The Camino Santiago – The Way of St James
The Camino Santiago – The Way of St James This blog isn’t just about cancer. It’s about life: living your best life. Tomorrow I’ll arrive in Santiago de Compostela after walking 780km from St Jean Pied de Port in France, all the way across northern Spain. It’s so relaxing, having nothing to do but walk. […]
What the Health?
What the Health? Over the last 12 months I’ve been busy delving into the curious world of alternative therapy. It’s a jungle out there. Difficult to see the wood through the trees, easy to lose direction. Lots of green stuff and plenty of shaman style supplements. Caterpillar fungus, frankincense, pork pancreas enzyme, turkey tail… A […]
Little Miracles
Little Miracles A couple of weeks back I was sitting in a hospital bed, admitted after a tumour (and the ovary it was attached to) twisted, ruptured, and caused some internal bleeding. Hands down, the worst pain yet. Luckily, everything seems to have fixed itself now. No need for surgery, my uterus lives to see […]
Showing up for Yourself
Showing up for Yourself I’m so grateful for all of the well-meaning advice people have offered me since my diagnoses, I’ve tried and tested a number of theories. There was the carrot juice diet (my skin turned orange), the sugar free diet, the vegan diet, the keto diet, the juice detox, the wheatgrass shots, endless […]
My Friend Tamoxifen
My Friend Tamoxifen It’s incredible how much I appreciate my normal little life now. Tasks that once seemed monotonous like going to work or doing “the big shop” bring me such pleasure. During chemo these things felt like a struggle, now they feel like a reward. Trying to forge a normal life whilst undergoing treatment […]
London – My Marsden Experience
London – My Marsden Experience My trip to the Royal Marsden Hospital seems like a lifetime ago now but for some reason I haven’t been in the right frame of mind to sit down and blog about it. I think it’s because I wanted a holiday from cancer for a while and in some ways […]
My New Zealand Whanau
My New Zealand Whanau When I came to New Zealand in 2010 I really didn’t know anything about the country, it wasn’t until I’d seen and experienced it for myself that I fully appreciated the sheer beauty of the place and the kind nature of the people. I fell in love with Wellington and decided […]
When Bad News is Better than No News
When Bad News is Better than No News I’ve spent the last 2-3 weeks waiting on results, basically driving myself insane. The constant spiral of scenarios spinning around my mind have made me unbelievably anxious and now I’ve given myself hives so I’m itchy and anxious. Annoying. Anyone who has cancer (or loves someone who […]
Tears Caused by Kindness
Tears Caused by Kindness I’m sitting at the kitchen table, tears rolling down my cheeks. Every now and then it all gets a bit much and I have a good old cry about how damned screwed up this whole cancer mess is. These aren’t those kind of tears though, these tears have been caused by […]
Hit with a Curve Ball
Hit with a Curve Ball 3 rounds of chemo and a CT scan later and I find myself in my Oncologist’s office waiting on some news. I had a feeling it was bad news when he asked me to come to the hospital instead of speaking to me over the phone. We’d planned 6 rounds […]