Katherine Formosa Bown's Blog

I came across this quote today,:

“ Never be ashamed of a scar. It simply means you are stronger than whatever tried to hurt you"

I’ve always hated my breast cancer surgery scarring; I have an awful scar on my armpit from having my lymph nodes out and I don’t like to wear vest t-shirts in case anyone see’s the scarring. But today fate led me to this image on Flickr and it had a huge effect on me. I love it so much that I wanted to share it with you…

On 27th February 2013 Anastacia announced that she was diagnosed with breast cancer for a 2nd time and was forced to cancel her European tour. 

After having successfully survived her 2003 battle with the disease which gave so much hope to breast cancer sufferers, i’m sure it was a huge shock and reality check to everyone going through and has come through breast cancer, including me.

Luckily, 5 months on and Anastasia she has completed her treatment again and announced on Twitter that she is cancer free. When celebrities are diagnosed with illnesses, it makes them real people to us and you realise how vulnerable they are to cancer. When Anastasia was diagnosed for the 2nd time, it made me think about how silly I was to think that I was through the cancer and that it would never come back, but no-one really knows and no-one can really predict the future. So we just have to live life the best we can with that ‘fear’ lurking in the background.

But what I do know is that I understand cancer more now, having been through it and I know how strong i’d have to be to fight it again should it ever come back, I hope this was the case with Anastasia’s 2nd diagnosis.

That feeling when a doctor says you have cancer is something that most of us would probably want to erase from our minds but we should remember it. We should use it as a milestone in our lives when everything changed and we began to truly appreciate life and what we have around us, as this is what gave us the strength to fight.

When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2009 I didn’t know anyone else who had it; there was no family history… none of my friends… or their friends or families, so I felt pretty much alone.

In fact the only person who I did know, was Kylie Minogue.

And by saying that I knew her, I didn’t actually know her personally. I was a fan of her music and I, like the rest of the population, was stunned to hear about her breast cancer diagnosis in 2005. So as soon as I found myself faced with the truth of a cancer diagnosis myself, I turned to Google to find out as much information as I could on Kylie’s battle with the disease.

No-one can truly comprehend how frightening it is to be told that you have a life-threatening illness. And even though my non-existent friendship with Kylie was totally non-existent; I felt a true understanding of what went on inside her mind during 2005. I found comfort that such a powerful women had gone through such a vulnerable time and came out of it ‘all guns blazing’.

During my ‘Is chemo ever going to end’ days, I’d think of Kylie’s return to the stage straight after coming through her treatment and how she didn’t let the breast cancer diagnosis and treatment change the person that she was. She tackled it head-on and even mastered the art of looking glamorous in a headscarf (Something that I failed to achieve!).

Her strength gave me strength, and her attitude of ‘getting on with it’ gave me an extra push. In my mind the words ‘If Kylie can do it then so can I’ kept me going and even now, to know that she’s out of it the other end and still going strong in both her health and career, it gives me that extra boost.

So this blog post is a thank you to Kylie Minogue because even though she is someone out-of-reach; she inspired me, gave me strength and helped me in my journey though breast cancer. 

To Kylie, with love x

Giveaway ends October 20, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

An Indie Author basically means an Independent Author, and I’ll gladly take that title.

I’ve not had my book edited; no-one has told me to add something in, or take something out, I planned the contents, the flow of the book and that I wanted to keep it short, handbag size and quick reference.  

I wrote the brief for the front cover design ‘simple, contemporary and not pink!’ I wanted a cover that a man would feel comfortable reading on a train, something eye-catching yet very subtle. And I’m so pleased with the result, Chandler Book Designers are fantastic!

Also, I’m the main, actually make that the ‘only’ driver of my book, I’ve done all of the marketing and PR, I’ve made relationships with distributors and wholesalers. I set up the online sales avenue and online promotion via sites including Goodreads, Librarything etc.. 

I feel empowered that the creativity was left up to me; after all it’s my book, and I’d definitely recommend becoming an indie author if you’re about to put pen to paper!!

Chatting to my sister this morning, she told me that Maria, one of the main characters in Coronation Street has a breast cancer scare and is being helped by her friend Marcus.

I’ve never watched the TV show but I’m intrigued to see how they cover the story, I hope it’s a happy ending and its aim is to raise awareness for Breast Cancer Awareness Month and to show that people ‘can’ survive through cancer.

Maybe I need to send a copy of my book to Marcus :-)

Today I’ve pretty much spent the whole day emailing breast cancer groups and magazine/women’s interest groups on Facebook to ask if they can mention the book on their walls… 

I’ve had some lovely emails back, mainly from the USA so it’s great to see the support across the pond!

So since I sent the press release, there have been a few articles published online! 

Have a look at http://www.katherineformosabown.co.uk/press to have a read

I did it! I breathed in, held my cheesy smile and had LOADS of pics taken so I’m hoping that they’re good pics! 

Interview will be next week so I’ll post a copy of the article.