The Leap Year: Making sense of the roller-coaster of emotions after a breast cancer diagnosis - Paperback

by Jane Delahay (Author), Michelle Hessing (Prepared by), Anna Blatman (Artist)

What if the worst day of your life is actually the best day of your life?

You have breast cancer - No one ever wants to hear those words. On 22 February 2016, I was told this devastating news - it changed my life. You can never minimalise the impact of the shock news - that you have breast cancer.

I had the choice right then, to listen to my inner self and to use this as an opportunity for change. it was time to believe in myself. I refused to let cancer define me. I had been told that I didn't take it seriously enough, but whilst I did understand it, I didn't dwell on it and stress myself out. I have used this experience to turn a negative into many, many positives. Having breast cancer inspired me to live my life fearlessly and that is why I signed up for the Breast Cancer Network Australia (BCNA) trek to Tuscany.

I was determined to live life to the fullest and i was not going to let the dreaded "C" word dictate my life. I wanted to give back to this wonderful charity and help women just like me navigate a breast cancer diagnosis. Doing the Trek to Tuscany inspired me to not only raise vital funds for the BCNA, it also inspired me to fulfil a dream of writing a book and I am living proof today that you are never too old and it is never too late to live the life of your dreams.

It has been siad that we can only be alive when our hearts are conscious of our treasures; I know this to be true.