Why recovery through reading?

In June 2020, a year when life had already been turned upside down, I was diagnosed with Breast Cancer. Treatment ended on February 4th, 2021 and by Christmas 2021 – 10 months later – my cancer recovery had not ended.

One of the cruelest things about cancer is the things it takes away from you: you lose a lot of your identity, your sense of self and worth and the safeness that comes from familiarity and normality. All the while questioning why you are not happy enough just by being alive to tell the tale.

Anyone who knows me will know I’ve read pretty much every day of my life, and happiest with a book in hand, an animal in my lap and a cuppa to sip. After treatment, I found it really hard to read. I suppose I’ll plot out these reasons in a post somewhere later. In April 2020, I began my recovery through reading – this began by reading one minute per day and now here we are!

For Christmas 2021, I asked for books and was not disappointed! I devoured them in a short space of time, enjoying the growing stack of read books next to me, and here began my idea: to read my height in books in 2022! It serves as a visual mark of progress, exploring worlds outside of cancer, and a measurable step back to being me.

I am not: a cancer expert, a book snob and most certainly not a writer but I am proud to wear the labels of both Cancer Survivor and bibliophile! I plan to use this blog to document and reflect on this project, and hopefully reach out to some of my fellow survivors as a visual, practical goal for recovery.

If you’re a survivor reading this, I know just how hard this journey is, and I send you all my love and strength. Cancer recovery might not have an end, but it certainly does have a way forward. I hope this inspires you to find yours.