Share your cancerversary story
I wrote a post at the end of September, celebrating my milestone 5-year cancerversary. In it I wrote of how I celebrated by doing the ordinary things – a walk, a coffee with a… 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 wrote a post at the end of September, celebrating my milestone 5-year cancerversary. In it I wrote of how I celebrated by doing the ordinary things – a walk, a coffee with a… Continue reading
Today’s recipe is a delicious aubergine (eggplant), tomato and chickpea casserole, which I came across in the New York Times. The casserole tastes best if made at least a day ahead. Ingredients Serves… Continue reading
There are many different types of breast cancer and the type with which I was diagnosed was Ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS). DCIS is a condition in which a spectrum of abnormal cells… Continue reading
I recently came across this video by Kelly Corrigan, founder of Circus of Cancer, who was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer in August 2004, just days before her oldest daughter turned three. Her family… Continue reading
I stood there taking in the sheen on the crow’s beaks, the heaving of the horse, the sire and fall of my father’s voice, the breeze driving clouds and tousling my hair, and… Continue reading
I am back to the subject of meditation again this morning and I write this post in response to some of the comments on an earlier post, Being Before Doing. Some of you… Continue reading
Eating healthy is all well and good, but sometimes that craving for something sweet just has to be given into. My husband has a very sweet tooth and finding ways to make healthy… Continue reading
We have much that is wrong with our health care system here in Ireland. We suffer the inequities that a divided health care system brings, but however bad it is, I can’t help thinking… Continue reading
Today I am posting a very special recipe – special because my lovely friend Debbie, is sharing it with us. Debbie Matriccino Thomas is a cancer survivor who writes her own blog, Debbie’s… Continue reading
Because of treatment advances, more and more women are living longer after a diagnosis of breast cancer. Young, premenopausal women may live for many years with a history of the disease. Yet only… Continue reading