Feb 17, 2021Caring for the carerWhen someone ‘has cancer’, the whole family and everyone who loves them does too. They all become part of the cancer club. However the needs of the carer are often overlooked. Everyone asks how the person living with cancer is. Very few ask how the carer is. The carer doesn’t…Cancer6 min read
Feb 6, 2021Words Get in the WayWhat constitutes cheating? A drunken snog? Going out on a date? I vividly remember the first time I met someone after Matt had passed. I had reluctantly agreed to attend an 80’s themed club night with a friend and had full intentions of sloping off home early. However, as most…Dating3 min read
Sep 10, 2020The weight of cancerI thought a symptom of cancer was that you lost weight. Apparently not, not even for metastatic cancer. I’m a comfort eater: salty, starchy food is my go to when I’m tired, when I’m feeling down or when I’m just plain bored. Over the past eight years, I’ve found it…Cancer4 min read
Sep 7, 2020When time stood stillIt was barely bigger than a cupboard. There were no windows, just four thin walls in need of a fresh coat of paint, a wooden desk scattered with papers and computer flickering, a desk chair and two tired, threadbare cushioned chairs. Soulless and stale. Like the life had been sucked…Cancer3 min read
Jun 8, 2020Why, just why is this still a thing?Two books have really frustrated me this year. Usually, reading relaxes or enlightens me, however with these two books I’ve felt so overwhelmingly frustrated I’ve not known whether to rant or cry. What books have caused this indignation and frustration? …Biased2 min read
Jun 7, 2020What doesn’t kill you makes you strongerSept 2001, just after 9/11, I left NZ and headed for England, not sure where the next stage in my life would take me. I’d spent the past three years teaching English as a foreign language, in Sri Lanka, Japan and New Zealand so it wasn’t long before I was…Cancer7 min read
Jun 5, 2020First year of widow’s clubShortly after my husband passed, after two years of caring and working full time, I took myself off to Bali for some much needed me time. I was exhausted, breaking emotionally and physically. Thankfully, the first place I went to was a tranquil resort in the north. There was no…Cancer3 min read
Jun 3, 2020The day that changed my life.The day that changed my life. Tuesday 20 March 2018: The day I was told I had breast cancer. Tuesday 17 April 2018: The day I was told it wasn’t just breast cancer but metastatic breast cancer. I was a runner. It was my thing. I’d completed the London Marathon…Cancer5 min read
