On Radiotherapy

This week six years ago I began the course of radiotherapy which was to mark the final chapter of my … More

Lifesaving Poems: Rutger Kopland’s ‘I Cavalli di Leonardo’

I Cavalli di LeonardoAll those sketches he left behind –endless series of repetitions: bunches of muscles, sinews,knuckles, joints, the entire … More

Life After Chemo

The oddest phase of my experience of cancer six years ago was the period of time after my chemotherapy treatment … More

Lifesaving Poems: George Messo’s ‘The Beautiful Apartments’

  As I wrote in my recent post, I chose to call this series Lifesaving Poems because I actually believe … More

More Chelsea Than Sunderland

More Chelsea Than Sunderlandfor Humphrey PottsYour doctor’s line predicting your survival tickled mewatching Terry lift the trophy before the World … More

The Quiet Room

Six years ago today I was told I wasn’t going to die. Those weren’t the words my consultant used, but … More

Lifesaving Poems: Patrick Kavanagh’s ‘Wet Evening in April’

Here is what happened halfway through my treatment for non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in April 2006. I went for a midway scan … More

7 things I have learned about cancer

  Yesterday was the sixth anniversary of my diagnosis with non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma (NHL), an aggressive cancer of the lymphatic system. … More

On waiting to be diagnosed with cancer

Six years ago I began writing the journal which has become my forthcoming memoir of my experience of cancer. It … More

A Few Odds and Sods

By this time in January, 2006 I was fairly certain that something was very wrong with my health. Like a … More