Austin BirksJan 193 minFirst Blog of 2022Well, my dear chums, here we are and today was my first day back at chemo, having missed my last one and a half chemo sessions, which is...
Austin BirksOct 21, 20214 minA Milestone Is Achieved: 50 Doses Of Chemo - Not OutWell, my dear chums! Today is a landmark day in the life and times of myself, for today is the day that I attend the Rigby unit at...
Austin BirksOct 21, 20213 minOnce More Into The Breach Dear Friends (Back to Chemo After a 2-week Break)It was good while it lasted, I have to say, but it did not last long. My wonderful oncologist, Doctor Peter, had agreed to give me a...
Austin BirksJul 25, 20213 minThe Long And Winding Road: A Journey With CancerSo, here I am, my dear friends. It is 02.45 on Thursday July 22. The daily temperatures have been record-breaking for 5 days solid and...
Austin BirksJun 29, 20214 minSix Degrees of Cancer SeparationIt is a strange quirk of fate how we find ourselves drawn to music of different sorts. No rhyme or reason as to what we might like or...
Austin BirksJun 27, 20214 minFear and Faith... The Cancer ConundrumTruth be told, some days are frankly a bit frightening on this journey with cancer. And in truth, 9 days out of 10, I never bat an eye...
Austin BirksMay 8, 20215 minReaching The Age Of 61. Not Out... SomehowMonday, May 3rd, 2021 saw me celebrating my 61st birthday on a day that witnessed some truly wild and inclement weather. Part of me...
Austin BirksApr 25, 20215 minAttention: Emergency Code 2 in Freezer Aisle 23So, picture the scene: it's a lovely hot April evening and I am doing a spot of shopping in my usual supermarket. All is good. I've just...
Austin BirksApr 9, 20214 minLife is a GiftSo, here we are, a day or two after the bank holiday that has celebrated the resurrection of Christ. For me, if honest, I have in the...
Austin BirksApr 7, 20213 minWriting Again: Reflections on my Journey with CancerSo, here I am. It's been a long time, or so it seems, since I last wrote a blog. My world got turned upside down again on February 2nd,...
Austin BirksMar 5, 20211 minThe Power of FriendshipTime spent with dear friends who are supporting my third battle with cancer is absolutely priceless.
Austin BirksMar 3, 20211 minCycling 300 miles in 30 days - whilst on chemotherapy - to raise awareness for cancer researchAt the beginning of February 2021, I found out that my level 4a bowel cancer had returned for a third time. This was a tough blow, but as...
Austin BirksFeb 26, 20214 minCancer: the best of times and the worst of timesThere is a classic line in literature that says: it was the best of times and it was the worst of times. Yes, you get points if you know...
Austin BirksFeb 24, 20211 minLiving with a stoma bagI've had a stoma since September 2018, when I was unexpectedly diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer and had to undergo emergency surgery....
Austin BirksFeb 21, 20211 minStarting chemotherapy... again2 weeks ago I was diagnosed with bowel cancer for the third time. This week, I started back on the chemotherapy and medication regime.
Austin BirksFeb 14, 20211 minWhen Cancer Comes Back a Third TimeThe Bag for Life saga continues with the very recent news that cancer has returned in 2 places and yet again, I find myself on the eve of...
Austin BirksJan 30, 20214 minCancer, Cycling and ZwiftBefore I was diagnosed with level 4a bowel cancer in September 2018, it would be fair to say that if truth be told, I was not a huge fan...
Austin BirksJan 2, 20214 minCancer, Chemo and Corona: Campervan Contentment Hello my dear chums, I recently wrote my top ten good and bad review of 2020. It was a challenging and enjoyable task in equal measure....
Austin BirksDec 31, 202011 minReview of 2020: Ten Good, Ten BadHello, my dear chums! Well, here we are on the brink of a brand new year, after one of the most challenging and disturbing years in...