Austin Birks
Reflections On Chemotherapy Dose 90, Small Scratch....
As my good friend Noah, the nurse, delicately uttered the magic words "slight scratch," he seamlessly inserted the needle into the vein,...
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Austin Birks
- Jun 10
- 3 min
Two Fat Ladies Click Click Click, Dose 88 of Chemotherapy
I used to enjoy playing Bingo once upon a time in this strange and wonderful world that I have lived in for 63 years. It was a different...
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Austin Birks
- Mar 13
- 6 min
The Dark Side Of Chemotherapy
Over the course of my 4 years and 6 months of living with cancer, a lot of kind people have said to me: “So, if you don't mind me asking,...
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Austin Birks
- Feb 11
- 4 min
Dose Number 82 Of Chemo, And 3 Broken Ribs… And A Partridge In A Pear Tree
And so it came to pass, my dear chums, that yesterday I had my 82nd dose of chemotherapy and what a strange case it was. Basically, 4...
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Austin Birks
- Jan 7
- 6 min
Review of 2022 - In Short: No, Thank You… Things Can Only Get Better
One of the benefits of being a rather sad, old, English gentleman like myself, is the fact that even though technology allows us to have...
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Austin Birks
- Dec 18, 2022
- 4 min
The Joy Of Meeting New People In Hospital
Forrest Gump famously said “Life is like a box of chocolates.” Now, I honestly have absolutely no idea what that means, but I always...
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Austin Birks
- Nov 10, 2022
- 7 min
Cancer And The Snakes And Ladders Conundrum, Or Shake Rattle And Roll!
When I first started writing these blogs back in late 2018, I had absolutely what was going to happen, or indeed what I was going to...
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Austin Birks
- Sep 13, 2022
- 5 min
Blood Clot MAAANNN......Rastafari
When I was a young punk, living in Birmingham in 1977, I would regularly go to gigs in the city centre. Watching the likes of The Clash...
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Austin Birks
- Sep 12, 2022
- 4 min
Chemotherapy Treatment Number 70, Reflections On A Life Well Lived
So, today my dear chums was on reflection a landmark day, I do not know if achieving 70 doses of chemo is a lot, or a little, and if...
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Austin Birks
- Sep 11, 2022
- 4 min
Reflections On Life And Death As Her Majesty The Queen Embarks On Her Final Journey
As I write this blog, I am watching the mortal remains of her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II leave Balmoral castle for the very last time, as...
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Austin Birks
- Aug 20, 2022
- 7 min
From The Top Of My Head To The Tips Of My Toes... Nobody Knows Where The Cancer Goes. Part 3:Bottoms
When I set off on this little journey to explore what the side effects of the chemotherapy actually do to you physically, across, well,...
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Austin Birks
- Jul 30, 2022
- 6 min
From The Top Of My Head To The Tips Of My Toes…Who Knows Where The Cancer Grows… Part 2
Following on from the first part of my journey exploring what the side effects of chemotherapy are and what they are actually like. I...
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Austin Birks
- Jul 30, 2022
- 6 min
From The Top Of My head To The Tips Of My Toes…No one Knows Where The Cancer Goes….Part 1: The head
I often get asked what having chemo is really like, and my reply is consistent: the chemo itself is actually quite manageable. After 68...
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Austin Birks
- Jun 14, 2022
- 4 min
The Noble Art Of Comedy
I was once told that only 1 in every 10,000 people would actually have the courage to walk onto a stage and try and make complete...
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Austin Birks
- Jun 14, 2022
- 3 min
Reflections On Life And Death In 2022
So, my dear chums, a new year is already upon us and can you believe it, we are already in February. Not sure where January went, but hey...
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Austin Birks
- Jan 19, 2022
- 3 min
First Blog of 2022
Well, 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...
144 views0 comments
Austin Birks
- Oct 21, 2021
- 4 min
A Milestone Is Achieved: 50 Doses Of Chemo - Not Out
Well, 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...
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Austin Birks
- Oct 21, 2021
- 3 min
Once 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...
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Austin Birks
- Jul 25, 2021
- 3 min
The Long And Winding Road: A Journey With Cancer
So, 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...
148 views1 comment
Austin Birks
- Jun 29, 2021
- 4 min
Six Degrees of Cancer Separation
It 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...
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