Gosh, a month since I posted on the blog!
Tuscany was amazing, ticked all the boxes, I had a very special time and a very
happy 50th birthday. I was quite stunned to come across two other
breast cancer survivors in our holiday group. (16 of us, 4 men and 12 ladies). We
had a bit of a laugh, wanting to tell the rest of the ladies in the group that
they would all be fine and free of cancer as we more than represented the statistic
of one in eight life time risk of developing breast cancer! (Our ages, 49, 50
and 67) We shared our stories, it was good to be moving on with our lives and
to be amongst a group who wished to enjoy life, who shared similar interests
and who enjoyed good and interesting company. The walking was scenic and not
too challenging, covering around 40km during the week. I was, by the end of the
week, shattered, a combination of early get ups, late nights and exercise, but
I can’t wait to book my next Exodus holiday!
I ticked off a couple of things from my
bucket list on my return. I shared a wonderful weekend back at home with my girlfriends
and ticked off “An evening in a casino”! I managed to lose a fiver and had fun
learning to play Black Jack and roulette! Also ticked off “Seeing stags in the
wild” but unfortunately didn’t hear them roaring as it was too windy out on The
Atholl Estate
.
I received a very special birthday gift, a
copy of The Scar Project Book and a copy of the DVD Baring It All, the story of
David Jay’s photographic exhibition of young breast cancer survivors, portraits
that are beautiful yet challenging, cathartic and empowering.
Tomorrow is a big day. I am meeting with six local
artists and having my first photo shoot. I never imagined that I would one day
have a boob job and pose topless! Tomorrow is our first meeting to discuss
ideas and how to proceed. I have four post-surgery ladies including myself interested
and hope to find one or two more willing to take part. The interest and support
in the Breathless Breastless Project has been amazing. I am now looking at
venues and funding and making plans for an exhibition next Spring.
