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Robin Duke: I’ve Been Hacked
Writing our own illness stories is hard. Performing them is about ten billion times harder. When Robin Duke was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2008 her first instinct was to hide. Robin had written, performed and produced on stage and screen but she was determined that cancer was going to be a private performance. Now…
Read MoreWhat to do when your stoma pouch lights up in a full body airport scan…
Leaving New York from Laguardia yesterday my ostomy pouch was flagged in a TSA full body security scan. I was asked to step aside and told I needed to be searched. In front of staff and a crowd of fellow travellers the security officer pointed at the image of my body on the scanner, with…
Read MoreOvercrowded Emergency Departments: Toronto Star article
Yesterday’s Toronto Star featured an excellent article by health reporter Theresa Boyle about the current state of Ontario’s hospital emergency departments—overcrowded and forced to store patients in “unconventional spaces.” On January 28th I had gone to extreme lengths to pretend my bowel obstruction wasn’t serious for many hours before my partner Blair managed to convince…
Read MoreRemembering Kathy
Today Facebook reminded me that it is Kathy Dillon’s birthday. I knew Kathy in 2009-2010 when I facilitated a monthly writing group for people affected by cancer at Gilda’s Club in Toronto. Kathy was a delightful participant. Always open to trying things and always creating unexpected and thought-provoking work. She was a dedicated supporter of…
Read MoreLife is like a bowel obstruction
The dietician was the last person I spoke to when I was discharged from the hospital on Monday (yes, Monday, three days ago, Monday). He was being almost-too-respectful so I kind of felt like I had to shake him down for insight and advice. I wanted to know how I ended up in the emergency…
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