How stories can heal the wounded places
Everything is held together with stories. That is all that is holding us together, stories and compassion ~ Barry Lopez Perhaps it is because I come from an Irish tradition… Continue reading
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
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… Continue reading
A slightly different take on the traditional Twelve Days of Christmas theme, today’s poem comes courtesty of the talented Philippa of the Feisty Blue Gecko blog. The Twelve Days of Chemo On the first… Continue reading
When breast cancer spreads, it often appears first in the sentinel node–the first node to which the tumor drains. I had a full axillary clearance when diagnosed with breast cancer in 2004 – no… Continue reading
“Hope is something you create together” – Kaethe Weingarten I was very moved this morning reading an article on the subject of hope in today’s Irish Times. The article puts forward an argument for the… Continue reading
Check out Cancer Care’s booklet, Your Guide to the Latest Cancer Research and Treatments , which features highlights from the 2010 Annual Meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), with up-to-date… Continue reading
I have Anna Rachnel of The Cancer Culture Chronicles Blog to thank for pointing me in the direction of today’s scrumptious meatless recipe. Anna tells me that this dish is “absolutely amazing and has all the… Continue reading
Pictured above is Cian Kelly (8), Tallaght, Co Dublin, at the Light Up A Life ceremony of remembrance at Our Lady’s Hospice and Care Services, Harold’s Cross, Dublin, last night. Light up a Life… Continue reading
Unfortunately for many of us, neuropathy is a possible side effect of some common breast cancer treatments, including chemotherapy with taxane medicines like paclitaxel (Taxol) and docetaxel (Taxotere). What is Neuropathy? It is experienced as… Continue reading