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Throwing a living wake
It was my 53rd birthday mid October. I was diagnosed with terminal metastatic breast cancer in mid September and the week of my birthday had just done my fourth palliative chemo. The weekly chemos had...
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Cancer, Chemo and Mythbusting
I am not a doctor, just a layperson with metastatic breast cancer. These are my experiences and views as someone who has had mundane completely treatable cancers, who has had early treatable cancerous...
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The Language Of Death
As a person with metastatic breast cancer facing what is expected to be my last year with a body, I wanted to explore the language surrounding death, dying and end of life… Are we ‘the body’… do we...
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Facing death with positivity
Facing death… I keep hearing how brave, how positive I am. But is it all about positivity, or is it broader? I’ve been trying to understand what has shaped my perspective to see if it really all came...
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On living, dying and metastatic breast cancer
I was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer in Sept 2016. It had metastasised to my liver with innumerable tumors and no chance at resection. This is expected to most likely be my last year. I have...
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Dying With Dignity – nothing about us without us
Before anyone self righteously takes a stand against right to a dignified death, keep in mind dying with dignity has strong clear guidelines… the person must have no more than 6 mths to live and this...
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Visiting me after I’m gone by Polly Samuel (aka ‘Donna Williams’)
When I leave the body I will continue to live on in all who have known me. This is why they say ‘survived by…’ . I will live on in their hearts and minds, whether they are conscious of me or not, in...
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To love is to EMPOWER – by Polly Samuel (aka ‘Donna Williams’)
To love is TO EMPOWER and perhaps this is never so pertinent as when talking about someone who is in their last months in the body. It is great to offer ‘helping’ someone to HELP THEMSELVES, for this...
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Eulogy by my cousin Sandi
My cousin Sandi was a Sista to me from age 9-13, a fellow survivor of child abuse a fun, wild, Dag who accepted a very whacky cousin in the magic of her own world who shared it with her in ways I...
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Memorial speech by Chris Samuel, Polly’s husband
This is the tribute that I, Chris Samuel, read at my wife Polly’s memorial recently. Do not go gentle into that good night. Rage, rage against the dying of the light. So ends the poem by Welsh poet...
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