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
Physically fit women are less likely to die from breast cancer, according to a study by researchers at the University of South Carolina Arnold School of Public Health. The findings are published in… Continue reading
Removing large margins of surrounding healthy tissue when operating on a breast tumour is not of benefit, according to new analysis carried out by Dublin-based researchers. Recent decades have seen a move towards… Continue reading
Today I had my annual check up at St Lukes’ Hospital. I always feel apprehensive when I enter the doors of the hospital, sit in the waiting area and finally sit on that hospital bed, waiting… Continue reading
I debated posting this research as the aim of this blog is not to scare anyone, but to offer hope and evidence-based research on best practice. However, the fact remains that re-occurence of… Continue reading
I have just been viewing some photographs of the Irish Cancer Society’s Garden of Hope. Over 5000 daffodils with messages of support, rememberence and love were planted in the Phoenix Park, Dublin to mark Daffodil… Continue reading
Jade Goody passed away in her sleep this morning at home in Essex. In the past few months, Jade’s story and her decision to die in the public eye has been criticised, villified, admired… Continue reading
This Sunday, 22 March, is Mother’s Day and breast cancer survivor, Julie-Anne Dineen whose single, Do You Believe tops the Irish charts, has expressed a special Mother’s Day wish. Julie-Anne hopes her single will… Continue reading
I really admire the Young Survival Coalition and the work they do. Although they are based in the USA, I made full use of their online resources when I was looking for answers… Continue reading
For women with recurrent breast cancer, the treatment the doctor chooses is usually based on the properties of their original breast cancer. A group from Toronto has recently completed the world’s first study… Continue reading
