How social media is an ally in fight against cancer
Back to my favourite topic today – the power of social media to connect, educate and support. On a personal level, I could talk about this topic ad infinitum, but I was delighted… 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
I have vivid memories as a child of jars of beetroot swimming in dreadful vinegar, which almost put me off it forever. Luckily I discovered later in life how flavoursome and versatile this root vegetable can be. Beetroot… Continue reading
I know why the caged bird sings A free bird leaps on the back Of the wind and floats downstream Till the current ends and dips his wing In the orange suns rays… Continue reading
The Irish Cancer Society will host its annual National Breast Cancer Conference entitled “Living with Breast Cancer” in the Croke Park Conference Centre on Saturday, September 18th, 2010 from 9.00 am. Attendance is free and… Continue reading
Continuing with the theme of yesterday’s survivorship post, I want to look at the question today of cancer’s often-talked-of five-year survival rate. When you first come out of treatment, you may count down the… Continue reading
When does someone with cancer start to become a survivor? Some believe it begins at the moment of a diagnosis of cancer; for others the notion dawns on them more gradually as they progress through their treatment.… Continue reading
Researchers say they have identified a series of gene variations which together may play a role in the development of a common breast cancer. A study of women in Finland and Sweden found… Continue reading
Marcia Cross pictured with her husband Tom Mahoney The actress, Marcia Cross, best known for her role as Bree Van de Kamp on Desperate Housewives, was understandably devastated last year when her husband,… Continue reading
Continuing to find resonance and comfort in the poetry of Mary Oliver. Morning Poem Every morning the world is created. Under the orange sticks of the sun the heaped ashes of the… Continue reading