Chemo Chic

The Future Starts Here

2012-05-22T20:46:00.002+01:00

var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-11043511-1"); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {} I started writing this blog following my own diagnosis with

How the World of Wigs Has Changed

2012-05-09T12:38:00.003+01:00

var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-11043511-1"); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {} Deepa had to go through the trauma of losing her hair as a teenager.

What's In Your Cosmetics? Who Knows?

2012-03-27T23:58:00.001+01:00

Box Clever

2012-03-17T17:44:00.000Z

My recovery programme has involved a truckload of therapies: chemotherapy; radiotherapy; adjuvant therapy; massage therapy; green juice therapy; brown rice therapy; psychotherapy… to name but a few. The therapy that has undoubtedly been the most fun is my patented Product Replacement Therapy. PRT* involves replacing all of my toxic cosmetics and beauty products with superior natural

Talkin' About Hair Loss Baby!

2012-03-17T16:30:00.000Z

Product Replacement Therapy - Live!

2012-03-16T20:40:00.001Z

Almost three years ago I was diagnosed with breast cancer. I dived head first into researching and informing myself about every possible cure and contributory factor, no matter how insane. Once I'd calmed down a bit, I realised that there were about five areas where I could make fundamental changes in my lifestyle that would improve my outcome and, ultimately, my life. These were: 1. diet

And More Good News...

2012-02-07T13:14:00.005Z

My book, The Elegant Art of Falling Apart, is to be published in the UK this Spring. Based on this very blog, the book tells the story of cancer, a bad boyfriend and good friends. Only with a lot less waffle. If you read the papers or listen to cultural shows on the radio or indulge in any kind of communication with the big wide world beyond facebook, you may be aware that the publishing

Airborne Glamour

2012-02-07T12:55:00.000Z

So now you know that I am in sometimes-sunny Sydney. Obviously I got here on an aeroplane but unless you’ve ever done it yourself you may be unaware of just what a long and arduous flight it is from the UK to Australia… even for brats like me who insist on spending every penny of their hard earned cash on a business class ticket (best deals: Trailfinders). Which was just as well because

Congratulations!

2012-02-03T12:11:00.002Z

First bit of good news that I've been meaning to tell you about:  <!--[if gte mso 10]> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal";

Oh My Goodness Is That The Time Already?

2012-02-03T11:26:00.001Z

I know! I have abandoned you and I’m sorry. Every day I intend to write a piece for Chemo Chic. And every day the beach and the sunshine beckon me away from my laptop. By the time I return with my hair full of salt and my brain befuddled with bliss it seems that the only realistic course of action is to lie on the couch and languidly eat a mango whilst Samantha makes us a nice cup of tea. I’

ila Put a Spell on You

2011-12-07T23:40:00.003Z

Review by Jessica Jones I am under the spell of ila. To say that ila is a range of utterly sumptuous home spa products would be completely underselling the whole thing. From their website... “...by embracing the utmost ethical integrity that we can harness the earth’s highest natural vibrations: vibrations with the power to reach beyond the physical to nourish emotional and spiritual

Head BAM

2011-11-28T17:21:00.001Z

Hooray! Our first contribution to the Chemo Chic Project. var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-11043511-1"); pageTracker._trackPageview(); } catch(err) {} BAM Bamboo

The Chemo Chic Project is Born

2011-11-18T17:39:00.001Z

With the publication of my memoir The Elegant Art of Falling Apart, I feel that my personal Chemo Chic story has been told. It is time for Chemo Chic to take a new direction. When I was diagnosed there was so much I did not know. I still don't know a great deal - but everything that I have learned along the way I have shared on this blog. And to me, that is the point: Chemo Chic is

Attention, New Yorkers

2011-10-24T19:32:00.000+01:00

I received this from the photographer David Jay. If you're in New York this week I urge you to go along. The Scar Project is a very moving and thoughtful body of work. var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); try { var

Look, a Book

2011-10-15T18:51:00.000+01:00

Bang a gong! Play that funky music white boy! Get down with the trumpets! Hit me with your rhythm stick! Why the big hullabaloo? Jessica Jones' eagerly awaited book The Elegant Art of Falling Apart is published this week by Hachette Australia. The book tells the touching tale of a woman who was diagnosed with breast cancer and how she got through it by writing a mad blog about cancer

The Hair-Story Continues...

2011-10-12T23:01:00.000+01:00

On October 15th, 2009, two years ago, I had my final (I hope) chemotherapy session. Bald as a billiard ball I progressed to five weeks of radiotherapy and, during that time, small fluffy strands of hair started to appear, like peach fuzz. By January 2010 my heart was broken (that's a whole other story) but my hair was a centimetre long. In March that year my friend Deidre

Pinktober!

2011-10-02T22:31:00.000+01:00

October sweeps in on a wave of insanely glorious sunshine and a tsunami of bonkers pink ribbon promotions. If you were reading Chemo Chic this time last year, you will know that I am all in favour of raising money for breast cancer charities and being generally aware of the signs of BC to look out for. But some of the ways that companies latch onto this particular good cause to push their

YOU are Invited

2011-09-14T17:26:00.002+01:00

Kiwi natural health and beauty company Comvita specialises in all things Manuka - not just honey but gorgeous beauty products, health supplements - even toothpaste. I'm giving a talk at their shop in Portobello Road. Please come along, have a cup of tea and hear all about Jessica Jones' Damascene conversion to clean beauty. Better than that, listen to words of wisdom from the lovely Tina Glynn

A Scarf For All Seasons

2011-08-18T17:27:00.002+01:00

Last week it was so hot I had to pin my hair up just to get it away from my neck. Think about that... I had to pin my hair up! My head and me have come a long way on our Chemo Chic journey. Two summers ago we were in a state of near total baldness. I remember trying to look at the bright side: no need for washing and styling; big savings in the hair salon column of my annual budget and

Shopping Made Simple

2011-08-09T20:31:00.002+01:00

After being diagnosed with breast cancer I was immediately inundated with a small tsunami of dietary advice. Everyone, it seemed, was keen to offer me opinions about what I should or should not eat. I read books on macrobiotics, juicing, raw food, the dangers of dairy and the importance of iodine until I felt the need to go and lie down in a darkened room with a chocolate éclair over my eyes.

A Scarf Tying Primer

2011-07-25T21:55:00.001+01:00

This week Chemo Chic is pleased to bring you some simple scarf-tying how-to videos, courtesy of up-and-coming young writer Sarah Beckman. Undergoing chemotherapy is a hard time for so many reasons. Your body experiences many changes, and one of the most difficult to deal with is hair loss. Fortunately, there are several lovely ways to cover your head so you can feel confident and beautiful.

BPA - Join the Revolution

2011-07-10T17:25:00.004+01:00

You may remember my one-woman investigation into the fact that those of us who eat food out of tins (and who doesn’t – apart from me?) are being bombarded with an oestrogenic substance called Bisphenol-A. Spurred on by the Breast Cancer Fund’s Kick the Can campaign, I have pledged to eat no tinned food in July. For me, it was easy: no BPA infested tinned food has passed my lips for over a

Hello Cutie

2011-07-09T16:32:00.001+01:00

From: Iris Subject: Stella Jamie got me a new dog!!! Welcome to our world little Stella. var gaJsHost = (("https:" == document.location.protocol) ? "https://ssl." : "http://www."); document.write(unescape("%3Cscript src='" + gaJsHost + "google-analytics.com/ga.js' type='text/javascript'%3E%3C/script%3E")); try { var pageTracker = _gat._getTracker("UA-11043511-1");

Hello, Hello. It's Good to be Back

2011-06-21T18:07:00.000+01:00

Please accept my apologies for leaving you hanging for soooo long. I’ve been head-down, working on my book (written under the name of my alter-ego, Jessica Jones). And I am proud to report that the book is now FINISHED and has been sent to the publisher. So, what’s it all about? Well, if you’ve read this blog you already know: cancer and heartbreak. No, wait! Come back! It

Rest in Peace Little Dog

2011-05-10T11:26:00.005+01:00

I have very sad news: the best dog in the whole world, Chilli, has died. She was very old. Chilli was a Chihuahua with the heart of a lion. She loved the people she loved with a fierce abandon, everybody else she treated with disdain or outright aggression. Chilli would think nothing of seeing off a Staffie or an Alsatian with frenzied yaps or nipping the hand of an intrusive child who bent to