Lesson #6 - Lemonade - make that a large

Losing body parts was not part of my story at 36. I had other plans. So losing my breasts was not an experience I had tools to deal with (#understatement). I was grieving and scared, and really, I didn't have the imagination for what was to come.

There are two lessons in this story.

The first has to do with framing the problem.

I was speeding through the stages of grief, alternating between anger and negotiation. Again, with the same commitment as I described in lesson 5. I was raging against the injustice of random illness. My beautiful oncology psych gently but firmly looked at me and said: "It's not the breast you think it is. That breast is gone. It is sick. It is making you sick". And just like that I found myself accepting that I was holding a lemon.

The second is an experience of 'after'.

After my surgery I was determined to find my way back to life. In one of my hazes – I finally went to David Jones to get prosthetics (did you know they sold 'chicken fillets'?). Again… this was a twilight zone experience. This classic David Jones 'Little Older lady' gently steered me through the process. I mean, who knew.... She was so supportive. What size cup? Ummm... I told her. There I was trying on boob enhancers. Seriously, you can't make these life moments up.

Then it hit me.

“I want to go bigger!” I said in my own personal eureka moment. "But you can't do that" said the well trained DJ lady. Oh but I can! In that moment, I found my choice, my voice and my sense of humour.

That day - I took my lemons and made lemonade one size larger! 

*Poor DJ Lady – I hope she got support from the HR team after our session.