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
Today, Friday, July 23, the Cancer Treatment Centers of America (CTCA) will be hosting an online Empowerment Rally featuring a diverse group of five cancer survivors/advocates participating in a roundtable discussion on patient empowerment. The… Continue reading
Diana Raab Do you remember earlier this month I reviewed author Diana Raab’s Healing with Words? When I posted the review I promised you a special appearance on the JBBC blog by the author herself.… Continue reading
Do you ever find yourself saying “why me”? or “it’s just not fair”? I can honestly say I haven’t said those words since I was a child. As I grew up it didn’t… Continue reading
In the first few weeks of your diagnosis you may have been weighing up your treatment options while listening to stories of those who bypassed the surgeon’s knife/chemotherapy/radiotherapy, and went straight to “cure”… Continue reading
Here is a simple recipe for a satisfying vegetarian bean burger. The beans used are butter beans, which I believe are also known as lima beans (correct me if I’m wrong here). Beans… Continue reading
This coming October, the first ever Pink Auction will be held in Cork City. The auction will bring together many people with two goals (1) to promote creative textiles in Ireland and (2) to raise money for Action Breast Cancer,… Continue reading
Autobiography in Five Short Chapters I I walk down the street. There is a deep hole in the sidewalk I fall in. I am lost … I am helpless. It isn’t my fault.… Continue reading
“Beauty is not in the face; beauty is a light in the heart.” ~ Kahlil Gibran Reading Catherine’s guest blog post yesterday inspired me to write a little more on the nature of beauty.… Continue reading
Everything is held together with stories. That is all that is holding us together, stories and compassion. Barry Lopez I am honoured today to share with you Catherine’s story. As regular readers will… Continue reading
There’s no disaster that can’t become a blessing, and no blessing that can’t become a disaster ~ Richard Bach I am sure many of you will have heard the parable of the old… Continue reading
