I honestly can’t believe it has been so long! Life happened and I had an overloaded plate and something had to give. My spoons had runneth outeth as one would say, and I had to drop a few things off my plate and it turned out, blogging was one of them. But for good reason (which if you have been following my social media accounts then you would know) but I will tell you again a little later on.
So since I have been away, I thought it was only fair I would start back by doing a little ‘where have I been’ or life update and where I want to take this page moving forward.
First things first… The not so good
Now I have tried to write this blog so many times, and each time it turned into a ramble fest. So for the sake of time I am going to be concise (as possible) and if you want me to delve into a topic mentioned in her more, comment blow or DM me on my Insta @living_abled and let me know!
So a little over a year ago I discovered a lump in my breast. It was super tiny about the size of half a pea. i noticed it my complete chance as my arm was resting accross my chest in my sleep and my brain became aware of something not right on my wrist. Turned out even though the lump in my breast was tiny, it was hard enough and close to the skin enough to wake me up. The next day I went to my doctor who sent me for scans which by some sheer luck I was able to complete two hours later.
The sonographer immediately pointed out the lump during the ultrasound and said it didn’t look like a cyst and was concerned. She got a second opinion with a doctor which lead to an immediate biopsy. And thus began the longest 12 hour wait of my life. Fortunately it was ruled non-cancerous and to just monitor it. A few months later it grew about tripple in size and was super firm. Back to the doctor I go, another round of ultrasounds and this time my doctor said it was a good idea to remove the lump sooner than later. The reason? The non cancerous lump I had been diagnosed with can sometimes be mistaken for a benign tumour that can turn cancerous with one of the symptoms being rapid growth.
Long story short, I had the lump (that i had affectionately called Boobra) removed last August. pathology came back all clear and was exactly what I was initially diagnosed with.
Waiting to see if you would be diagnosed with cancer or not was one of the most terrifying experiences of my life. I had also been going through some other non-health related challenges at the time which meant I had already been struggling mentally which also impacted my physical health. So I was not in the right shape mentally or physically to handle chemo or major surgeries. I was terrified.
To ge the non-cancerous diagnosis was such a bittersweet feeling. I was so relieved I didn’t have cancer. But leaving the specialists room and walking past the waiting room full of breast cancer foundation merch, and women of varied ages with beanies on and scarves covering their heads made me feel so guilty. It didn’t seem fair I was leaving with good news, and they were going through the worst time of their lives.
My heart goes out to every single one of those women, and anyone who has or who is going through any kind of Cancer. And I am hoping one day very, very soon Cancer will be a thing of the past. Fuck Cancer!
And if you want me to go into more detail about my own experience with lumpectomy surgery, recovery, biopsies, anything let me know!
Now for the fun stuff
So while all the stuff about Boobra was going on, I was going through many changes. One being I wrote a book!
Yes you read correctly! I wrote and published a book!
Writing as you all would have probably guessed has been something I have loved doing my entire life. It has always been a form of escapism and also a way to catalogue my thoughts or share what I have learnt with others.
I had always wanted to publish my own non-fiction book but it never felt like the right time. That was until I got a gentle nudge from my Equine Assisted Therapist who was writing in an anthology series and told me to reach out to the publishers about originally writing in an anthology series too. So I thought ‘why not?’ and send my application and I had heard back a few days later and that was that. About a month into the process, the publishers put out a call for solo authors. I knew I just had to do it. I didn’t know how, but I just had to. So I said yes and as they say the rest is history.
I was writing my book ‘Faith, Freedom & Other F Words’ at the same time I found my breast lump, was writing my chapter for an Anthology Series ‘Rise of the Entrepreneur’, while also starting my own business in social media management and running my family’s business’ social media accounts.
Because of everything going on, I originally had a year to write my book, but ended up writing the entire thing in six weeks! I was having surgery around the time my book was meant to be released, and so I had to change my release date to November last year.
I loved every minute of writing my book. It detailed the first 25 years of my life, from diagnosis all the way through the current day; the lessons I had learnt, the things I had gone through and how that has ultimately made me the person that I am. Not many people know about Ullrich’s Muscular Dystrophy, or life with a disability. At the same time, I have been such a big advocate of the fact that if you are diagnosed with a disability, life isn’t over. You still have so much to live for, and disability life while challenging, can give you some of the most memorable moments.
I wanted my book to be a beacon of hope for people. Disabled or otherwise. Never in a million years was going best seller on my radar… Okay that’s a lie I have always wanted to make it to being a New York Times Best Selling Author. But I knew for this first book it was so niche that wasn’t likely. But I wasn’t writing it for that. I just wanted to share my story. I put my heart and soul into writing it. To my surprise it ended up as an Amazon Best Seller in 11 different categories. I was so blown away and so full of gratitude, reading messages from family and even complete strangers through my Dm’s who had read it and said it had helped them in one way or another.
If you want me to talk more about the book writing journey let me know!
Or if you would like to pick up a copy I will leave a link here for you or you can order it from Barnes and Nobel, Waterstones, QBD.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0FY3RQVTL
If you have ready my book, please, please leave a review on GoodReads and also Amazon to help more people find my book and to continue getting the message of MD out there!
Where to from here
That was just a small snapshot into what i have been up to for the past year. So much more has happned. Some painful, some outright the best. But i will save those for a later post.
At the moment i am running my social media management business. or well trying to. I only have two clients so far, but its been challenging yet also so much fun.
I am currently writing a fiction novel, and if you want me to give you updates on that also let me know (yes so so much asking for deets haha!).
Another thing that has been going in is I am taking acting classes and hoping to start auditioning for roles maybe sometime next year. Acting has been something I have always been passionate about but have never felt confident enough to give it ago. But I am finally at a place in my life where I want to give it a go! I feel that disability representation has been so underwhelming in film, theatre and television, especially where the character is a strong lead not a supportive side character.
And I also feel that there are so many incredible stories just waiting to be told, and if I can even play just a small part in telling those stories, whether that be behind or in front of the camera, it would be made for me. I don’t need or want the celeb life. I just want to tell stories that help and inspire others. So let’s see where this journey takes me!
I have also developed one hell of a healthy social life in the past 8 months! Which is a story for another day. But I am so so grateful for everyone I have met this past year and the journey’s we have gone one and will go on (hopefully) in the very very near future! Stay tuned for more blog posts on that! But this year has already been filled with so many adventures, from Concerts, to Weekends in Brisbane, Melbourne, and soon to be Sydney (hopefully!). Its been full steam ahead and I have loved every minute of it, and can’t wait to filly you all in.
Now what is happening to Living Abled moving forward? I am definitely committing to continue writing blogs here. My goal is to post weekly. Will be dependent upon work and my book and life in general (because everyone knows just how unpredictable living with a disability actually is) but that is my aim!
I want to keep sharing life with a disability with you all on blog form (maybe getting into short form vlogs??), share my book writing progress, and of course my acting journey. All these things tie in together, and I have missed bringing you all along for the ride!
I have missed you all, and I can’t wait to catch you in the next post! Which I can tell you already will be an exciting one!!
Hopefully see you next week!
Rhi.