A Good Day
Some of you may be reading this right now and you are feeling overwhelmed by the doom and gloom that seems to be all around us. You may be suffering a health, emotional or financial… 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
Some of you may be reading this right now and you are feeling overwhelmed by the doom and gloom that seems to be all around us. You may be suffering a health, emotional or financial… Continue reading
Women with a personal history of breast cancer should consider annual screening with MRI in addition to mammography, according to a study presented at the annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North… Continue reading
This past week we saw the first snowfall of the season in Ireland, and suddenly our ordinary everyday landscape is transformed. We look at everything around us through fresh eyes, marvelling at the… Continue reading
One of my favourite TV cookery shows at the moment is Nigel’s Simple Suppers. I love to see how chef Nigel Slater whizzes up everyday store cupboard ingredients into a tasty midweek supper.… Continue reading
As I am recovering from surgery this week, I was interested to be emailed this quiz on pain personality. It probes our attitude to pain and I was surprised to see my results… Continue reading
Last week talk show host Rosie O’Donnell was given the all-clear from biopsies performed on her, following the finding of two breast lumps. O’Donnell, 48, whose mother died of breast cancer at 39, says she… Continue reading
Today I am introducing a new regular feature on the JBBC blog – a weekly round up of the best of the blogs over the past week. Do let me know if you have read… Continue reading
Thanksgiving I have been trying to read the script cut in these hills- a language carved in the shimmer of stubble and the solid lines of soil, spoken in the thud of… Continue reading
Please take a few minutes to check out this amazing video by Andy at Thirty Seconds. It is moving and haunting and will stay with you long after the last frame..just have your tissues ready… Continue reading
The most beautiful people we have known are those who have known defeat, known suffering, known struggle, known loss, and have found their way out of the depths. These persons have an appreciation,… Continue reading