Joanna Naicker

01/09/2025

August madness 🤪

Anyone else had their phone hijacked by their child?! My phone is literally full of random Snapchat’s, close ups of my nostrils or wrinkles, sleeping, puffy eyes, gross red chin or Ari being a complete nut job.

1. Vet trip 🐾
2. My Blooming Brownies stand 🌺
3. Spaghetti 🍝
4. Inter house sports day - barefoot the norm🏃🏻‍♀️
5. Me sleeping and red faced on chemo 🥵
6. Ari’s random Snapchat (made me laugh 🤭)
7. Mood 😟
8. Red eye 👁️
9. Usual Ari, mewing 🙂‍↔️
10. A nice one of me 🍽️
11. Close up of my double chin 🤓
12. Nice angle of dad 👨🏾
13. Rebounding 🤪
14. Mall rat post movies 🐀
15. Caterpillar 🐛 (sleeping bag for camp)
16. CEA ⬇️ to 2.1 🥳
17. Ari napping on mama ❤️
18. Anime obsession
19. Don’t ask 🐛😂
20. Chemo 11 done and dusted 💧

30/08/2025

How do I cope with the trauma of cancer and treatment?

I often write and wrote this poem, Trauma, in one of my darkest moments. The truth is, I don’t have all the answers, not by any means.

We are all experiencing varying degrees of trauma based on our circumstances.

Sometimes, I just stare for hours on end in hope that the horizon has an answer ☁️

I can, however, share what’s helped me along the way 🖤
I’ve included a full section on trauma and coping tools in my Chemo & Targeted Therapy Guide.
👉Link is in my bio

Poem © Joanna Naicker

28/08/2025

Colorectal cancer is the second-most-common cause of cancer fatalities in the United States, with 150,000 diagnoses annually and 52,000 deaths; only lung cancer kills more. It has grabbed headlines in recent years because of a sustained unexplained increase in the disease among younger people. In 2023, the American Cancer Society reported that 20 percent of new colorectal cases in 2019 were in those under 55, roughly double the 1995 figure.

Before her diagnosis last year, Laurie Abraham was acquainted with the screening guidelines and could tick off the often-ignored symptoms of colon cancer. But when it came to what it was like to actually have the disease, she drew a blank. “Our disease has a reputation problem, and associatively, so do we,” Abraham writes. “Why, when I reveal my diagnosis, does my mind hitch on the word ‘colon’ and I imagine people imagining me sitting on the toilet? Why does it feel mannish to have this disease, as if the archetypal colon-cancer patient were a burly 60-ish dude? Could it just be that every woman I know who has had cancer … had breast cancer?”

Read Abraham’s full essay on her diagnosis and journey with colon cancer: https://nymag.visitlink.me/OMAbnD

26/08/2025

A poem a wrote a while back too but today, as I lay on chemo with my Arabella (ear phones on and watching her iPad 😉) next to me, these words ring through my mind.

Times can be hard but remember why you are here, your purpose, your reasons. You and I are tougher than anything we are going through. My reason is and always will be to be Arabella’s mama, no matter what the pain or hardship.

Love you all, thank you for the messages. The black and white flag is in sight 🥰

25/08/2025

💭 The Chemo Cloud

I wrote this quite a while back but felt it was relevant today more than ever. I have chemo tomorrow.
I feel low but also grateful, today I had a session with my psychologist, and it reminded me just how vital mental health is.
We carry so much trauma, both physical and emotional. Sometimes the cloud lingers, but having support makes it lighter to bear.

✨ If you’re starting treatment or supporting someone who is, my Comprehensive Chemo Guide is now available.
It’s packed with everything I wish I knew before chemo to help you feel prepared, supported, and a little less alone.

👉 Link in bio or comment GUIDE to get your copy 🩶

23/08/2025

AI is everywhere now and yes, it can give you the medical definitions.
But it will never tell you what it feels like to actually go through chemo.

That’s the difference with my Comprehensive Chemo & Targeted Therapy Guide.
I didn’t write it afterwards, looking back.
I wrote it while I was in the chair.
Every side effect page was captured in real time, cycle by cycle.

So inside you’ll find not just “symptoms,” but the truth of what it’s really like and the tools that helped me through.

👉 If you want clarity, comfort, and support during treatment, the guide is ready now.
🔗 Link in bio or comment GUIDE to get your copy 🤍

21/08/2025

👉 When I tell thrivers they’ll feel less alone and more prepared after reading my Chemo Guide 🩵

Is the thought of chemo overwhelming you?!

The side effects, the waiting, the unknowns but it doesn’t have to feel like you’re stumbling in the dark.

💜 My Comprehensive Chemo & Targeted Therapy Guide gives you:
• Clear answers to what treatment really feels like
• Practical tips for managing side effects so they don’t take over your life
• Emotional tools that make the whole process less terrifying

I created it to solve the problem no one prepares you for, how to actually get through chemo with more confidence, clarity, and support.

✨The link to my guide is in my bio (Stan Store) 🩵

19/08/2025

Chemo and targeted therapy are overwhelming
The side effects, the waiting, the unknowns – no one truly prepares you for them.

That’s why I created ‘The Chemo Guide’ 30 pages packed with everything I wish I knew before starting treatment.

I’ve poured my heart into this guide so no one else has to feel as lost and unprepared as I did. It’s six years of lived experience as a Stage 4 thriver; every tip, every struggle, and every small win captured to help you through.

This isn’t generic advice. It’s raw, practical, and built from the reality of ongoing treatment.

What’s inside?
💜 Side effect support— gut issues, fatigue, nausea, sleep problems, skin reactions, mouth sores, neuropathy & more
💜 Food & drink tips— what worked when nothing tasted right, hydrating strategies, gentle meal ideas
💜 Emotional support— coping with anxiety, loneliness, boundaries, and protecting your mental health
💜 Comfort strategies— clothing, routines, and small hacks that made long chemo days easier
💜 Tools & trackers— printable checklists, symptom logs, and appointment prep sheets
💜 Mindset tips— the truth about coping with years of treatment, not empty positivity
💜 Voices of Survivors— a list of people who’ve been where you are, who’ve offered to connect

💜 This guide is live now and it’s ready to support you today. Don’t wait until you’re in the thick of treatment and wishing you had answers.

👉 Here’s the link to the guide and other resources 💜 https://stan.store/joannanaicker
It’s also in my bio

Much love,
Joanna xx

11/08/2025

💭 Your mindset shapes how you face cancer treatment

If you want practical tools and actual lived-experience strategies to help you through chemo, register for my upcoming comprehensive Chemo Guide (including targeted therapy) YOU CAN DO THIS 🩶

💬 Comment GUIDE and I’ll send you the link.

Inspired by 💜

31/01/2024

Hey friends,

I really hope to see some of you tonight for my LIVE, chatting about all things plant-based!

I will have a Q&A at the end too, for any questions you may have!

See you tonight 18:30 (+2 GMT)

Join using the link below!

Don't know where to start with a plant based diet? Join my free masterclass for plant based beginners!

30/01/2024

I heard a few ‘yeses’ 😉

Join me for a free masterclass to answer all those niggling questions. I’ll also be sharing essential knowledge and practical tips to help you navigate your plant based journey 🌻

When? Tomorrow 18:30 SAST/+2 GMT

Join me using this link ⬇️

subscribepage.io/zSzmow

27/01/2024

Visited the The Vegan Chef yesterday to try out SunniSpeaks VEGAN OXTAIL! It was so cleverly put together and tasted fantastic, even ok a hot South African day! 😉 I followed it with Banoffee waffles 🧇

Apart from the amazing food, the best part is knowing I can pick ANYTHING from their menu, as opposed to one selection if I’m lucky! IYKYK ❤️