My life has been one huge adventure which I grab with two hands and embrace. Everything isn’t always smooth sailing, but from my own insights, those of my mentors, and reading plenty of books, the tough times dwindle very quick. Some people believe that my positive spin on life has a lot to do with facing very real life threatening illnesses and seeing past them.

Challanges as a toddler

As a toddler, I was run over by a reversing car, and luckily, only broke my femur and was consequently placed into a full leg cast. Being only 20 months old, no doubt this would’ve been quite detrimental to a young tot who recently learnt how to become mobile.

A couple of years later, it was evident, that you shouldn’t chase beach balls on grandstands. So, after falling off a grand stand in Julia Creek, (8 hours west of Townsville, Queensland), things weren’t looking crash hot. My mum is a registered nurse and knew that I wasn’t crying, just because I had fallen 12 feet and landed on a bindi patch. I was passing blood. This was something very serious. Now that may seem horrifying, however, this actually was a true blessing as I had cancer, and without my accident, the cancer probably would’ve gone on, undetected.

However, being a small town, there wasn't anyone available to drive the ambulance to Townsville. Solution: Dad drove the ambulance, whilst Mum nursed.

After tests were conducted it was found that I had a wilms tumour cancer, and it was encompassing my right kidney. Immediately, I was flown to Brisbane for surgery to remove my right kidney, and to start radio-therapy treatment.

The year was 1975. Revolutionary things were going on in medical science. Time was drawing towards the festive season, and doctors were gearing up for the holiday break. Time to check on my progress before the break.

Sad news was delivered to my parents. The tumour had grown very aggressively and now they were told that my internal organs such as the liver and the bladder were riddled with cancer. More surgery wasn’t an option as the cancer was too wide spread.

“Take your child home to your families and enjoy your last Christmas together.” With my impending death sentence, they figured that I would be as good a candidate as any, to be a guinea pig for a new drug, however, the outcome was doubtful so late in the game.Family and friends from near and far prayed, whether they had a faith or not, and got into the true spirit of the Christmas season. Remarkably, I seemed to be doing okay and it was quite a surprise to doctors, to see me turn up to the mid-January appointment.Excitement mounted as initial tests came up clear. Investigative surgery backed their assessment. Completely clear! Doctors were stunned. The word used was MIRACLE! Everybody was scratching their heads and asking the exact same question. “How did that happen?”

Of course due to the very high, intense amounts of radio therapy, it was understandable when my parents were told not to expect any grandchildren. It was highly unlikely that my reproductive organs will ever function normally.

Challanges as a young adult

Fast forward to the mid eighties, when I met the boy next door, Lee. We fell in love and as teenagers went out together off and on over the years. When I was seventeen, we decided to live together, basically as he slept over most nights anyway. School taught us about contraception, and I was on the pill, but was guilty of not taking it properly. This wasn’t greatly alarming for me, as all of my life, I was reminded about how I wouldn’t be able to have children. Anyway, one thing lead to another and to my family’s astonishment, I fell pregnant.

The pregnancy went well. I felt healthy all of the way through. Towards full term I got slight hyper-tension and was hospitalised in the Kirwan Women's Hospital as a safe measure.

Sitting up eating dinner, I had the most intense pain rip through my body. “Oh no, is this what a contraction feels like?” Being my firstborn, I had no idea. The pain subsided slightly and I went back to eating. A few minutes later, the same thing happened again. I didn’t think I was going into labour, however, being almost full term, I had pain intensifying and then subsiding, so that was what I was to assume.

Nurses prepared me for the birthing suite, and the pain was continuing. I was in so much pain. They asked me if I would like some Pethidine, as to which I eagerly agreed.

A while later, the pain was still incredibly intense and the doctor suggested that I consider an epidural, which will keep me awake, but numb me temporarily, from the waist down, while I give birth. My concern was that the needle is fed into the spine, which is scary enough, but my spine has a curve to it, scoliosis, plus the lower vertebrae were retarded in growth. Another side effect from radio-therapy, however, a small price to pay for a chance at life.

The pain was consuming and the medical staff were becoming annoyed at my waling, so I quickly agreed. Again time went by, however, there was no end to the pain.

Lee was uncomfortable and tired from working as a mechanic in hot overalls in a hot shed all day, and hungry. He hadn’t had dinner and felt like he was in the way, and unable to help.

Time went by. It was getting late and everyone was tired after a long day. My obstetrician said to me in quite a stern voice, “You’re young, this is your first baby and you have got no idea about pain. Just shut up!”

Of course, I was hurt by her comments, however I figured that she was right and would know a lot more than me.

By this point, I just wanted to be put out of my misery. I couldn’t stand the pain anymore. The baby’s heart rate started to drop and the staff were nervous. I asked to be put under a general anaesethic to make all the pain go away. The doctors agreed and decided to do caesarian section whilst I was under a general anaesethic, as the unborn baby was at risk.

Luckily, as they were sewing me back up, my blood pressure started to drop. Everyone was puzzled. One of the docs decided to have a look whilst I was open and were horrified to find that my internal organs had adhesions. My bowel was being strangled. It was quite a mess.

The time was around 1 am when they discovered this, and they organised a specialist to fly 1500 kilometres north from Brisbane.

He arrived around 4am and did an emergency laparotomy and got stuck into saving what he could.

The upside is that from the amount of bowel that was cut, I’m currently about one inch away from wearing a bowel bag for the rest of my life.

So now I have one kidney and very limited bowel.

Around 6am I was wheeled out of theatre. Lee and family were waiting there. The nurse placed my baby by me for a minute and then I was whisked away to a waiting ambulance, and transported to the Intensive Care Unit at the Townsville General Hospital, twenty kilometres away. Here I was asleep mostly for a few days with hoses coming out of every conceivable orifice. I was told about the operations, and that it was expected that I would be in this hospital up to six weeks. My baby, Keiran, was perfectly healthy and being looked after in the neo-natal unit of the maternity hospital. I was very grateful for all of the attention and am constantly amazed by the amount of help which has saved me, from hospitals and medical staff. Yet, the thought of six weeks in hospital was inconceivable. So when the medical staff advised on what to do to get better, I worked hard, followed their instructions, and was walking and functioning well within a week. I was then able to transfer back to the women’s hospital, and learn how to look after my baby. All up, I was home within two weeks, which is quite different to the six week estimate originally given.

Of course alot has to do with the wonderful medical staff and the health system that I was a patient of. However, my outlook didn’t consider anything else to be acceptable.

Closing thoughts

From the age of 18, I have had two beautiful children, developed and touselled a relationship with my husband, been in successful businesses, done plenty of stupid things, lived on 2 minute noodles one minute, and ate at fancy restaurants the next. Moneywise, potentially I would have easily lost a few hundred thousand dollars. I have been through ups and downs and bounced back.

I love my life! All of it's good points and even the bad. Lessons are being taught continually as I learn from my mistakes, my parent's mistakes and of those around me.

Out of all the lessons I have learnt, and with all the fun I have, I believe in one driving point:

Life is what you make it.
You have the power to guide your thoughts on what you think and believe.
Your actions are a direct result of what you think and believe.
Your actions are what gives you results.

So...If you keep doing the same thing, how can you expect a different result?