You never think it will be you. You go about your days making plans, imagining futures, dreaming ordinary dreams. Life feels steady, predictable. And then it isn’t. One phone call. One scan. One… Continue reading
In 1948, two French scientists noticed something unexpected in their lab samples: fragments of DNA drifting in blood plasma. At the time, the discovery seemed trivial, even puzzling. DNA, after all, was supposed… Continue reading
You’ve likely heard people talk about “chemo brain”—or maybe you’ve even felt it yourself. It’s that foggy sensation that can make it tough to find the right word, recall a friend’s name, or… Continue reading
So few grains of happiness measured against all the dark and still the scales balance. – Jane Hirshfield “The Weighing” I’ve been reflecting on these lines from Jane Hirshfield’s poem The Weighing and how its… Continue reading
In many cultures, greetings are often seen as polite and routine exchanges. However, in some Muslim cultures, there exists a profound dimension to these everyday interactions. When someone asks, “How are you?” in… Continue reading
I discovered that today, September 16th is ‘Tattoo Story Day’. While I am not sure if this is a day that’s universally marked, it gives me the prompt I need to tell the… Continue reading
Checking my August Awareness Day Calendar, I discovered that today, August 30th is designated as Grief Awareness Day. Sometimes I feel we are awash with grief in our community. Not just in our… Continue reading
Are you looking for a new job after cancer treatment? Perhaps you left your last employment after your diagnosis, or maybe you are still in your current job but want a fresh start… Continue reading
“In a society which is much more inclined to help you hide your pain rather than to grow through it, is necessary to make a very conscious effort to mourn.” – Henri Nouwen Grief… Continue reading
T 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 […]
The Thing Is to love life, to love it evenwhen you have no stomach for itand everything you’ve held dearcrumbles like burnt paper in your hands,your throat filled with the silt of it.When… Continue reading
The Butterfly Effect For Marie Ennis O’Connor So close and still Quietly far away From the company Who chose you The day you heard The word we all Heard. Echoes In a canyon… Continue reading
26 posts. 26 days. 26 letters of the alphabet, one blog post beginning with each letter. H is for Hair I started this blog a few years after my breast cancer diagnosis and… Continue reading
“One Person’s Trash” is a wonderful series of personal essays which appeared in Open Salon on the theme of spring cleaning…but with a twist. The stories reflect on objects that people can’t bring themselves to throw away. I was particularly… Continue reading
Well, life carries on. I have gone back into some semblance of a routine this week, going back to work, in-between hospital visits. I have also been catching up on your blogs and… Continue reading
An old Cherokee is teaching his grandson about life. “A fight is going on inside me,” he said to the boy. “It is a terrible fight and it is between two wolves. One… Continue reading
I have been MIA over the past few days as I have been at the hospital where my Mum is very ill. She suffered a suspected stroke on Sunday but tests have ruled… Continue reading
In yesterday’s post, I touched on the reason some women abandon tamoxifen – the fact that it contributes to menopausal type symptoms. Having to deal with hot flushes and other associated symptoms is… Continue reading
Up to half of women stop taking the drug prematurely but in doing so significantly reduce their survival odds, says Cancer Research UK. Data shows for every hundred women who complete the full… Continue reading
Spring! Image: M. Ennis-O’Connor How necessary it is to have opinions! I think the spotted trout lilies are satisfied, standing a few inches above the earth. I think serenity is not something… Continue reading
The UK charity Breakthrough Breast Cancer has launched a definitive guide for people with an increased risk of developing breast cancer due to their family history. The guide provides, for the first time, information on… Continue reading
BREAST CANCER patients in Ireland have been urged to donate tissue samples to a research programme which has the potential to help those with the most severe form of the disease. The national… Continue reading
