Fighting Stage 4

I keep seeing posts about “Blue Monday”.

Personally, I am feeling pretty pumped about what 2026 may bring.

Soon I will be spending more time behind a desk, emerging blinking back into the professional world and taking on some new challenges. No doubt there will be lows and unwanted moments this year, but there will also be exciting, fun and deeply satisfying ones too.

Recently I had the chance to spend a week back in the Cayman Islands, a place I was lucky enough to call home for eight years. It will always be special to us, and I love maintaining both a personal and professional connection there.

Whenever I am in Cayman, I try to spot a Blue Iguana, most likely found at the Botanical Gardens.

Native to Grand Cayman, the Blues were unprepared for the influx of invasive species, most notably Green Iguanas. I used to enjoy seeing the Greens everywhere, perched along canals, dotted across golf courses, or waddling across roads causing uniquely Cayman traffic jams.

But the Greens were more aggressive. More dominant. Over time, they pushed the Blues to the brink of extinction.

Eventually, the government stepped in and introduced a culling programme that removed over a million (!) Green Iguanas.

That intervention created space, not just for the Blues to mount a comeback, but also for native species like the Cayman Parrot to return.

Culling is controversial. So is conventional cancer treatment.

But sometimes decisive action is needed to reset an ecosystem and create the conditions for recovery. There can be unintended consequences, but some of those consequences can be positive.

The Blues could perhaps do more to help themselves, but evolution takes time.

Thankfully, it is not too late. I managed to see several roaming freely, and I do prefer the Blues to the Greens.

The Greens have not gone away entirely. I spotted a few youngsters waiting patiently for their moment. The culling licence has been renewed though, and hopefully the Blues can continue to thrive.

Like the fauna in Cayman, dealing with cancer has allowed some parts of my life to flourish, and you may see more of that throughout the year.

But the cancer is still there. Vigilance matters and the defences have to be maintained.

I am going to keep trying to share my health adventure, any encouragement and advice is welcome. I may even share a little more about my love for Cayman. It is good to revisit happy memories, positivity is a powerful tool in my process. Maybe even the Iguanas on the sister islands.

But for now, perhaps take some heart from the story of the Blues this Monday – if they can thrive in these interesting times, then perhaps so can we.