Not Much Rhymes With Cancer

Emily Thomas, mother of newborn baby Griff, was 38 when she received the life-changing news that she had stage IV de novo metastatic breast cancer.

Following her diagnosis, Emily began writing poetry, documenting her experience with searing vulnerability and authenticity. She shared her poems via her Instagram page, quickly gaining a following of women going through similar experiences.

Now, posthumously collated and curated by her husband Lee, with the help of close friends and family, Not Much Rhymes with Cancer: A Book of Healing Poems is, in Emily’s own words, “an outpouring of emotion, a place to vent and expel negative thoughts – but mostly a tale of hope, positivity, and gratitude”.

Emily gives a voice to those who have experienced, or are living with, secondary breast cancer. Through moments of disbelief, shock, anger, guilt, hope and even joy, she provides a unique insight into her journey and how it affected the lives of everyone around her.

In partnership with Make 2nds Count, and with illustrations by Emily’s sister Megan, this collection of healing words represents the author’s immense gratitude and unfaltering zest for life, embodying her mantra: “whatever happens, all this will be okay”.