Stories
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…
The Smell of My Skin: What My Radiation Techs Never Told MeI remember the exact moment. I was halfway through my second week of radiotherapy, standing in the change cubicle at the cancer centre in inner Sydney, peeling…
The financial fog after my first insurance denialThe envelope looked ordinary: my name, the insurer’s logo, a few blocks of small print and a decision that somehow made my stomach drop. I had already lived…
How to make a chemo bag that actually brings comfortWhen you're facing hours in an infusion chair, the bag you carry through the hospital doors becomes more than luggage. It turns into a portable sanctuary, the…
Twenty Minutes of Shaking on the Bathroom Floor Post-DxThe shower had just turned off. I was standing in our en-suite in Brisbane, dripping onto the bath mat, when my chest did that weird flutter it sometimes does…