About Liz
Dr. Liz O’Riordan is a Consultant Breast Surgeon. In July 2015 she was diagnosed with Stage III breast cancer at the age of 40. She started a blog after her diagnosis to document her experiences as a patient. The blog has become a hugely popular (and award-winning) resource, paving the way for a “Woman of the Year” nomination in 2016. Liz is now a regular keynote speaker and media personality. She had a local recurrence of her cancer in May 2018, and completed her treatment in September.
Liz co-authored “The Complete Guide to Breast Cancer: How to Feel Empowered and Take Control” with Professor Trisha Greenhalgh – a GP and fellow breast cancer survivor. The book was published in September 2018.
Her latest project is cancerfit.me – a website providing a range of resources regarding exercise for people living with cancer. She has plans to run an Iron Man triathlon in the near future.
Stuff we chatted about
03:44 Liz’s recent media whirlwind
06:34 The decision to pursue a career in breast surgery
09:10 Surgery is an art form
10:03 The moment Liz was diagnosed with breast cancer
12:21 What role did the “breast surgeon brain” have in dealing with the diagnosis?
13:57 How Liz has changed the language she uses when she talks to her patients/should there be a change in the medical school curriculum?
18:20 Social Media as a coping/support strategy
19:36 Blogging made the diagnosis real (and changed Liz’s world forever)
22:10 The book – “The Complete Guide to Breast Cancer”
25:09 Alternative/complementary therapies – complete bollocks?
26:47 Dr. Skylar Johnson’s CRAP test
28:33 Being a triathlon career… whilst on chemo
32:18 Cancer has come back? Planning for an Iron Man
32:46 The inception of cancerfit.me, and the evidence-base for the benefit of exercise on chemo
33:50 Isn’t yoga great?
36:00 The challenge of cancer conversations in the ED
Want more from Liz?
Liz’s blog – liz.oriordan.co.uk
@Liz_ORiordan on twitter
oriordanliz on instagram
“What happens when the doctor becomes the patient?“- Liz and Trisha speaking to Jon Snow on Channel 4.
Liz’s appearance on “You, Me and the Big C” on BBC Radio 5 Live
You can buy a signed copy of Liz’s book “The Complete Guide to Breast Cancer” here. Order it as a paperback or e-book from Amazon, Wordery and Hive.
Liz’s Book Recommendation
“The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F**k: How to Stop Spending Time You Don’t Have with People You Don’t Like Doing Things You Don’t Want to Do (A No F*cks Given Guide)” by Sarah Knight
What a podcast!
Until next week.
Robbie
@Ponder_Med
Such great podcast Robbie your relaxed style of interview made me feel I was listening to 2 people having a chat over a cup of coffee. Liz was as always brilliant to listen to no airs and graces just my wee girl trying to make a difference to so many lives touched by cancer
Hi Isobel, thank you for such lovely feedback! I really appreciate you taking the time to comment.
Robbie