Today, I finally dropped off a bag of unwanted clothes at a charity collection bin.
Not a monumental achievement worthy of a post you may think … But it’s taken me SIX WEEKS to get around to doing it.
WHY?!
Read moreWhat Should I Say To A Friend Who Is Grieving?
What do you say to a friend who has suffered a bereavement? Should you message them your condolences? What do you write in a sympathy card? It can feel confusing and awkward when you’re that friend - the one who desperately wants to help but is terrified of saying the wrong thing and making it worse. Here I offer my advice on what to say to a grieving friend.
Read moreCan You Be Grateful When Your Life Is Falling Apart?
I used to think that being positive during a difficult time was a fancy form of denial. That it meant you had to gloss over the bad stuff and pretend that life is all rainbows and unicorns. But over time, I began to see that it’s not a binary decision. There is a middle ground.
Read more'Fast & Furious' - What Vin Diesel & Being a Carer Have In Common
We all know the Hollywood, car-chasing blockbuster franchise ‘Fast & Furious’ … but WTF has it got to do with caring for a loved one with a life-limiting illness? I’m starting to think maybe quite a bit!
Read more"It's the Why Bird Stop"
Remember Playdays? I bloody LOVED The WhyBird stop. My love for the sassy squawker was probably inevitable. From the moment I could talk, I said “WHYYYYY?” about as often as a Love Island contestant says “my type on paper”. I thought I’d grown out of this phase, but when my mum and dad got cancer, I turned back into the actual WhyBird. Why did we deserve this? Why does cancer even exist? Why did both my parents get ill?
Read moreDealing with their Diagnosis: The Day I Realised my Dad Wasn’t a Superhero
Most people would presume my childhood ended abruptly aged 14 when my dad died. In truth, I’d say it ended a little beforehand - one sunny August afternoon when my dad struggled to find the words to explain that he had cancer as I sat next to him on a picnic bench with a Calippo melting in my hand. It wasn’t his diagnosis as such that sent pubescent me into a tailspin, more the fact that it made me question everything that I knew to be true
Read more50 Shades Of Coping - Do you screw yourself over if you’re good at keeping it together?
Coping seems to be so black and white in people’s minds. Either you are or you aren’t. But in my experience, there’s a whole load of grey when it comes to managing when a loved one has cancer. Just because you went out with friends yesterday and were joking around this morning, it doesn’t mean you won’t be affected by your dad’s bad scan results this afternoon and cry yourself to sleep tonight.
Read more#SharingOnCaring 004 - Alice, 31, Gloucestershire
I was 25 when my mum was diagnosed with a brain tumour and just 4 short months later I had lost her.The thing I found hardest at the time was losing her at an age where we'd really just started to become friends - not just mother & daughter. We had plans for outings that never happened and I've beaten myself up so much about not having arranged them before she was ill but I just assumed she would always be there.
Read moreAm I Annoying The Person I'm Caring For?
It can be SUCH a hard balancing act when you find out a loved one has cancer. How can you be there for them without being in their face? I wanted to get the other side of the story from someone who has had cancer and the lovely B agreed to share her story ...
Read more5 Things NOT To Say When Someone Has A Family Member With Cancer
It would be pointless me writing an article about what you should say to someone who has a family member with cancer because everyone is different. So instead what I am going to do is tell you what not to say. Here are my five biggest pet peeves that people said to me while I was nursing my mum through her cancer.
Read more#SharingOnCaring 003 - Penny, 27, Cyprus
Like most Cypriot families, mine is large and filled with love but sadly six of my relatives have been lost to cancer, which is why I am writing this piece.
Read more#SharingOnCaring 002 - Anna, 29, London
15th June 2012. At the age of 33 my brother, a passive, gentle, kind hearted individual was rushed into the Bexley ward at St James Hospital, Leeds... a diagnosis of Leukaemia was given. That day marked the beginning of shaping me into the person I am today. I am sure my brother would say the same about himself, but for different reasons.
Read more#SharingOnCaring 001 - Rosie, 21, Suffolk
I think the thing I found most difficult was growing up for 11 years knowing that one day my mum was going to die. I know this has probably crossed everyone's mind at some point but between the ages of 7 to 18, this was always a very real possibility for me, at some times more than others.
Read moreNew Year - Same Fears
It’s all well and good for everyone else. You know, the ones Intagramming their way to a #newyearnewme as they down a protein shake after finishing a Joe Wicks workout (#2017goals anyone?) But how are you meant to feel about the new year when someone you love has cancer?
Read moreGetting Through Christmas After Losing A Loved One
After losing my parents, Christmas turned into something to be endured, not enjoyed. I still went to the parties, wrote the cards and wrapped the presents, but deep down, it all felt so flat and so fake. But, this year, very slowly, things are starting to change.
Read moreThe Pressure For a Picture-Perfect Christmas
When someone you love has cancer, managing ‘normality’ on a regular day is hard enough, let alone over the holidays! Caring for my mum while she was ill taught me to look for the perfect moments that hide within every imperfect experience.
Read more5 Tips For Surviving Mother's Day Without A Mum
There’s no avoiding Mother’s Day. Try as you may, it’s near impossible to sidestep the pastel-coloured supermarket displays overflowing with Lindt chocolates, special offer Prosecco and Dirty Dancing DVDs. So what happens when your mum isn't around for you to spoil?
Read more