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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...
Austin Birks
Mar 19, 20244 min read
176 views
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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,...
Austin Birks
Mar 13, 20236 min read
209 views
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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...
Austin Birks
Jul 30, 20226 min read
113 views
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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...
Austin Birks
Apr 25, 20215 min read
124 views
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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...
Austin Birks
Feb 26, 20214 min read
102 views
1 comment


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....
Austin Birks
Feb 24, 20211 min read
41 views
1 comment


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,...
Austin Birks
Mar 17, 20201 min read
68 views
2 comments


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...
Austin Birks
Mar 14, 20201 min read
74 views
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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...
Austin Birks
Jan 17, 20204 min read
73 views
1 comment


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...
Austin Birks
Dec 5, 20191 min read
150 views
2 comments


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...
Austin Birks
Nov 20, 20193 min read
129 views
3 comments


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...
Austin Birks
Nov 15, 20193 min read
73 views
0 comments


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...
Austin Birks
Nov 13, 20192 min read
150 views
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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...
Austin Birks
Nov 6, 20194 min read
160 views
3 comments
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