One minute I was recovering from surgery trying to stop Bella from launching herself at my dressing and the next I was opening a card from a member of the Murder Capital. Kindness seemed to arrive from everywhere during those weeks. Sometimes the right words arrive at the right time.

The surgery was over before I knew it had even begun. Waking up brought relief, gratitude, unexpected emotions and a new perspective on life and death. From heated blankets and compression socks, to smurf-blue side effects and the kindness of nurses. This chapter is about recovery, kindness and learning to see things differently on the other side of surgery.

In this chapter, I reflect on one of the biggest decisions of my cancer journey, choosing between a mastectomy and breast-conserving surgery with reconstruction. Alongside the uncertainty of surgery planning, I also reached an important personal milestone: turning 50. Between hospital appointments, pre-surgery preparation, birthday reflections, and finding small moments of joy with family, Bella, and a walk at Rougey, this chapter captures the strange balance of ordinary life continuing in the middle of cancer treatment.

Big decisions! They don’t get much bigger than this!

Should I have a lumpectomy or mastectomy? A raw, honest reflection on the moment surgery became real and the emotional weight of making a life-changing decision.

The first milestone of treatment. They couldn’t see the tumour. What a result. Get in there!

When I lost my hair during cancer treatment a 10-year-old called me a rock star. In the middle of chemo, pink outfits and bald days, it was childhood honesty, not adult reassurance, that gave me confidence to own it.

Each day brought something new! I knew hair loss was coming, I didn’t expect it to happen so soon. This is the day it started and the moment I chose to take control.

The days after my first chemo were harder than I expected. Here I share what recovery really felt like; the side effects, the fatigue and the first time I had to say no and listen to my body. What really happens in the days after chemo and how do you know when to stop pushing yourself?

Hair we go! Chemo Day One was a mix of fear, kindness and the unknown. From arriving at the Cancer Centre to receiving my first treatment this post shares what it was really like; practically and emotionally.

Whatever was going to happen I just had to accept and trust what I was being told.

A lump? Or not a lump? That is the question!

Meet Bella. Before meeting Bella I knew she was the one! Introduction was short and we had very little time to prepare for her coming home with us. But we got ourselves together and brought Bella home with us.

Why a blog?