Should we be talking about cancer?
This month I celebrated four years since the trip to BreastScreen that found triple negative cancer in my left breast. It's an important milestone for me. Unlike other forms of breast cancer, the ris...
Forum Discussion
This is the only online space where I discuss my cancer. I never, ever, mention it in any other forum or respond to click bait entreaties to support this, that or the other. I hope my experiences are of some use in this environment--we are sort of the ship of the damned, but it is a collective with a shared agenda.
If this episode follows the pattern of the last one, I'll be proactive and involved for about five years, (if I live that long) then I will move on. I've got well developed advocacy skills which I use to pressure a variety of authorities and services. I've been working for Cancer Australia for 8 years and will continue doing so for as long as they want me and still do a bit of public speaking but I have no interest in reliving my experience unless I can see there is a measurable chance of influencing someone to improve health services.
'Raising awareness' is rubbish, in my opinion. When it comes to breast cancer, people are precisely as aware as they choose to be. There is loads of information out there already and I see no point in participating in what I see as a futile exercise. Remember, this is just my opinion and it informs the actions I choose to take.
As to opinions, they are like arseholes, everyone has one. I can turn off quite effectively when I don't agree with someone, which I think, is a very healthy skill to cultivate.