches nonfiction writing at the University of Washington Extension. In addition, she has created a unique writing workshop for people living with metastatic cancer.

Jeanne has two master’s degrees, one in Japanese language from the University of Hawaii, where she studied on a grant from the East-West Center, and another in journalism from the University of California at Berkeley. She has a B.A. in Communications from Michigan State University in East Lansing.

Jeanne lives in Seattle with her two sons.

The contents of this blog, as well as the name "The Assertive Cancer Patient," are copyright Jeanne Sather 2006, 2007, 2008.

Jeanne’s writing:

Seattle Weekly, December 10, 2003
Running With Fear: Confessions of a breast cancer poster child

Seattle Weekly, April 21, 2004
Life Goes On

Seattle Weekly, October 20, 2004
Gag Me With a Pink Ribbon

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, February 4, 2008
Drug repository would help low-income folks

Links to stories about Jeanne:

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, page one story, January 27, 2000
Blindsided by disease and life, she fights to survive

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, follow-up, January 29, 2000
Cancer survivor settles with OnHealth.Com

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, January 14, 2004
To be dead sure you get the last word, write your own obit

The Houston Chronicle, August 11, 2004
Center will stop giving 2nd opinions on cancer

Seattle Times, May 19, 2005
Discovering the power of goodbye

TheCancerBlog.com, October 7, 2006
Survivor Spotlight

KING5 TV News interview, March 2, 2007
Woman battling cancer fights for insurance reform

KING5 TV News, September 7, 2007
Seattle cancer patient looking for husband

Seattle Post-Intelligencer, page one, September 30, 2007
Wanted: Husband with Canadian health care

KOMO4 TV News, October 5, 2007
Cancer patient's ad for Canadian husband answered

Toronto Star, page one, October 8, 2007
Desperately seeking medicare

AOL Canada, October 11, 2007
Wanted: Husband With Canadian Health Care

UW Bookstore, Seattle
March 30, 2007
Reading (with UW Extension students)
15 Phone Calls

East-West Center, Honolulu
February 7, 2007
Blogging 101: If I Can Blog, You Can Blog

Cancer Lifeline, Seattle
October 6, 2007
Cancer and Blogging Workshop