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A diagnosis can pull us out by the roots
August 1, 2023
Last summer my pink miniature hibiscus started to outgrow its pot so I decided to risk planting it in the garden with the lemon tree and some other shrubs for company.The hibiscus had been a feature on my deck for years, flowering prolifically, a real companion of sorts, so ...
It's good to have hair on cold days
July 24, 2023
There is a cold southerly wind coming up the Gulf this afternoon, whipping the grey-green waves into white-capped frenzy and chilling the bones. I was out running errands earlier and the thought came into my head: I’m so glad to have hair keeping my head warm, because ther...
When everyone thinks you're better ...
February 15, 2023
... but you're not.A diagnosis of breast cancer heralds the start of a lengthy period of treatment and recovery. Much depends on the individual and the treatments needed but that period can be 6 months, 12, even 18 months or longer.It's an unfortunate fact that surgery,...
'Just keep busy.'
December 8, 2022
From guest blogger Jane Bissell
You've been diagnosed with breast cancer and surgery is a few weeks away.
Those few weeks may feel like years. You want something to be done now, you don't want to hang about.
Many say this can be the most difficult time: The Waiting. The ad...
Being diagnosed during the holidays
November 30, 2022
From guest blogger Jane Bissell
'How can I celebrate Christmas when I’ve been diagnosed with breast cancer?'
Everyone is decorating their homes, shopping for gifts, buying up large for Christmas dinners and celebrations, and going to end-of-year parties …
You've been giv...
Becoming a peer support volunteer
October 21, 2022
Tū rangatira ai'. 'We've been there too.'
'Paying it forward' to help someone else going through a journey that you know well can be a rewarding experience.
Breast Cancer Support Aotearoa is on a mission to provide the best peer support possible to women, men and their fam...
Recovery: A salute to the sun
May 27, 2022
About three weeks after my mastectomy surgery when the last of the supportive troops of friends, pouring through the front door bringing baskets of baking, armfuls of flowers, cards with hopeful messages and boxes of freezer meals turned to a trickle it signalled time for a ...
I have always been an animal lover and for some reason dogs have always been my ’true love’. Dogs embrace everything I love about animals – beauty, loyalty and never-ending devotion and love.
In my life, so far, I have had three wonderful dogs but my most special compa...
Treatment: Cancer Etiquette
May 27, 2022
You’d never know that many of us at the chemotherapy unit are bald as. Scarves, beanies, hats, and wigs hide the peachy fuzz on our heads. There is a good reason for this: it’s cold with a bald head. But I suspect there’s more to our cover-up.
Without even knowin...
Initial Diagnosis: Whispers of Pain
May 24, 2022
I thought I heard your voice speak
But my mind was somewhere else
You called me by my first name
But I felt like someone else
The only thing I knew for sure
Was the pain I knew I had to endure
The sunrise that I might not see
My grandchildren sitting upon my knee
My voice wa...
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