Chapter 1: Introduction to My Cancer Journey

In a prior post, I shared that I had authored several pieces on Substack regarding my battle with cancer. It appears that one can share the same article on both Substack and Medium, so to engage with a broader audience, I plan to repost those writings here before delving into various topics related to my writing.

This marks my initial article on Substack, published on July 16, 2023. "She has the cancer." You know you’ve reached a certain level of recognition in the realm of illness when you overhear an elderly Irish individual utter this about you. All my previous health issues were dismissed with ease by the older generation in my community, yet there’s no disputing this one. While there are minimal upsides to my current circumstances, I cherish the small comforts I can find. (One of these is that people now opt for premium gifts; I recently received a bottle of Grey Goose vodka — certainly not the generic brand for a cancer patient to consume, but I digress.)

Indeed, I do have cancer… or at least I did a few months back. I underwent surgery to remove tumors and am currently in chemotherapy. We’ll see where things stand in a few months when I undergo more tests. The irony is that I appeared perfectly healthy when I was diagnosed with cancer, yet now I resemble a character from a hastily made Netflix series, emerging from a hole to cause chaos. Occasionally, I glance at the zombie-like figures in The Last of Us to feel better about the current disarray reflected back at me. But for now, I’ll stick with saying I have cancer until someone tells me otherwise. In this post-apocalyptic state of mind, I take nothing for granted. Oops, there I go again, blending my reality with The Last of Us. It does feel somewhat apocalyptic in this unfamiliar, unrecognizable phase of life.

Section 1.1: Understanding the Purpose of This Blog

So, you may wonder, what’s the purpose here? While I can't alleviate your existential dilemmas or provide profound insights about life (and if you have any, do drop me a line to enlighten a fellow human), the aim of this blog is to document my experiences throughout this cancer journey. It will focus less on medical appointments and their intricacies and more on my everyday observations of life in this new city. What are the must-see attractions? What unique activities can one partake in here? And perhaps we’ll explore how to eventually escape this place. I’ll leave the existential musings to my old friend Sammy; I can’t fathom why I keep picking that up lately.

Subsection 1.1.1: Daily Life During Treatment

Chapter 2: Reflections and Insights

As I navigate through this journey, I look forward to sharing more of my thoughts and experiences with you.