A key reason why I write this daily blog is to share learnings. Most recently a number of these learnings have come from my colon cancer journey. As I write this I am on day four of the first of eight three week cycles of “two weeks on, one week off” of taking Capecitabine tablets. That then brings my most recent and happy learning which is that, so far, my body is tolerating this regimen well. Of course, this may or may not remain true between now and five months from now when (if all goes well) I complete the eight cycles, having taken 1232 500mg tablets in total (yup, I worked that number out!).
Still, I will share the journey as I go, including what I learn in different ways.
My thought today is that I choose to share openly about this journey, and often in other ways. Some friends have shared with me privately that they have also had challenging health journeys then note that they do not share this openly.
This is always a choice for the individual. One thought from me, though, is that sharing can really help those who are starting out on a similar journey, it can normalise it, particularly if they hear from someone they know who has shared an experience that is similar or even the same.