On November 29th 2007, ten years ago, when I’d just turned 40, a local eminent spinal surgeon had to give me some news that made my life stop in its tracks. He was looking at MRI images of my spine and seemed to be struggling to find the right words to tell me that my… Continue reading 40-50 And a Nod to Gratitude
A Date for Your Diary
Lots of you will know but some of you may not, that the month of October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. It’s acknowledged internationally, as the month for raising awareness about, and raising funds for, breast cancer. Originally introduced in America in 1985 by the American Cancer Society and the pharmaceutical section of Imperial Chemical… Continue reading A Date for Your Diary
Words
Which quotes inspire you? Do you have a favourite; one that really resonates with you? I read one a few days ago, on the wall of a treatment room at the Seven Wellbeing Centre at the Butterwick Hospice. I’ve seen it before but this time, it stayed with me: People may forget what you said but… Continue reading Words
A Mindful View
Really taking notice of my surroundings is a skill I’m continually trying to develop and I’m pleased to say I’ve become much better at it over recent years. If I was to give myself marks out of ten, I would say I’m a seven now, but it wasn’t that long ago that I was hovering… Continue reading A Mindful View
Good Enough Just As You Are
September, more so than January, always makes me think about new beginnings probably because of many past years working as a college lecturer. September heralds the start of the new academic year and, during my teaching years, this golden, autumnal month was the start of a fresh calendar, new students and a whole new academic year… Continue reading Good Enough Just As You Are
Hobson’s Choice
Chemotherapy is a highly toxic drug or combination of highly toxic drugs, given to a person who has been diagnosed with cancer, prescribed by an oncologist. Sounds straight forward enough? I knew precisely nothing about chemotherapy before I was diagnosed with cancer other than some types of chemotherapy made people’s hair fall out and some… Continue reading Hobson’s Choice
Radiators and Drains
A couple of years ago I was chatting to my twin sister about friendships. She said something to me that I hadn’t heard before which was: “You see, in life Laura, there are two types of people; radiators and drains”. My jaw fell open because I thought that was one of the most insightful things… Continue reading Radiators and Drains
The Power of a Smile
I started to think about the power of a smile when I read this week, that July 14th has been designated as the happiest day of the year, making it the day in which the most smiles will be seen according to leading psychologist, Dr Cliff Arnall, a former Cardiff University lecturer and now an NHS… Continue reading The Power of a Smile
Living With Hope
My thought for today is ‘hope’. It’s a word that, for the last 16 years, I’ve tried really hard, (actually that’s not true, I’ve tried really, really hard) to use as part of my everyday vocabulary even on days when I haven’t felt hopeful; saying the word out loud anchors me and reminds me of… Continue reading Living With Hope
Hello you!
Hi there! My name is Laura Ashurst. I’m a wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt, cousin and friend. For the last 16 years I’ve also been a cancer patient at James Cook University Hospital in Middlesbrough; I’m one of the one in eight women worldwide who develops breast cancer in her lifetime. I’m also a human being behind that statistic. I’m me and I’m living with cancer.
