johndabell The Apprentice Optimist: Training in Courage and Perseverance
You don’t become an optimist overnight. You don’t just wake up one morning, brimming with hope and courage, able to stare down adversity with a calm smile. No – optimism…
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…
The Reality of Survival: Hurt, Hard Work, and Holding On
It’s time to reflect on just how far you have come. You’ve survived! Survival is rarely noble. It’s not clean or cinematic. It’s not always a story of victory paraded…
You Are the Only One in Charge of You
There’s a simple but powerful truth I’ve learned: you are the only one in charge of you. Nobody else gets to live your life for you. Nobody else can feel…
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…
The Quiet Power of Persistence: Why Quitting Too Soon Costs You Everything
We are addicted to instant gratification. People want results now, and if things don’t fall neatly into place? They quit. A problem arises? Quit. An obstacle blocks the path? Quit.…
Fill Your Tank: Hope is the Fuel
When cancer tries to flood your mind with fear, your first line of defence isn’t found in test results or treatment plans. It’s found in hope. Hope isn’t some soft,…
Firefighters of the Soul – Thank You for Showing Up
When the house is on fire, you find out fast who brings water – and who disappears in the smoke. Most cancer patients will know exactly what that feels like.…
JKG: The Three Letters That Carry You Through
There are three letters you need to pack in your mental bergen—three consonants that don’t weigh a thing but will carry you when your legs, heart, and hope start to…
You Learn To Walk Differently On The T(r)opic Of Cancer
Walking the Tropic of Cancer is something I’ve always wanted to do. I’ve seen Simon Reeve do it and felt quite envious. I’ll keep it on my bucket list just…