Why me? My fight for life from heartbreak to hope
A
s I watched Casino Royale, the day after my dreaded chemotherapy treatment, there was a scene which I totally related to: James Bond’s drink was spiked as he sat at the gambling table. There was an expression on his face as the drug took effect, transforming his whole demeanour and clearly leaving him disorientated. A wry chuckle escaped my lips, as it so resonated with my current feeling. And then I walked into the kitchen, put the kettle on, and proceeded to pour a bottle of cold water onto my teabag. Chemotherapy does that to you. That is me today; however, this journey started many years before. My first real experience of losing a loved one was the sudden passing of my beloved sister, who was killed in a car crash. This tragic event ripped my heart out, yet could never prepare me for the loss that would occur in the short years that followed. I would lament the loss of both my parents, and my partner (the father of my three children), who all passed within two years of each other. Regrettably, those trials over 20 years ago were the beginning of my undeniable battle with devastating circumstances, and unfortunately, not the end! In 2015, I was sadly left to battle a fatal disease called amyloidosis, attacking the lining
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of my heart. This stemmed from myeloma - an incurable, life-threatening, bone-marrow cancer. I went from a fit and active working mother of three, to someone I hardly recognised. I was pumped from the chemotherapy and steroids treatment; my condition left me frail, unable to climb a flight of stairs or make a cup of tea without fighting to catch my breath. Inevitably, my life would never be the same. As well as the onslaught of grief (now too many to mention), I live with the trauma that my heart could unexpectedly suffer a cardiac arrest. I was given six months to live and sent home from the hospital in 2015 to spend what the doctors alleged would be my last Christmas with my family.
‘I am baffling the doctors, and my circumstance became the catalyst that revitalised my writing’ My late Pastor, Rev Dr Curdell McLeod, was instrumental in my healing, emboldening my trust and devotion to the Word of God, especially standing on the Scriptures of healing. My faith was entrenched. Calling on God, I became determined not to allow my
BY SHARON-ANN PHILLIPS
medical condition to obstruct me or cause me to succumb to the doctor’s prognosis. I fought back. I am baffling the doctors, and my circumstance became the catalyst that revitalised my writing. Laid off work and disabled by my illnesses, I penned my memoir, Why Me? My fight for life from heartbreak to hope, where I openly and honestly bare all in my story. By combining my passion for writing with my strong desire to encourage, I shared my experiences in my book, bringing hope, insight and inspiration to all who may be dealing with devastation through loss and a typically
