I’m Carla, but my friends call me “Carcoura” – Writer, Happiness Advocate & Cancer Warrior

At the start of 2015, I had lots of titles – I was a CEO, writing complex government tenders and overseeing more than 3500 staff; I was also the Founding Director and Executive Secretary for a not-for-profit bilateral chamber, organising gala events and trade missions; at the same time, I was the unpaid Office Manager for a boutique law firm I’d helped a friend set up. On top of all this, I was the Primary Carer for my beautiful mother, my very best friend, who went into rapid decline after being diagnosed with Lewy Bodies Dementia in 2012.

In the June of 2015, I had to trade in my multiple titles for one that was far less sexy: Cancer Patient.

By the time it was detected, the aggressive form of breast cancer brewing away while I worked over 100 hours per week, and carried the stress of a dozen people, had already spread not only to my lymph nodes but also to my bone. This made the grading of the disease Stage IV, which effectively precludes me from achieving technical “remission” and puts me in a category of patients with 22% chance of surviving the first 5 years with the disease. For a high-achieving control freak like me, this created quite the challenge!

With my 5-year cancer-versary fast approaching, I’ve decided it’s time to give myself multiple titles again.

WRITER

Having rediscovered my love of reading since I found myself with an extra 100 hours on my hands each week, to date I have immersed myself in over 2,000 books in written and audio format. I’ve also started writing my version of an inspirational book, “A Guide to Making the Most of Today”, and a “smart fiction” series aimed at people like me: who want to be entertained – whether through chemo treatments, sleepless nights, or unpleasant journeys on public transport – without being treated as simpletons. Nothing is ready for publication just yet… but watch this space! In the meantime, I figure I can still call myself a Writer.

HAPPINESS ADVOCATE

By using my health situation as an excuse to tackle all the unhealthy aspects of my existence (no, I’m not talking about my predilection to the 3 C’s: chocolate, cheese and coffee!), my focus has shifted from surviving to truly enjoying my life.

Now, in stark contrast to the workaholic I once was, I’m all about living life to the fullest. My take on this involves finding and giving acceptance, love, kindness and, most of all, happiness. Through this blog, my writing projects and my face to face interactions, my mission is to sell life as an adventure and happiness as a choice.

By the way, saying “no” to happiness is not an option.

CANCER WARRIOR

I really don’t want to think of myself as a cancer-anything, but, since I do still have the disease, and I am still having chemotherapy every 3 weeks / taking daily medication as part of my ongoing treatment, I’m happy to be known as a Cancer Warrior.

This might suggest I am running marathons or door-knocking to raise money for cancer research, but my cause is at once simpler and more complicated. While our politicians send soldiers to fight a war on a noun (uh, War on “Terror”?), I am fighting a war with the person I once was. Before cancer, my private battle was with negativity in all its many forms – self-doubt, body image, societal expectations, judgement or rejection, self-worth – but now, with cancer and mortality the dual reality from which I can’t escape, I’m taking that battle public.

Cancer has given clarity to my fight and granted me a new purpose: to convince as many people as possible that, more than yesterday, and even more than tomorrow, today is what matters. It’s our duty to fight back the negativity, to give priority to what is healthy for us… To make the most of today.