Writing retreat

I'm in Umbria doing a writing retreat. It is so inspiring and I'm getting so much writing done. I feel relaxed here and the writing is flowing.

In Assisi, I did several walks each day to the historical churches and through the historic buildings and then wrote for six hours a day.

And then I went to Selci Lama on the hills between Umbria and Tuscany. Here I'm doing a writing retreat as well as kundalini yoga in a 12th century monastry. It is also very inspiring and I'm getting lots of chapters written.

Serena has also been giving me advice on my chapters and I've been restructuring them. It has been gruelling rewriting and reliving some of my experiences. Being in a healing environment is helping. And thanks Sandra for your advice and Mary for your guidance too and for visits in Assisi.
x Andrea

Baring it all on BCF website

My eBook Baring it all is now available on the NZBCF website for free.

Life Afterwards

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Completing treatment is a significant milestone for most women with breast cancer. However, for some this stage can be a confusing or worrying time. Relationships with close friends and family may have changed. Some people feel nervous or upset at the thought of no longer seeing members of their health care team regularly. Others feel worried about what the future holds.

In her book 'Baring it all',  Andrea Fairbairn, who's had breast cancer twice, shares 33 tips to living life after breast cancer.  From managing your health in recovery to celebrating your life, the book's goal is to help you rebuild your life in a positive way. Download this free e-book here. (22MB)

 My hope is that this eBook will make your transition to a post-cancer life smoother and easier.  (Andrea Fairbairn)

The man who walked backwards

The Tokugawa Garden in Nagoya is magical. Within its 44 hectares are a lake, waterfalls, lovely forests and flowers, and even a samurai teahouse.

I was staying at a small B and B adjacent to the Garden. Early each morning I would walk for an hour drinking in the nature and letting my mind wander and plan the rest of my day.

It was there that I saw him.

I remember him vividly like it was yesterday. He was walking towards me on one of the long straight Tokugawa Garden paths.

Orangutans

We’d broken up in May. It was the trigger for me booking this trip. As well as the summer in France I’d have several days in Hong Kong to break up the journey.

Thoughts kept going through my mind “it’s your time, it’s your time”. I knew finally I would do my OE in my way at 38. Truth be told, I’d been too anxious to travel on my own and had waited for the right moment and right partner. “Right person, right time” I’d said to him and him to me. But no, it wasn’t the right partner or the right time. It was just time for me to travel.

Writing in Italia

Over the last couple of months, I did a course on getting a book published. Now I am on to the writing part. My goal is to get two perfect chapters done to send to a publisher. I have completed the summary chapters and have the book organised.

I am doing quite regular writing and getting my life down on the page. It is not easy. I guess if it was easy, I would have done it before now. It's not writing that is hard. It is the content and reliving different periods of my life.

At the moment, my book is called I'm not blind, I'm Andrea. It is my life story outlining lots of tips and hints on the way.

Andrea

I also wrote a short story today for a competition. I'm post that too.

Other than that, I've had a few rejection letters from publishers. However, my eBook was licensed by a NGO which is really great.

I will be going to Italy on a writing retreat - to Umbria. I will be writing regularly from there and hope to finish my book by Christmas.

BC Nirvana and Pacific Island Breast Cancer Support

Hi everyone,

I haven’t blogged for a while but I have been busy volunteering in the breast cancer sector in New Zealand. It is time to let you know what I have been up to.

BC Nirvana

In 2011, with my second breast cancer diagnosis, I had a strong feeling that I wanted to help others affected by breast cancer. I started by keeping a blog during my breast reconstruction so others could learn what it is really like to go through a have a mastectomy and breast reconstruction (and also to inform and family and friends about what I was going through). Here is a link to my breast reconstruction diary.

While doing chemo, I enrolled in a website launchpad course with Serena Star Leonard and set up Breast Cancer Nirvana. I used the name Nirvana as I wanted people who visited the site to feel peaceful and supported while there.
Breast Cancer Nirvana has a few purposes:

• To change the conversation and reduce fear about cancer by sharing and shedding light on what is really like to have breast cancer. I also kept a chemo diary and later a moving forward diary.
• To make breast cancer a bit easier by providing simple and clear breast cancer information and resources for breast cancer survivors and supporters. I wanted to share all my lessons learned so that others didn’t have to learn everything the hard way like I did.
• To provide support, hope and inspiration to those affected by breast cancer. Most women (85% approx.) are surviving breast cancer now. Support and close relationships improve survival. There is hope and I wanted women to know about that.
• To provide tools to utilise breast cancer as a personal development tool (when you are through your treatment). When you are feeling better, there are opportunities to really look at your life differently. My latest Baring it All eBook shares my tools and tips on survivorship and how to manage your health and celebrate your life after your breast cancer treatment ends.
• And lastly to express my unique and creative journey through all the trials and tribulations. We are all unique and have our own voice and journey. BC Nirvana is an expression of my creativity and me.

Swings and roundabouts

It's been an interesting few months. I have a rejection letter from one publisher and a couple of "we will take a few months to read your manuscript" letters. I also did not win the writing residency scholarship. After additionally not being successful in applying for my work role, I started to sense something in the air. That something is 'change'.