I wasn’t just a cancer patient: I was a cartoonist. My surgeon wasn’t just a doctor: he had a baby on the way. My chemo nurse wasn’t only good at cannulating me: she has a love of skydiving. We are all more than our assigned roles. #cansky - ThreadSky

hayleygullen.com • 14 days ago

I wasn’t just a cancer patient: I was a cartoonist.

My surgeon wasn’t just a doctor: he had a baby on the way.

My chemo nurse wasn’t only good at cannulating me: she has a love of skydiving.

We are all more than our assigned roles.

#cansky

Comments

skugskellum.bsky.social•13 days ago

Nobody is just one thing.

farseeing.bsky.social•13 days ago

Fantastic!

archfluctuation.bsky.social•13 days ago

Wow, that doctor is 𝗦𝗘𝗥𝗜𝗢𝗨𝗦ly a good father!

inteedtoknow.bsky.social•13 days ago

So true, say hi to a stranger. Enjoy life.

goaskalice10.bsky.social•13 days ago

You are not your diagnosis. I do wish to put out there for complete healing and comfort.
Your post gave me pause to reflect ❤️

paveldmitrievich.bsky.social•14 days ago

When we understand that the public faces of people are not the sum or only part of the people we live with it becomes much, much easier to practice actual virtue. It becomes our default mode. Wouldn't that be nice.

dabxdee.bsky.social•13 days ago

❤️

sounddude.bsky.social•14 days ago

My wife is sceduled to have a biopsy in 10 days. I'm going to bookmark your site for her.

hayleygullen.com•14 days ago

Sending good wishes to you both.

sounddude.bsky.social•14 days ago

Thank you. We will get through this as well.

sojournerhere.bsky.social•14 days ago

Hear, hear

a2mteach.bsky.social•14 days ago

💙

wandamocats.bsky.social•14 days ago

My "pain management specialist" wasn't just an anesthesiologist. He had a urine kink. 😁

lturquoise.bsky.social•13 days ago

Wow, brilliant animation. 💙

sadears59.bsky.social•13 days ago

The difference is they CHOSE their rolls. You did not.

cubane-revolution.bsky.social•13 days ago

I love being kanoodled by skydiving chemo nurses!!

Congrats, BTW. Fuck cancer.

holodrake.bsky.social•13 days ago

It's sad some people don't know they can branch out their skill tree so it isn't a stick

dctblackwell.bsky.social•14 days ago

This is awesome, thank you!

pcyachtcharters.bsky.social•14 days ago

Excellent. Thanks for sharing.

suanish.bsky.social•14 days ago

That’s beautiful. Thank you and let’s see more of your journey! Good luck. You’ll have lots of support here💙

thann-t.bsky.social•13 days ago

I love the spirals. Best of luck with everything <3

hayleygullen.com•13 days ago

Lovely to see this post doing so well! Thanks everyone who reposted it and hi to new followers!

I’ll have a book out later this year. Stay tuned for updates in the not too distant future.

In the meantime you can buy my zine about chemo from @colossive.com for £2…

https://colossive.com/product/hayley-gullen-guide-to-chemo-colossive-cartographies-54/

hayleygullen.com•13 days ago

And, because like everyone who’s had cancer I am more than my diagnosis, here’s my second zine about… Pictish symbol stones. Also available via @colossive.com

https://colossive.com/product/adventures-in-pictland-hayley-gullen-colossive-cartographies-65/

400-otd.bsky.social•13 days ago

Jax was my most frequent nurse when I was in the radiation phase of treatment.
I never did know if Jax was male or female but I didn’t give a shit cuz Jax liked music and would play what I requested over the the speaker while I was isolated.
Jax was more than a nurse; Jax grew fond of John Prine 😊

xdeviantonex.bsky.social•13 days ago

All people in this tweet deserve the utmost respect and possibly a medal!

peaceporrage.bsky.social•14 days ago

Yep. You nailed it!😂

krkfm.bsky.social•13 days ago

🫡

msdragonmistress.bsky.social•14 days ago

Love your message here. ❤️

hayleygullen.com•14 days ago

Thank you!

stevemory.bsky.social•14 days ago

Excellent point. A disease or a disability does not define us.

wethepeople24.bsky.social•14 days ago

❤️

4suzx.bsky.social•13 days ago

Excellent!!! Well done👍👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏❤️😂

mrobb1.bsky.social•14 days ago

There is no gravity, skydivers know the Earth sucks!

shirllymarkiewicz.bsky.social•14 days ago

👍😜😉

laniet.bsky.social•13 days ago

Wishing you well

jdlionmusic.bsky.social•14 days ago

I love this. When my Dad was at MD Anderson, I met so many incredible and amazing people there. Cancer wasn't their story, it was the battle they had to fight to live their actual story.

michaeljohnmorris.bsky.social•13 days ago

#FuckCancer

drkarenphd.bsky.social•13 days ago

Thank you for this post!
All acute and chronic illness patients need to remember this 💙

ttaylor36.bsky.social•14 days ago

I hope you’ve had the joy of ringing the bell. As a former cancer patient, and a former nurse, I appreciate your reminder. Working in oncology is a particularly draining field, but where you get recharged with every win 😊

400-otd.bsky.social•13 days ago

I’ve been clear for two years but I never rang the bell; I chose walk away quietly and not tempt fate on my way out the door.
I have a profound admiration for people working in the oncology field; it takes a special breed.
Many thanks to you and am glad you were able to ring the bell.

ttaylor36.bsky.social•13 days ago

I get not tempting fate. My first battle with cancer lasted between 1995 through 2006. I lost count of the chemo & radiation sessions. I stayed in remission from 2006 to 2013. Then another round in 2015. Been cancer free since then. I thought cancer was the worst, then I got hit by a car 🫤

400-otd.bsky.social•13 days ago

Listen here and you listen good!
I don’t want to hear that you’re even remotely considering taking up skydiving.
You got that??

ttaylor36.bsky.social•13 days ago

LOL, been there, done that! I was 14. 😊 My uncle paid for his flying habit by taking skydivers up for jumps. Spent all day on the ground practicing from a tower jumping into foam. Then did 2 jumps for real. Checked it off my bucket list and called it good. But thanks, you made me laugh.

400-otd.bsky.social•13 days ago

Good deal; laughter may not be the best medicine but it ranks pretty high (not the same kind of as high as you have to be to jump out of a perfectly sound aircraft lol)

tommcintireartist.bsky.social•13 days ago

Be well!

unclehugh.me•13 days ago

Then why is society so desperate to label everyone and everything including themselves? 🤨
That is the real question behind all this.

dianestweets.bsky.social•14 days ago

I hear you.
I also have been fighting CANCER, for over 4 years.
My expensive top healthcare insurance provider just DENIED my upcoming PET SCAN to see if my cancer is gone, or still on my ovary.
Greed may have sentenced me to DEATH.

saltyginger.bsky.social•13 days ago

I can’t imagine your frustration with that. I swear they rely on you being too fatigued from your illness to fight it. I hope you get this resolved quickly and easily.

mirimg.bsky.social•13 days ago

❤️

jeffersonhairplan.bsky.social•13 days ago

True.

ifollowthewind.bsky.social•14 days ago

Sadly, more often than not, we find out how wonderfully diverse and talented people we knew were is at their funerals.

lgcoffeeplz.bsky.social•13 days ago

So much more💕🌸.

dr-lynn-kettell.bsky.social•14 days ago

Yes, nor was I just “bed 4” as a patient. #HelloMyNameIs

catsforpeace2.bsky.social•13 days ago

That is a perfect post. Just perfect. 💙💙

lobleytea.bsky.social•13 days ago

I wasn't just a cancer immunotherapy researcher, I was also a musician who would rush home every night to sing in my closet for TV commercials.

megpilato.bsky.social•14 days ago

This is what I love about my job, every (patient) has a story to tell, and my favorite part of the job is enjoying their telling. It takes so much stress out of their cardiac stress test!