Chronic Courage: The Quiet Force Behind Surviving Head and Neck Cancer
johndabell When you live with head and neck cancer, courage isn’t a one-off act. It’s not a single moment of bravery under the spotlight. It’s not a cinematic scene where you…
Cancer
The Stoic Pharmacist’s Medicine Cabinet of Virtues
Cancer patients get all sorts of medication given to them when they are going through treatment. But for anyone going through this so-called ‘journey’ then you are going to need…
Cancer and Cancellation: Why They Feel Strangely Similar
Have you ever been cancelled? Being “cancelled” has become a buzzword in our culture – a way to describe when someone is abruptly cut off, silenced, or ostracized. It’s usually…
Nature – The Unofficial Cancer Therapist
They say nature is healing. And it most certainly is. I say it’s also highly qualified — my unofficial doctor, counsellor, and personal trainer all rolled into one. No appointment…
The Purple Patch Mindset: Thriving in the Bright Moments
In sport, a ‘purple patch’ describes a run of form – a streak where everything seems to click, and you can do no wrong. It’s a beautiful phrase, evoking colour…
My 300 Cancer Non-Negotiables
There are certain things I will not compromise on when it comes to cancer. These are the non-negotiables. The things that I won’t dilute. Or take short-cuts with. Why? If…
When Cancer Feels Like a Criminal Record
In many ways, cancer can feel like having a criminal record and it’s something that’s always on your CV. It’s a sense of being marked, changed and branded. It follows…
The Quiet Gravity of Hope
Hope is not loud. It doesn’t kick the door in or wave a banner. It doesn’t shout over your fear or drown out your doubts. But it’s always there –…
Route 66: A Metaphor for the Cancer Journey
Sixty-six. What’s special about that number? Well, it’s the number of immunotherapy ‘spa’ treatments I can add to my CV as of tomorrow afternoon. Sixty-six. That’s a lot of treatments…
When Cancer Builds Invisible Walls: Living and Connecting Through Head and Neck Cancer
The lived experience of head and neck cancer can be profoundly lonely by very nature of the functions it robs you of. It is disabling. It robs you of your…