Weekly Round Up

Time for this week’s round-up of the best of the blog posts which I’ve read over the past week. These are the posts that have moved me, taught me something, inspired me, and which I’ve wanted to share with you. Don’t forget if you have written a post which you would like readers to see, just leave a comment below.

I’ve been really enjoying taking part in Wego Health’s 30 day blog challenge this week. It’s a great way to get your blogging MoJo back – so if you haven’t already considered joining in, then I highly recommend you think about it.  Here’s a selection of some of my favorite posts from bloggers who have taken up the challenge – Audrey on her compassionate superpower, Dee on what drives her advocacy

An important read by Beth on bullying which brought back some horrible memories for me of bullying in the workplace.

Catherine and Caroline fills us on in what kind of a week they have been having.

A super post by Britt and her friend Steve on those Facebook cancer memes we all love to hate. My favorite bit:

What’s with the sexualization of breast cancer? “Save the Ta-Tas!” “Save a Life, Grope your Wife!” Yeah. It’s not funny; it’s sexist. My disease involved a tumor in an actual reproductive organ. But nobody sexualizes testicular cancer. Too bad, really. The jokes about my balls were damn funny.

What’s exciting in cancer research right now? In her latest post, Lisa reviews several of the most interesting cancer research stories that have been in the news this fall.

Wendi reflects back  on  what, if anything, we’ve learned during October BC Awareness month  –  as companion pieces, read the Breast Cancer Consortium From Pink to Prevention, Katie‘s excellent Ribbons Like A Taunt and Liza‘s passionate riposte to Ford’s misguided  notion of what  it means to be a woman with breast cancer.

And Erin Gilmer followed up with some thoughts of her own:

After reading Liza’s post I felt I had to say something.  While this is an ad about breast cancer awareness, I think it speaks to a much more insidious culture that tells women in general and those of us with chronic illness specifically who they should be, how to feel, how to react and display those feelings.

Margaret  addresses the esthethic aftermath of breast cancer surgery in her latest post. Breast reconstruction  is also the topic of Maureen‘s and Amy‘s latest blogs. It can be an emotive and sometimes divisive topic and Terri calls for fairness in reporting the options. It’s like everything else when it comes to dealing with cancer, there is no one right way to do things – we do what’s right for ourselves.

I adored reading and thinking about Rosemary‘s post on Hygge (pronounced ‘hue-ga’ )- a Danish noun which captures a cultural way of living which incorporates good stuff, things that make people happy (not necessarily material possessions) and environments that enable relaxation and connection.

 

Great post by Lisey celebrating hope and friendship.

Mandi‘s account of her disease progression  is  a tough read, but her  unflinching  look at the reality of  Stage IV cancer is also a must-read.  On the same  theme, read Susanne‘s latest blog and then  please share your thoughts with  Kathi who is getting ready to attend  a conference to discuss ways to help mitigate the collateral damage experienced by people with metastatic breast cancer.

A very warm welcome back to the blogosphere to Jackie with some happy news of an upcoming event.

A  wonderful story from A Fresh Chapter Spotlight from Peru – Wanda Lucas on Unbecoming.

JoAnn returns  to the blogosphere too – with a reflective post on feeling lost in the many changes she has gone through recently.

The financial toxicity of cancer is a terrible burden on top of everything else we have to handle when we  are  diagnosed – it’s a topic Lisa Thompson  has been writing  about this week, and a very real and urgent need  for  Beth Caldwell right now, as her insurance company has denied the drugs for my combination therapy.

I love the pictures and words Carrie uses this week to describe the experience of cancer.

A beautiful touching blog from Nancy on beloved pets- links to our past and hearts forever.

Nice to see Elizabeth back in the blogosphere again – hoping all you are waiting for will turn out well in the end.

I was excited to see Becky has presented on blogging at the AIS 2016 Annual Conference.

Finally this week, I leave you  with a  beautiful message from Rebecca, who has been “reflecting on the risks we take when we get too close to other patients, and how we cancer patients relate to each other.”

Until next week,

Yours with love

Marie xxx