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Cancer Is A Roller Coaster, Just Got To Ride It...
And so I quote the immortal words of the mighty Ronan Keating, in one of his finest pop ditties; except there is, of course, a subtle...

Austin Birks
Mar 14, 20203 min read


Sampson and Delilah, and No Blogs...
I recall, as a young child, being quite intrigued by the story of Sampson and Delilah; the idea of some superhero with long hair that...

Austin Birks
Mar 12, 20203 min read


My Cancer Journey
When I was originally diagnosed with Level 4a bowel cancer in September 2018, it was a complete surprise. Mostly, because the original...

Austin Birks
Jan 28, 20204 min read


Sainsbury’s Stoma Surprise... Water Closet!
I have to say that as a stoma bag user on a daily basis... Mind you, it’s not like you can take a day off, or just go back to the good...

Austin Birks
Jan 17, 20204 min read



Austin Birks
Jan 11, 20200 min read


Ho, ho, ho, The Force is Strong With This One. Aka: The Real Spirit of Christmas
So, what a great Christmas that was! And indeed, the festive season continues in full flow. It is, without doubt, a wonderful but strange...

Austin Birks
Dec 29, 20193 min read


Austin's Week: Christmas 2019
The weather on Christmas morning was wonderful in the Clent Hills, so Yvi and I went for a little walk and decided to do a short...

Austin Birks
Dec 27, 20191 min read


I am dreaming of a white (blood cells) Christmas
Before I was unwittingly enrolled into the cancer club, it is fair to say that I really did not have a clue about, well frankly, anything...

Austin Birks
Dec 24, 20194 min read


Fluorescent Socks, The New Black
I've always loved music, from an early age. Indeed, I can recall when I was about 13 and had been working as a washer upper in a Wimpy...

Austin Birks
Dec 11, 20194 min read


Living in a Box
So, here we are again. It is 01:56 on a Sunday morning. I’m watching some film about USA special forces, as they like to say, “kicking...

Austin Birks
Dec 9, 20194 min read


Austin's Week - 05 December 2019: A New Chemo Regime
I've had an eventful week. After having a portacath fitted, I started my new chemo regime of Cetuximab and FOLFIRI. The side effects have...

Austin Birks
Dec 5, 20191 min read


Woop, woop, disco duck! And portacath!
Today Austin had a small procedure to fit him with a portacath. He also received some exciting news I wanted to share!

Austin Birks
Nov 26, 20192 min read


A Bag Is For Life Not Just For Christmas
When I was in hospital recovering from the life-saving surgery that saved my life, when a tumor the size of the surgeon's fist was...

Austin Birks
Nov 20, 20193 min read


Riders on the Stom...a
Not only a classic tune from The Doors in the sixties, but I thought a fitting title for my next stoma bag related ramblings. Living with...

Austin Birks
Nov 15, 20193 min read


It's a Stoma in a Teacup
One of the great ironies, and at the same time, benefits of owning a stoma bag, is the sense of liberation that you acquire after you...

Austin Birks
Nov 13, 20192 min read


Austin's Week - Video Diary for 10th November 2019
Following the launch of the new website last week I thought that it might be interesting to keep a little video diary about living life...

Austin Birks
Nov 10, 20191 min read


Any Port In A Storm...a
One of the rather strange consequences of having level 4a stage bowel cancer, is that depending on your severity, sadly sometimes it...

Austin Birks
Nov 6, 20194 min read
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