by July 15th, 2017 :We have all heard the phrase, “Life can change in a moment!” But we don’t truly believe it until it happens!
For me that moment happened exactly four years ago today. July 15th, 2013.
Yes, a phone call and awkward pause and an apology. And my life changed in a way that was hard to comprehend and even harder to live. It has been a long four years, full of challenges , suffering and unusual human interaction. With life lessons at every corner and opportunities to reflect and make sense of the clock that is constantly ticking.
Having heard the sentence, now twice, that I have cancer, here I am. Bald, tired but full of appreciation of life. With your support I have chronicled my journey and today I wish to share this news with you that this year , I look forward to having my book, ” Left Boob Gone Rogue” in your hands.
I can’t tell you how many times I have heard the phrase, ” You should write a book!”
Well I have done that ( almost )
I am in the final phase of this project. I have dealt with major set backs as you all know but giving up has never been an option. Finishing a book during chemotherapy is a challenge in itself!
My biggest fear has been cancer infiltrating my brain and taking away my capacity to think and write. It sat on my skull for months checking out the terrain.
Now that my MRI has been reported and the brain looks ok ( for now) in the next three months I will be devoting all my time and energy to make this book a reality for me and for you.
” Left Boob Gone Rogue” is my story of persisting in face of relentless breast cancer and the suffering it entails.
There will be lots more details coming but I wanted to share this today with you, on my four year cancer anniversary that I persisted.
I am grateful for the love and encouragement from all of you that gives me the confidence to pursue my writing seriously and move forward!
Here is to four years of living with cancer, not just surviving but truly living! To moving forward and to conquering fears!
Much love ❤️ Uzma Yunus
Left Boob Gone Rogue 
Thank you.
I was busy writing a memoir prior to learning in 2014 that my stage 1 cancer from 2003 had suddenly resurfaced stage 4. It became quite clear to me then that looking back (memoir) was not a good use of my mind. So I ditched the project and instead focus on my here and now. Writing about our cancer challenges is indeed educational for others and I applaud you for pushing towards publication. I may decide to turn my entire blog site into a book solely as a permanent record of my ‘voice’ for my children and grandchildren. Sending you all good wishes towards accomplishing your goal!
So sorry for your recurrence, I wish you the best.
This might be a silly question, but I was curious how much of your Metastatic journey will be in the book? You see, I was diagnosed January 2017 De Novo with stage 4 breast cancer, mets to bones and cerebellum. Unfortunately ALL the books I rented, bought, looked through hardly even broached the subject. It would definitely be nice to have someone put in writing, that we are here, we do exist, and we’re not a lost cause.
I enjoy your writing, and thank you so much for recounting your experience here. It’s nice to know you’re not alone in your boat, even if our boat has a hole in it. 🙂
A whole section ! Thank you for you interest and encouragement and I am sorry for what you are dealing with and I understand your pain.
You may want to listen to my podcast and tv interview where I speak about these issues. Will post the links. Much love