Austin Birks
Trouble and strife with the strawberry tart
In my adolescent years, I had a mate of mine called Eamonn Martin. One of the things that we used to do was make up our own version of...
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Austin Birks
Mar 13, 20236 min read
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
Jul 30, 20226 min read
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
Apr 25, 20215 min read
Attention: Emergency Code 2 in Freezer Aisle 23
So, picture the scene: it's a lovely hot April evening and I am doing a spot of shopping in my usual supermarket. All is good. I've just...
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Austin Birks
Feb 26, 20214 min read
Cancer: the best of times and the worst of times
There is a classic line in literature that says: it was the best of times and it was the worst of times. Yes, you get points if you know...
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Austin Birks
Feb 24, 20211 min read
Living with a stoma bag
I've had a stoma since September 2018, when I was unexpectedly diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer and had to undergo emergency surgery....
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Austin Birks
Mar 17, 20201 min read
Austin's Story - Inspiration in the Face of Adversity
This is the full video of the talk I gave on the 20th February 2020, telling my story with bowel cancer since 2018, living with a stoma,...
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Austin Birks
Mar 14, 20201 min read
Austin's Story, Coming to Cinemas Near You Soon
Ahead of the full presentation that I gave at the University College Birmingham, EV Productions have compiled this cheeky little taster...
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Austin Birks
Jan 17, 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...
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Austin Birks
Dec 5, 20191 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...
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Austin Birks
Nov 20, 20193 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...
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Austin Birks
Nov 15, 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...
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Austin Birks
Nov 13, 20192 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...
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Austin Birks
Nov 6, 20194 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...
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