I salute all those who can find light in the darkness

The last two years have seen anxiety levels shoot through the roof. First we were anxious about being in lockdown, then we were anxious about rejoining the world. Even the Pollyannas among us have seen our mental health tested to its limits by so much uncertainty.

But while we have all been experiencing the collective pain of Covid, others have also had a cancer grenade thrown into the mix.

For this week’s cover star Jeanine Byrne, lockdown came a year before Covid, when she was diagnosed with secondary breast cancer.

In our interview on pages 6&7, the theatre designer and writer describes how “heavy-duty”chemotherapy knocked out her immune system meaning that, in many ways, she was already in self-isolation.

But rather than curling her back to the world, she found a creative spark in the darkness, adapting a children’s book by her husband (the celebrated artist, John Byrne) for theatre.

That she has managed to put something light and beautiful out into the world at such a time should be an inspiration to us all.

She tells us:“I try not to brood about the future too much, because it’s not helpful. I think something like this does make you savour things.”

This advice resonates all the more during this pandemic, when none of us knows what the path ahead looks like.

Friends of mine, and a dear aunt, are also dealing with cancer during this time and I can only marvel at their resilience. So to them, and to Jeanine, I’d like to say thank you for showing us how it’s done.

EDITOR, JAYNE SAVVA JSAVVA@DCTMEDIA.CO.UK