About the Northbound Roots Blog

This blog was created by a registered nurse with years of experience in oncology care and someone who has walked alongside patients and families through diagnosis, treatment, waiting, and everything in between. Over time, it became clear that while medical care focuses on treatment, many people are left without guidance for the emotional, logistical, and day-to-day realities of the cancer journey.

Northbound Roots fills that gap.

This space is dedicated to education, navigation, and supportive understanding, not medical advice, not treatment recommendations, and not quick fixes. Here, you’ll find thoughtful explanations, grounded insights, and compassionate reflections designed to help you feel more informed, less alone, and better equipped to navigate what’s ahead.

What This Blog Is

The Northbound Roots blog is a place for:

Understanding the process of cancer care without clinical overwhelm
Naming the emotional and mental load that often goes unseen
Learning how to organize, prepare, and cope throughout the journey
Exploring supportive wellness foundations within a nurse’s scope of practice
Finding language for experiences that are difficult to explain

Everything shared here is rooted in professional nursing knowledge, ethical boundaries, and lived experience supporting people through complex healthcare systems.

What This Blog Is Not

This blog does not provide:

Medical advice or diagnoses
Treatment recommendations
Prescriptive nutrition plans or supplement guidance
Guarantees, outcomes, or cure-focused claims

Any medical decisions should always be made in partnership with your healthcare team. The purpose of this space is to support understanding, not replace professional medical care.

Who This Blog Is For

This blog is for:

Individuals navigating a cancer diagnosis
Caregivers supporting someone they love
People living in the in-between seasons of waiting, scans, and uncertainty
Anyone seeking calm, reliable education without pressure or fear-based messaging

You do not need to be at a specific stage of the journey to belong here.

Our Philosophy

At Northbound Roots, we believe:

Education reduces fear
Supportive care is not weakness
The emotional experience of illness deserves as much attention as the physical
People deserve information that is honest, compassionate, and respectful of their autonomy

We also believe that healthcare can be explained without being overwhelming and that being informed does not mean being alarmed.

A Gentle Note

If you are reading this while carrying a diagnosis, supporting someone you love, or simply trying to make sense of what comes next, know this: you are not behind, you are not doing it wrong, and you are not expected to have it all figured out.

Northbound Roots is here to walk alongside you steadily, thoughtfully, and without judgment.

Start Here

Supportive Care Is Not Weakness

There is a quiet pressure many people feel during illness. The pressure to be strong. The pressure to stay positive. The pressure to handle things independently, even when everything feels heavy. Supportive care is often misunderstood because of that pressure. It is sometimes viewed as something people turn to only when they are struggling or when things are “bad enough.” In reality, supportive care is not weakness. It is a form of strength. What Supportive Care Really Mean

Allyson Pearson

Jan 242 min read

What Nurses Can Explain and What They Can’t

Nurses are often the people patients and families turn to when things feel confusing. We are present during long days, difficult conversations, and moments when questions surface after everyone else has left the room. Over time, many people begin to ask nurses not just what is happening , but what it means . That curiosity is understandable. At the same time, there is often confusion about what nurses can responsibly explain and where important boundaries exist. This post i

Allyson Pearson

Jan 243 min read

Why the Waiting Is Often the Hardest Part

Waiting is one of the most underestimated parts of the cancer journey. It ’s the waiting for results. The waiting for phone calls. The waiting between appointments, scans, and next steps. And while treatment days are visible and tangible, waiting is quiet. It leaves space, too much space, for fear, imagination, and exhaustion to grow. For many people, the waiting is harder than the procedures themselves. Waiting Is Not Passive From the outside, waiting can look like nothing

Allyson Pearson

Jan 242 min read

What Northbound Roots Is and Why It Exists

There is a moment many people remember clearly. Not the diagnosis itself but everything that followed. The appointments that came too quickly. The information that felt overwhelming. The silence after leaving the clinic. The sense that life had changed, even though no one had explained how. Northbound Roots exists for that space. This platform was created by a registered nurse with years of experience in oncology care and someone who has supported patients and families throug

Allyson Pearson

Jan 242 min read

The Invisible Work of Being a Cancer Patient or Caregiver

Much of the cancer journey happens quietly. It happens in waiting rooms, in car rides home, and in the moments after everyone else has gone back to their lives. It happens in mental checklists, emotional regulation, and constant decision-making that rarely gets acknowledged. This is the invisible work. It ’s the work that doesn’t show up in medical charts or treatment plans but it shapes daily life in profound ways. What Invisible Work Really Looks Like Invisible work is e

Allyson Pearson

Jan 242 min read

About the Northbound Roots Blog

What This Blog Is

What This Blog Is Not

Who This Blog Is For

Our Philosophy

A Gentle Note

Start Here

Supportive Care Is Not Weakness

What Nurses Can Explain and What They Can’t

Why the Waiting Is Often the Hardest Part

What Northbound Roots Is and Why It Exists

The Invisible Work of Being a Cancer Patient or Caregiver

Nurse-led education & navigation for individuals facing cancer and their caregivers.