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Happy new year's eve. . Of course the pandemic overshadows everything. But so many good things have happened to me in 2020. I started my first job as a rad onc, with my own patients. I got grant funding for research. I ran 639km and cycled 1331km. I didn't get tired of the feel of the wind in my face. I made art. I read books. I did yoga, lots of it. My parents' garden grew ever larger with each passing day, even in winter the indoor kitchen garden gifts us with produce. . I'm so grateful to be where I am, to be close to loved ones and to have a job serving the community I grew up in and hold so dear. . Goodbye 2020, hello 2021 . Stay kind, stay weird, make lots of doodles. https://www.instagram.com/p/CJe0JTxnfod/?igshid=i5z9my7jt8t7

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The last #turtle shelf. . A couple years ago when we were going for a walk in Scarborough bluffs we saw these massive turtles, shells at least as long as my arms. It was magical, and still one of my favorite memories. #turtleart #acrylicpaint #sharpieart #recycledart #homemade #turtle #artasmeditation #zerowaste https://www.instagram.com/p/CJYnfxLnNjz/?igshid=1btwb9n45cnfm

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We found a discarded shelf that looked like it could be repurposed as a plant stand. I've been working on a couple of turtles for the shelves. Ican't remember how I settled on a turtle theme. They're slow and understated, but resilient, and this seems fitting for 2020. . The last few weeks have been hard - I'm getting to the point in my practice where patients I've treated are experiencing disease progression and dying - sometimes in unexpected and traumatic (at least for me) ways, and sometimes just in a slow inevitable decline. The timing around Christmas has been extra hard. I know it's all part of the job, but still. . So it's time to paint turtles, and feel grateful for all that I have. https://www.instagram.com/p/CJUL4orHql7/?igshid=1ri44rhwodsa3

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#radoncfieldnotes October edition https://www.instagram.com/p/CHF5uEHnFCw/?igshid=1u13sb5mrqzhd

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Oncology field notes. . #radoncfieldnotes https://www.instagram.com/p/CGckl9AH6sN/?igshid=q0bb485ojcvf

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A quick #blindcontour head sketch in honour of #suicidepreventionweek . #physicianwellness #100headproject2020 #100headschallenge #oncology #oncologist #radonc #cancerstories #medart #blindcontourportrait #blindcontourdrawing #medicalschool #5minsketch https://www.instagram.com/p/CFDr467HqrU/?igshid=1haeqxi9hjoy8

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Day 16: "I wasn't going to get the treatment, but when I saw how straight your bangs were I knew you were a doctor I could trust" . . #100headproject2020 #100heads #blindcontourdrawing #oncologyart #oncology #patientstories #oncologist #radonc #medicalschool #medicine #reflections https://www.instagram.com/p/CFHJ-71nd9g/?igshid=8zt1ryh635yb

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#rockpumpkin kind of morning. #rockart #pumpkin #falldecor #blindcontourdrawing #halloween https://www.instagram.com/p/CGHruJxHuyF/?igshid=sokkr15owq5m

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Oncology field notes - September edition #radoncfieldnotes https://www.instagram.com/p/CGPfkC5nIAv/?igshid=1722yv11x89tt

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Day 17: Monday morning #blindcontourdrawing in honour of #rbg . "I want to be remembered as someone who did whatever she could, with whatever limited talent she had to move society along in the direction I would like it to be for my children and my grandchildren". . #100headproject2020 #100heads #ruthbaderginsburg #sketchbookproject #artastherapy #artasmeditation https://www.instagram.com/p/CFZTHaen3_w/?igshid=f6gorm8dra0e

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Feeling down. She had it in a sling for two weeks before it was decided that it was best just to leave it alone, despite it being displaced and rotated. I don't think the radiation helped, and she got hardly any pain relief before she passed away. #medart #arttherapy #medicine #oncology #oncologyart #artasmedicine #graphicmedicine #radonc https://www.instagram.com/p/CEWaBFQHcwg/?igshid=2idh1ey6yam2

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More #covidart . . I've been treating a lot of ears recently. Ears are a common spot for developing skin cancers (don't forget that sunscreen!! 🌞) . Some can be treated with primary radiation, but others often require quite extensive resections. Some patients struggle with the cosmetic result. One of my patients yelled this in frustration after being told repeatedly that he had to wear a mask in hospital. https://www.instagram.com/p/CEPk2jSnyHm/?igshid=12gz4168b75ki

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Mouse Rock Part 1. .. Happy Father's Day! .. My dad's Chinese zodiac animal is the mouse 🐁. In the fable the mouse actually wins the animal race, not because it can run particularly quickly, but because it's smart enough to hitch a ride on the ox 🐂 across the river at the end when he realizes he's not able to swim across. That's my dad - always surprisingly resourceful, always finding new ways to build something or fix something. .. I starting working on this rock for my dad's 60th birthday in March, and completed it just in time for Father's Day. There are 60 mice, most of them up to something devious. .. Sharpie on granite. #happyfathersday #sharpieart #sharpierockart #homemadegifts #yearofthemouse #sharpie #mouse #mouseart #labouroflove https://www.instagram.com/p/CBs_c_LgkRb/?igshid=wk5dblgko2zo

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Views from my miniature running sketchbook. These are a few sketches from the path behind my home from earlier in the year when things were less green. For a while during the peak of the covid shutdown I could come out here and feel like I was away from the city. It was all birds and beavers and deer. There was still deer this morning on my run, but the relentless hum of traffic echoing across the valley is back. I can hear it in my house. It dwarfs the sound of the running river. You can still hear the birds but their songs are less clear. Next time you choose your car over a bike or public transit, or a pickup truck over a car, remember that there are things we can do to reduce the sound of human excess. Do you really need to buy that object online? Do you really need to get everything delivered to your home, one tiny package at a time? Do you really need to trade your cosy home for a giant house with 8 rooms? Remember to take advantage of the things that are free and local that make us happy and healthy: sunshine, park spaces, exercise, fresh air, friendship, creativity and kindness. #5minsketch #outdoorsketching #plantlover #plantsketches #running #runninglife #lndont #londonont #canadaparks #ontariospring #ontarioparks #medwayheritageforest #londonontarioartists #parksketches #noisepollution #covidlife #thezenofseeing https://www.instagram.com/p/CBk3kxwgIFm/?igshid=t9wwbj7hb9r1

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"A riot is the language of the unheard." - Martin Luther King Jr. What are these emotions I feel? I draw and draw but they are still there, watching me. https://www.instagram.com/p/CA44AnFAma0/?igshid=1ekiq0frspxd6

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Biting stonecrop (sedum acre) grows in the most unlikely of places - you can find it in sand dunes, wedged between rocks, on concrete walls, and in the tiny wedge of roadside sand between the ashphalt and the curb. It has beautiful yellow flowers, and every time I see it I am reminded of the beautiful improbability of life. https://www.instagram.com/p/BhiILWuHt0s/?igshid=cv4jfs84yzjk

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I meant to write this upbeat post about how systemic therapy and radiotherapy techniques have changed since I started my training, leading to huge gains in survival and quality of life in metastatic disease. The artwork turned out to be more frightening than I intended. I considered not posting it, but thought - metastatic disease _is_ the stuff made of nightmares for many of our patients. Despite our best efforts it can be unkind and cruel and inescapable, and we need to acknowledge that too. https://www.instagram.com/p/B1I_2CUgVFm/?igshid=1c582en6d00rp