I wrote my very first blog after I was interviewed by Dr Carolyn Mair - a well known freelance consultant specializing in the psychology of fashion. The interview was about body image after breast cancer, and as a survivor, I was acutely aware and able to share what the impact that surgery and trauma had … Continue reading Clothes shopping after Breast Cancer
No one told me losing my hair would hurt.
I have been pondering lately as to why I write blogs about something that took place 7 years ago. Friends suggest it is a self – help cathartic tool and perhaps it is to a certain extent. A lot of people write about their cancer journey – some are funny, some serious, some interesting but … Continue reading No one told me losing my hair would hurt.
Well-meaning words?
Macmillan asked 10 people who have all experienced cancer to read out real things people have said or asked about cancer. I related to everything they read out – I was told I was amazing, I was told I was brave, I was told I could do it and I could fight it etc. I … Continue reading Well-meaning words?
Mourning my breasts
Last week I attended for the first time a yoga class titled " The awakening body." The approach invited us ‘to open to the totality of our felt tactile and sensorial experience moment by moment free of any agenda.’ Ellen, the teacher, guided us in meditation, simple postures, movement and breathing exploration, visualisation and dialog. … Continue reading Mourning my breasts
Seven years ago today I woke up and found a lump in my right breast. I wrote the following yesterday however after having had a fun filled evening and seeing everyone’s positive posts this morning welcoming 2019 in I nearly deleted it. Then I realised I was doing what I do best and that is shoving things away as not being good enough or being too negative. However the reality is : Always looking over my shoulder Cancer is indiscriminate and insidious. It develops slowly and silently. It shows no signs of a beginning or end. It causes anxiety, fear and rage; and yet can be the making or breaking of a person. It brings families together or tears them apart. It highlights the real friends and false friends and is a platform for making for making new and very special friends. Cancer makes one vulnerable and yet strong. It can make you cry and laugh quite often at the same time. A morbid sense of humor develops which only your fellow cancer sufferer will understand. An appreciation for life becomes a necessary adjunct as does accepting the need to look over your shoulder just in case that indiscriminate insidious tumor that eventually made itself known before has yet again chosen youn
To tell or not to tell
During one of my checkups post my diagnosis for breast cancer, I asked to be tested for the brca gene. The houseman laughed and said, "by all means fill in the application, but you will get nowhere." There was no family history of breast cancer; consequently, he did not believe I would qualify. I, however, had a gut instinct … Continue reading To tell or not to tell
Learning not to feel guilty
When I finished my treatment for Breast Cancer, I was determined to do something with my life. I felt obliged to LIVE LIFE to the full. To find the job that ticked all the boxes for me and gave me satisfaction. Six years ago this month I went back to a job I did not … Continue reading Learning not to feel guilty
