Happy  Anniversary?
Cancer, Managing Daily Life James Foley Cancer, Managing Daily Life James Foley

Happy Anniversary?

Should we mark let alone celebrate a negative anniversary?
If so how?
It is a matter of personal choice how a person should remember an anniversary. It can be a celebration of thankfulness of survival. It can be a time to take stock and allow yourself to be reconciled with what you may have lost but also to be greatful for what you have the increased significance it has for you.

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Dying to survive: Facts about suicide in Ireland
Our Search for Meaning, Suicide James Foley Our Search for Meaning, Suicide James Foley

Dying to survive: Facts about suicide in Ireland

The reality of suicide has touched all of us in some way.
The statistics of suicide are bleak.

Whether it is younger or older people, male or female, the reasons for suicide are individual to each person’s story. Common to most stories are the realities of isolation and hopelessness. Perhaps this is because by the time a person comes to the point of suicide, they have stopped properly engaging with people and have lost hope that there is any solution apart from death.

Thankfully, there are numerous emergency services available via the phone to meet these people in their time and place of need.

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Small Picture                         Big Picture
Cancer, Our Search for Meaning James Foley Cancer, Our Search for Meaning James Foley

Small Picture Big Picture

About halfway through my chemotherapy, which I was on for 5 months in total, I was really struggling with accepting what was happening.
I accepted that my survival prospects were good, but I was angry with the life I was losing. Simply put, I just felt it was unfair. Additionally, I had lost my spacious, bright room, which had an access space before entering, making it very private. I was now in a dark, poky room which looked straight onto the main corridor.
I had a long way to go, and things seemed to be getting worse.

I took solace that the moment I was caught in was just that. A day would come when I would re-enter the fullness of life, I believed. I wanted to see the big picture.

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On  being  Diagnosed  with  Cancer
Cancer, Our Search for Meaning James Foley Cancer, Our Search for Meaning James Foley

On being Diagnosed with Cancer

This blog was written when I was in the early stages of being in hospital, being treated for cancer, the 2nd half of 2020..
In many ways, this reads as a diary entry where I outline the events of my illness, starting with pre-diagnosis and ending somewhere after my first of six rounds of chemotherapy.

I delve into the emotional and physical trauma of that time. What gave me strength and what made me weak. Relational and spiritual issues are highlighted.

This is all in the context of the initial 2020 lockdown, which meant I had to experience this painful medical world alone.

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