John Dabell
@johndabell.bsky.social
Incurable optimist living with incurable cancer. Hopepunk, Grit Spreader & Force Multiplier. The difference between a warrior and a worrier is a couple of vowels.
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John Dabell
@johndabell.bsky.social
· Dec 6
Donate to Help John Fight Incurable Head and Neck Cancer, organized by John Dabell
Welcome to my page and thank you for stopping by!
I have incurable hea… John Dabell needs your support for Help John Fight Incurable Head and Neck Cancer
gofund.me
I've just launched a fundraiser on GoFundMe and I hope that you'd be kind enough to share, support, or donate. Thank you!
gofund.me/bb538391
gofund.me/bb538391
In real life:
1. recovery is nonlinear
2. progress reverses
3. plans fail
Survivors aren’t those whose plans work they’re those who keep redesigning the plan.
1. recovery is nonlinear
2. progress reverses
3. plans fail
Survivors aren’t those whose plans work they’re those who keep redesigning the plan.
February 15, 2026 at 11:40 AM
In real life:
1. recovery is nonlinear
2. progress reverses
3. plans fail
Survivors aren’t those whose plans work they’re those who keep redesigning the plan.
1. recovery is nonlinear
2. progress reverses
3. plans fail
Survivors aren’t those whose plans work they’re those who keep redesigning the plan.
Some assembly required… love included.
February 14, 2026 at 11:59 AM
Some assembly required… love included.
The unglamorous work of survival: daily effort, tedious repetition, hard-won resilience. The kind nobody applauds but everything depends on.
February 13, 2026 at 8:52 AM
The unglamorous work of survival: daily effort, tedious repetition, hard-won resilience. The kind nobody applauds but everything depends on.
Survival is a verb.
February 12, 2026 at 3:05 PM
Survival is a verb.
Lo, upon this day did we repair unto the picture-house, there to behold Hamlet, the melancholy Dane, whose troubled brow doth mirror mortal frailty.
And mark this wonder: no other soul did grace the chambered hall. The velvet seats stood hushed and empty, as though the world itself had paused to..
And mark this wonder: no other soul did grace the chambered hall. The velvet seats stood hushed and empty, as though the world itself had paused to..
February 11, 2026 at 3:26 PM
Lo, upon this day did we repair unto the picture-house, there to behold Hamlet, the melancholy Dane, whose troubled brow doth mirror mortal frailty.
And mark this wonder: no other soul did grace the chambered hall. The velvet seats stood hushed and empty, as though the world itself had paused to..
And mark this wonder: no other soul did grace the chambered hall. The velvet seats stood hushed and empty, as though the world itself had paused to..
Still here. That’s the headline.
February 10, 2026 at 3:31 PM
Still here. That’s the headline.
Not “back to normal.” Back to deliberate.
February 9, 2026 at 5:50 PM
Not “back to normal.” Back to deliberate.
Holding back when you want to push is sometimes the hardest discipline there is. You’re not stalled. You’re rebuilding infrastructure.
February 9, 2026 at 9:09 AM
Holding back when you want to push is sometimes the hardest discipline there is. You’re not stalled. You’re rebuilding infrastructure.
Not lost. Just navigating something enormous. You learn what you’re made of when the room gets this big.
February 8, 2026 at 11:55 AM
Not lost. Just navigating something enormous. You learn what you’re made of when the room gets this big.
When in doubt, borrow a little Robin Hood energy.
February 7, 2026 at 12:58 PM
When in doubt, borrow a little Robin Hood energy.
A small outing. A big milestone. First cinema visit since critical care! We saw Marty Supreme and it was great!
February 6, 2026 at 10:23 AM
A small outing. A big milestone. First cinema visit since critical care! We saw Marty Supreme and it was great!
Sustained effort. Relentless adaptation. Daily problem-solving. Constant vigilance. It is the unseen labour of staying alive in a body that no longer behaves as it once did. Please continue to share and support, your help matters more than you know.
gofund.me/f203aecb7
gofund.me/f203aecb7
February 5, 2026 at 9:07 AM
Sustained effort. Relentless adaptation. Daily problem-solving. Constant vigilance. It is the unseen labour of staying alive in a body that no longer behaves as it once did. Please continue to share and support, your help matters more than you know.
gofund.me/f203aecb7
gofund.me/f203aecb7
Survival in an abnormal situation is not normality. It is defiance. It is endurance. It is a daily act of courage carried out in circumstances no one would ever choose. Read more in my blog:
johndabell.com/2026/02/04/t...
johndabell.com/2026/02/04/t...
There Is Nothing Normal About the “New Normal”
After a major health scare or a life-altering diagnosis, you will often hear medical professionals talk about finding your “new normal.” It is a phrase I find infuriating because there is nothing …
johndabell.com
February 4, 2026 at 7:42 PM
Survival in an abnormal situation is not normality. It is defiance. It is endurance. It is a daily act of courage carried out in circumstances no one would ever choose. Read more in my blog:
johndabell.com/2026/02/04/t...
johndabell.com/2026/02/04/t...
Doctor’s orders: at least one hug per day.
February 4, 2026 at 12:10 PM
Doctor’s orders: at least one hug per day.
It's Escape Room time again and a great place to apply survivor’s logic. Here's my escape doctrine for rooms and other life stuff:
1. Stay calm longer than the room expects
2. Treat pressure as information.
3. Solve the next thing, not everything.
4. Slow your thinking when time speeds
1. Stay calm longer than the room expects
2. Treat pressure as information.
3. Solve the next thing, not everything.
4. Slow your thinking when time speeds
February 3, 2026 at 3:09 PM
It's Escape Room time again and a great place to apply survivor’s logic. Here's my escape doctrine for rooms and other life stuff:
1. Stay calm longer than the room expects
2. Treat pressure as information.
3. Solve the next thing, not everything.
4. Slow your thinking when time speeds
1. Stay calm longer than the room expects
2. Treat pressure as information.
3. Solve the next thing, not everything.
4. Slow your thinking when time speeds
Be the Supervisor of hope.
Clock in early.
Oil the gears.
Keep the line running.
Clock in early.
Oil the gears.
Keep the line running.
February 1, 2026 at 9:17 AM
Be the Supervisor of hope.
Clock in early.
Oil the gears.
Keep the line running.
Clock in early.
Oil the gears.
Keep the line running.
I’ve been nil by mouth for over three months now, and I won’t dress it up: I don’t dislike it. I hate it. Read more below:
johndabell.com/2026/01/31/t...
johndabell.com/2026/01/31/t...
This Is Not A ‘New Normal’: Life Through A Tube
I’ve been nil by mouth for over three months now, and I won’t dress it up: I don’t dislike it. I hate it. Not being able to eat or drink doesn’t just feel wrong – it feels profoundly unnatura…
johndabell.com
January 31, 2026 at 9:06 PM
I’ve been nil by mouth for over three months now, and I won’t dress it up: I don’t dislike it. I hate it. Read more below:
johndabell.com/2026/01/31/t...
johndabell.com/2026/01/31/t...
When the odds are stacked against you, tilt anyway.
January 31, 2026 at 1:09 PM
When the odds are stacked against you, tilt anyway.
I’m not here to be crushed by statistics, I’m here to be counted present.
I’m not here to be untouched by pain, I’m here to be guided by hope.
I’m not here to count how hard this is, I’m here to keep showing up.
Read my blog '200 Reasons Why I'm Here' below:
johndabell.com/2026/01/30/2...
I’m not here to be untouched by pain, I’m here to be guided by hope.
I’m not here to count how hard this is, I’m here to keep showing up.
Read my blog '200 Reasons Why I'm Here' below:
johndabell.com/2026/01/30/2...
200 Reasons Why I’m Here
I’m not here to…… I’m not here to complain, I’m here to contribute I’m not here to wait for optimism, I’m here to create it I’m not here to hide my scars, I’m here to show my stre…
johndabell.com
January 30, 2026 at 3:21 PM
I’m not here to be crushed by statistics, I’m here to be counted present.
I’m not here to be untouched by pain, I’m here to be guided by hope.
I’m not here to count how hard this is, I’m here to keep showing up.
Read my blog '200 Reasons Why I'm Here' below:
johndabell.com/2026/01/30/2...
I’m not here to be untouched by pain, I’m here to be guided by hope.
I’m not here to count how hard this is, I’m here to keep showing up.
Read my blog '200 Reasons Why I'm Here' below:
johndabell.com/2026/01/30/2...
Expiratory Muscle Strength Training (EMST) is a form of respiratory rehabilitation.
By strengthening the muscles used to breathe out, it can help support swallowing, protect the airway, and improve chest clearance. I do this 5 days a week.
By strengthening the muscles used to breathe out, it can help support swallowing, protect the airway, and improve chest clearance. I do this 5 days a week.
January 30, 2026 at 9:47 AM
Expiratory Muscle Strength Training (EMST) is a form of respiratory rehabilitation.
By strengthening the muscles used to breathe out, it can help support swallowing, protect the airway, and improve chest clearance. I do this 5 days a week.
By strengthening the muscles used to breathe out, it can help support swallowing, protect the airway, and improve chest clearance. I do this 5 days a week.
Cancer is a box of dynamite detonated at the centre of your life. It’s an explosion — sudden, violent, life-changing. This is the moment the ground gives way and the rules change without consultation. It breaks assumptions, strips pretence, and tests character.
johndabell.com/2026/01/29/1...
johndabell.com/2026/01/29/1...
10 Ways Cancer Improves Your CV
Let’s be clear from the start: no one wants cancer. And it certainly doesn’t belong on your CV next to “Teacher” or “BA (Hons) First Class.” Cancer is the ultimate CV disruptor. It takes more than …
johndabell.com
January 29, 2026 at 8:07 PM
Cancer is a box of dynamite detonated at the centre of your life. It’s an explosion — sudden, violent, life-changing. This is the moment the ground gives way and the rules change without consultation. It breaks assumptions, strips pretence, and tests character.
johndabell.com/2026/01/29/1...
johndabell.com/2026/01/29/1...
Letter to Self:
Dear me,
the past will always stare.
That doesn’t mean you have to live there.
Stand where you are.
Even if your legs shake.
Even if hope feels borrowed.
The future will decide its own shape.
Your job is to keep at it, embrace vulnerability, fight and stay.
Dear me,
the past will always stare.
That doesn’t mean you have to live there.
Stand where you are.
Even if your legs shake.
Even if hope feels borrowed.
The future will decide its own shape.
Your job is to keep at it, embrace vulnerability, fight and stay.
January 29, 2026 at 1:12 PM
Letter to Self:
Dear me,
the past will always stare.
That doesn’t mean you have to live there.
Stand where you are.
Even if your legs shake.
Even if hope feels borrowed.
The future will decide its own shape.
Your job is to keep at it, embrace vulnerability, fight and stay.
Dear me,
the past will always stare.
That doesn’t mean you have to live there.
Stand where you are.
Even if your legs shake.
Even if hope feels borrowed.
The future will decide its own shape.
Your job is to keep at it, embrace vulnerability, fight and stay.
The cancer journey has no shortage of grey days but other colours are available. Some you have to mix yourself. Read more in my blog below:
johndabell.com/2026/01/27/w...
johndabell.com/2026/01/27/w...
When You Hit a Purple Patch on the Cancer Journey
The cancer journey has no shortage of grey days but other colours are available. Some you have to mix yourself. But grey days tend to dominate. These are the ones where the fog of fatigue hangs hea…
johndabell.com
January 27, 2026 at 8:21 PM
The cancer journey has no shortage of grey days but other colours are available. Some you have to mix yourself. Read more in my blog below:
johndabell.com/2026/01/27/w...
johndabell.com/2026/01/27/w...
More photobiomodulation for late effects of radiotherapy. Standing in the glow where science meets hope! I'm not chasing miracles, just giving my body every possible reason to keep going.
January 27, 2026 at 8:54 AM
More photobiomodulation for late effects of radiotherapy. Standing in the glow where science meets hope! I'm not chasing miracles, just giving my body every possible reason to keep going.
Head & neck cancer doesn’t tap you on the shoulder. It hits you square in the face. Again. And again. It doesn't fight fair either & will hit you when you're down. I’ve taken more hits than most will ever see. Top tip: You don’t need to win every round to survive the fight.
January 26, 2026 at 5:50 PM
Head & neck cancer doesn’t tap you on the shoulder. It hits you square in the face. Again. And again. It doesn't fight fair either & will hit you when you're down. I’ve taken more hits than most will ever see. Top tip: You don’t need to win every round to survive the fight.