Day one of treatment is finally here. I didn’t sleep much last night. A bit of nerves and, oddly perhaps, excitement. Perhaps just on account of finally reaching first base ten weeks after diagnosis. My experience last time I had cancer was so much simpler but I get that this is complex and I have…

A former colleague from Channel 4 kindly sent me this wonderful book of poems by Lemn Sissay out of the blue. Thank you Jane! It arrived on my doormat this morning like a little ray of sunshine and I love it. It is a handbag sized bright yellow tome, perfect for carrying to appointments. I…

The past few days have prompted an unexpectedly profound reflection in me on what it is to want to live. Not bravado or courage, just stoicism and a strong attachment to life. This was prompted by an ancestral vision during a somewhat stressful wisdom tooth extraction, a trip to see the musical Hades Town and…

Finally, after 8 weeks of medical mayhem, a quiet month arrives like a lull in the storm. A chance to take stock and get the necessary done before treatment starts. There is a schedule and a rhythm to this mirror world of being a cancer patient with secondaries and I realise I am being acclimatised.…