Cancer patients are often framed as being in a fight with their illness – I hold a different view. I have officially completed my final full day at the hospital. After receiving tomorrow's treatment, I will be discharged and return home once more. Cycle 2 has in many ways been more comfortable than Cycle 1. … Continue reading Cycle 2, Day 4 – 14 August 2026 →

The one in which my oncologist talks himself out of giving me more injections and also finds out I'm a Buddhist. With the third full day done and dusted, I am now over halfway through my second inpatient stay. Tomorrow will be my last full day at the hospital and by Saturday evening I will … Continue reading Cycle 2, Day 3 – 13 August 2026 →

Tiny changes can sometimes make a huge difference or a tale of soaps and blankets. Day 2 of Cycle 2 is complete and it's a milestone because it was the longest day of the cycle in that I received all three of my chemo meds. Three full days left and so far we are still … Continue reading Cycle 2, Day 2 – 12 August 2026 →

Sometimes you're so deep in talk with those you love that you completely forget you're in a hospital hooked up to The Poisonator 3000. Returning to the hospital today felt almost suspiciously easy. It's early August so lots of people are away on holiday and the building itself felt quiet. When I got back to … Continue reading Cycle 2, Day 1 – 11 August 2026 →

One third of my treatment is now complete – some thoughts before the start of Cycle 2 tomorrow. I'm once again packing my suitcase for what will – hopefully – be a shorter hospital stay this time around. I have no surgery and no specialist appointments this time around, just 5 days of BEP chemotherapy. … Continue reading Cycle 1, Final Day – 10 August 2026 →

How to turn a side effect of an aggressive cancer therapy into a beautiful bonding experience or hi there I'm bald now. The hair issue was ultimately resolved rather quickly in the form of two of my closest friends taking turns wielding a razor, preparation consisting of a brief scroll down the TikTok search page, … Continue reading Cycle 1, Day 18 – 6 August 2026 →

My hair has started falling out this morning and it wasn't nearly as dramatic as the movies make it out to be. I wondered before starting chemotherapy whether I would get to live out one of those movie moments where the protagonist reaches into their hair and to their utmost horror discovers whole strands of … Continue reading Cycle 1, Day 16 – 4 August 2026 →

Sometimes in life, stockpiling crackers is the right call to make. Other times, however, you end up having to course-correct by loading your freezer with pizzas. As you may have noticed, I took a little break from the daily updates. This is partly because the comfort of being back home has somewhat dulled my productive … Continue reading Cycle 1, Day 10 – 29 July 2026 →

Healing is receiving meds under professional supervision. But healing is also a take-away pizza at a familiar dinner table. I have officially completed my first inpatient chemo block of my treatment. Five days of chemotherapy and I am... fine. My taste has changed very slightly. Plain water is a hit-or-miss, but still works if served … Continue reading Cycle 1, Day 7 – 26 July 2026 →

Everything is relative or how a bag of crisps can be the best meal you've had all year. Today marked my final full day of inpatient chemotherapy for my first cycle. Tomorrow I will only receive the dose that was missed on Tuesday and by the afternoon, I will be back home. One tricky thing … Continue reading Cycle 1, Day 6 – 25 July 2026 →