Stories
The Secret Language of Scar Tissue: A Survivor’s MapScar tissue has a vocabulary of its own. It can speak through tightness when you reach for a high shelf, a tug beneath the arm when you pull on a bra, or a…
Asking for Help Without Feeling Like a BurdenBreast cancer can rearrange the quiet agreements in a relationship. The person who once packed lunches, organised school pick-ups or remembered every bill may…
What My Kids Asked Me About Cancer That Broke and Rebuilt MeCancer entered our family through a sentence I never wanted to say aloud: “Mum has breast cancer.” My children heard the words, watched my face, and began…
The Day I Realized I Didn’t Have to Be Brave AnymoreFor a long time, bravery was the outfit I wore to every appointment. It came with a practical handbag, a water bottle, a list of questions, and the determined…
Why I switched from WebMD to a real oncologist twiceThe first time I switched from WebMD to a real oncologist, I was convinced the internet had failed me personally. I had typed in a symptom looking for…
Lymphedema Sleeves You Can Actually Wear Out in AustraliaAfter my double mastectomy and the sentinel node biopsy that followed, lymphedema became the friend I never asked for but couldn't shake. My right arm puffed…
The Unexpected Friendship That Began in an Infusion SuiteThe first thing I noticed about the woman beside me was her socks. They were bright pink, covered in tiny red wine glasses, and completely at odds with the…
I Miss My Old Body, and That’s Not a BetrayalThere are days when I look at my body and feel grateful it carried me through breast cancer. There are other days when I miss the body I had before treatment…
How to Throw a “Boob-iversary” Party Without Making Everyone CryA treatment anniversary can arrive with surprisingly complicated luggage. There may be relief, pride, anger, gratitude, fatigue and the strange realisation…
Recovering from the reconstruction surgery you never budgeted forI had the mastectomy, I had the tissue expander swapped for an implant, and I thought the finish line was in sight. Then my surgeon in Sydney mentioned, almost…