New eBook

I am very excited. I have finished my third eBook and just sent it to the designer. It is like the birth of a child - not an actual child of course but symbolically. The working title is Baring it all.
x Andrea

On recovery from breast cancer

Lately, I've been writing tips for those moving forward from breast cancer.

Tip #1 Manage your health and recovery

Perhaps the hardest and the easiest tip is that you are responsible for managing your health. That involves eating as well as possible, sleeping well, exercising, having a low stress lifestyle, being optimistic and talking to specialists quickly when things are not right.

These things sound simple but there is so much involved in living healthfully. It requires constant prioritising, learning new skills, organisation and being assertive about your health needs.

Some of your health is not within your control but a lot of it is. So influence the things that you can by choosing health each day.

Action: Get your health foundations right; commit to eating a bit better and exercising today. Seek support from friends and family to improve your health.

Island Bay

 

I wrote this poem while going through chemo in 2007. I realised that even when I felt terribly ill, that if I walked by the beach on a sunny day, I felt that life was good.
x Andrea

Island Bay

 

I walk along

the coast and look out to sea

blues of the ocean

waves rolling along

hues of the land

Island Bay

a Cathedral

 

A Letter to my Nana

Dear Nana,

Sorry it’s been so long since I’ve talked to you. I know you know how important you were to me and it doesn’t need explanation. But it’s nice to sometimes give symbols to show how I feel about you. I sometimes go to your grave and have a chat but it’s over an hour of driving. I know you understand that. Also, the cemetery is often busy with all the other grandchildren and family who want to pay homage to you. I like quiet and reflection and this letter seems more apt.

Some of my writing inspiration team

A photo of me, Serena and Rochelle.

A Letter to my Cancer

On 10 January 2014, I had a letter published in the DomPost Summer section:

Dear cancer,

When I first found out about you, I was so scared. I felt you held this enormous amount of power and were incredibly evil. I just wanted you gone at any costs. I couldn’t stand to think about any of your cells in my body.

Over time, I relaxed with you a little. I realised that a few cells here and there were okay and actually, I had to die of something at some point. I started thinking about death and realised that I had achieved a lot in my life and would be okay about dying if I had to go. I eventually started to realise how you brought the gift of valuing time and my life into sharp focus with your arrival.