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
With all the Internet doctor rating sites, health insurance ratings and online board certification databases to check, many people today have a low tolerance for bad doctors. But after your smiling physians say goodbye and… Continue reading
Being a bit of a cosmetics junkie, I have fallen off the wagon a few times, in my efforts to reduce the amount of chemicals I put on my face and body. Yes,… Continue reading
I have written before about my reasons for setting up this blog, primarily because I believe than in telling our stories we can help heal the wounded selves and in the hope that in… Continue reading
I found it hard enough to cope with my own breast cancer treatment, without a family to look after. I wasn’t even married at the time, so I only had myself to take… Continue reading
I believe in the power of advocacy and I have been working in my community as a breast cancer advocate for the past three years, so I am excited to now have the opportunity to reach… Continue reading
Just five years ago if you were diagnosed with an illness, you would have a consultation with a doctor and maybe a nurse, probably be given some leaflets and a phone number, and… Continue reading
Happily as happens time and again, as soon as I start thinking about a certain post for this blog or come across an interesting study, I find another link or article which expands… Continue reading
I first encountered Laura Morefield online through a comment she had left on another blog. On it Laura spoke of something she calls “cancer face”. I was so taken with her comment, and… Continue reading
A real life medical drama has hit actress Maura Tierney, best know for her long-running role as Abby Lockhart, in TV medical drama ER. Tierney, who is of Irish descent, says she’s having surgery… Continue reading
