Category: Uncategorized
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Earlier in the year, I made a monumental decision. I bought a Ford Transit van, named her Birdie, and painted her green in preparation to be converted into my tiny home on wheels. Working on her over the past few weeks in all weathers, with my trusty 12-year-old cockapoo Ziggy by my side, I’ve come…
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For me, activism isn’t solely health related. Yesterday, I attended the Together Alliance ‘March To Stop the Far Right’ in London. It was a glorious day filled with unity and love that gave people from across the country the opportunity to express their opposition to the frightening authoritarian ideology that’s polluting the political system, both…
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I’m writing The Healthcare Rebellion (2028), a non-fiction narrative memoir investigating how institutional power structures have embedded inequity into UK women’s healthcare for centuries, causing disparity that persists today. The book traces the direct lineage from ancient hierarchies to modern medical failures, interweaving my own lobular breast cancer story with the history of activist resistance…
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I’ve finished writing the first chapter of my debut book, The Healthcare Rebellion (2028). I’m relieved to have crossed this initial writing threshold as a new author and I’m starting to naturally find my rhythm in the process. Chapter one documents my invasive lobular breast cancer diagnosis in January 2023, the first half of active…
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A poem to honour the winter solstice.By Kate Ford Michaels. Today I saw the ravens. They reminded me of truth.Ancient wisdom imprinted on their feathers like bark on a tree. The woods are full of magic if you dare to look. Alive with wonder, ready to share. But leave your ego at the door.For there is no…
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Last Wednesday 10th December, I said a very fond farewell to my ovaries; the female organs which produced the egg that created my son and kept my hormones in check (most of the time) for over 50 years. When you stop to think about it, the human body is spectacular. If we take care of…
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During the 16th and 17th centuries, accusations of ‘bewitching’ would cause fear to ripple through agricultural communities in Scotland and England. Women, and some men, were feared for their alleged ‘supernatural’ abilities to cause harm to crops, food sources, animals and people. It’s clear they were not guilty of the crimes they were accused of,…
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The Healthcare Rebellion (2028) is an investigative memoir exploring centuries of health inequality in the UK. The book connects historical inequity to modern day treatment gaps, examines how institutional power structures continue to cause disparity, and spotlights women activists who have been instrumental in changing health policy since the 1970s. Author Kate Ford Michaels’ own…
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How did I choose my pen name?Kate Ford Michaels is an expanded version of my name – Kate Ford. So, why not write under it? It’s a strong name, one I’ve identified with for more than 50 years. Head to any book shop and you’ll see several Kate Fords (or variations of) already there. Why…
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I’m Kate Ford Michaels, a writer and activist. In January 2023, aged 49, I was diagnosed with invasive lobular breast cancer, a disease, which until then, I’d never heard of. In fact, I had no idea there were different types of breast cancer. Despite being recognised as a distinct subtype of the disease in the…