<strong>BLUSH</strong> | LEISURE & LIFESTYLE Lengthening Naturals Volume 46 <strong>BLUSH</strong> | WINTER <strong>2019</strong> sevenstarmedia.co.uk
<strong>BLUSH</strong> | LEISURE & LIFESTYLE Start-up despite Diagnosis Kirsten Rees shares her story from diagnosis and loss to her business start-up... When it comes to the effects of cancer, it isn’t just self-diagnosis that rocks our world, is it? Lovedones also have to cope with the challenges that the illness faces us with… how did your father’s diagnosis affect you? It was shocking obviously, he’d had this terrible cough for months and had been back and forth to the doctor, and it felt like it had taken too long to get a diagnosis. So, there was some anger and guilt - Why didn’t they realise sooner? Why didn’t we make him go to the doctor earlier? He’d had previous health issues and had literally been brought from the dead after a heart attack years before, so I think we just felt like this was another hurdle to fight... but sadly, he lost this one. Someone else’s diagnosis can raise questions in our own minds, and we can fear the future and the possibilities of ‘what if it happens to me?’ When did you find a lump? What emotions did you experience waiting for a diagnosis? Just after my dad had received his diagnosis, I discovered a lump under my right breast and that was terrifying. Because of what was going on with my dad, I was sent for a scan within a week. It wasn’t a nice experience at all and very intimate, but thankfully it was quick and I was reassured throughout the process. The lump turned out to be something else entirely and thankfully nothing to worry about. I have a chronic health condition called fibromyalgia, so I always need to be extra aware of increased levels of stress, and this whole experience taught me a lot about managing my own self-care and made me realise that I needed to change things in my own life. I’ve since learned what to look for and do regular checks. I think going through watching someone else die really makes you so much more aware of how we need to take responsibility for looking at our bodies objectively and regularly. I was on a lot of medication for my own health conditions and some of it was having a negative effect on me with some terrible side-effects, so I really began looking at what I was putting into my body and speaking to different health care professionals. Book that smear test. Do breast and testicle checks. If you’ve had something ongoing for a while, go to the doctor! Waiting is not worth it. Just because it’s not really worrying you, doesn’t mean it’s not worrying your child, or sibling, or best friend! Tell us about your start-up and how your father’s passing along with your realisation that you didn’t have Cancer led you to changing your career path? After my dad died, I took some time out and then began thinking seriously about my life and career and made so many changes! My business had originally launched in 2013 out of necessity as I have fibromyalgia, it makes holding down a nine-to-five difficult. I wanted to have a career I was passionate about and so I relaunched as a book editor and author coach, and I’ve been writing my own books too. Just after my dad had received his diagnosis, I discovered a lump under my right breast and that was terrifying. Being self-employed has completely changed how I work and what I share. Since transitioning from copywriter to book editor, I’ve felt that uber-professional wall come down; It’s helped me connect with people better over social media and I’m now working with authors who have something worth sharing. Recently, I was hired to write a book to help raise awareness for Child Bereavement UK. It was really emotional as I met two young brothers who’d talked about their dad who died and we shared some special moments. It was nominated and added to The Independent’s Happy List. Sometimes, my clients are business owners who want to share their expertise and what they’ve had to overcome in life in a memoir/business book. I also work with fictional authors on YA novels, and other times I partner with people suffering with mental health issues who use writing as therapy. I also launched a weekly ‘women in business’ co-working day, as I find having people around you definitely helpful when you are trying to run a business on your own, but still sometimes struggling with external things – so it’s great to vent (or have a glass of wine after-hours). I now have a great self-care routine, I’ve been working with a personal trainer and focusing on my health and wellbeing, including my mental health. I also created a vision board with twenty-one goals – climbing a mountain (again) is one of them, and another is writing a book to empower people with invisible health conditions. I stopped saying, “I can’t”, replacing it with “I can’t do everything so choose wisely!” Website: www.makemeasuccess.co.uk IG & Twitter: @HauteBooks LinkedIn: MakeMeASuccess sevenstarmedia.co.uk <strong>BLUSH</strong> | WINTER <strong>2019</strong> 47