Welcome to Sick & Tired: raw truths, rogue humour and radical healing

Want to join me in my cancer journey?

This isn’t my first rodeo with breast cancer.

But it is my first time having treatment beyond surgery. First time around in 2018, I ‘only’ had 9 hours of surgery, a mastectomy and diep reconstruction. Who knew you could get free tummy tucks with your breast cancer?! I then had my reconstruction beautifully tattooed to cover the scars live on national television, because, who I am to pass up the opportunity to inspire and empower other women going through tough times by showing them it’s possible to reclaim your body and feel good about yourself again.

Every year I would go for my annual scans and check-ups and everything was always fine. Well, I say fine, there was always a ton of anxiety about results, and I always hated being shoved into scanners and machines, and would refer to it as my annual ‘being groped by strangers’ appointment.

Then this January, the radiographer spotted something different from a year ago. Biopsies quickly followed, then confirmation that yes, the cancer had returned. Surgery followed and was a success, and while I was back on stage giving a bunch of talks for International Women’s Day events within days, I was also incredibly tired mntally and in pain for quite a few weeks. I have a mild traumatic brain injury from a terrible car accident in June 2023, and my brain did not like the general anesthetic at all…

The oncologist confirmed that chemo was going to be the very best way to prevent any recurrence or secondaries in the future, with radiotherapy after that and then hormone and immune therapy to follow. Belt and braces. As a solo mother who has a big mission in the world, doing everything possible to secure the long-term is the best option, even if it is going to be pretty rubbish in the short-term.

This space is going to be a place for me to share about what’s going on for me as I go through treatment, and my thoughts about what’s going on in the world

Sick and tired, because I’m going to feel sick and be really tired, and because before this happened, all of my work focused around writing about and working towards ending things in the world that I’m totally sick and tired of. Mostly sexism and misogyny, with an occasional forray into antisemitism in the post October 7th world.

You’re invited to join me as I go through treatment and beyond

This space will be somewhere where I document how I’m feeling, share dark humour, insights about my own experience as I go through chemo and then radiotherapy and beyond, and sometimes rant about misogyny and sexism, because that’s part of me to my core and I will not keep quiet about any of that, nor will it go away, just because I’m having cancer treatment.

Women who long for an end to patriarchy, and want to get inspired about how to keep going in tough times, you are so very welcome here. And everyone else who wants to join my journey and enjoys my perspective.

I don’t know how often I’ll post.

Mostly when I’ve got something worth saying, an insight pops up for me, a piece of news drops that I feel I have something worth saying about. Not if I feel like total shite (hint: sick and tired) and don’t have it in me to create, obviously.

Here’s a picture of me with my adorable dog Fizzy, a cockerpoo, please enjoy our matching hair…I’m going to try to cold cap to see if some of my hair can be saved, but it may be completely incompatible with the brain situation. Let’s see.

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