Why I Wrote This Book: Finding Hope and Life After Breast Cancer

When I was first diagnosed with breast cancer at 28, I felt like my whole world had fallen apart. I didn’t know anyone my age who had faced something like this. I had no roadmap, no reassuring stories, no idea what the future might hold.

Like most people, I turned to the internet. I joined support groups and searched for other people’s stories, hoping I’d find comfort. But what I found instead was a space filled with fear. These groups were overflowing with women who were terrified about their treatment, their scans, or their future. There was very little hope, very few stories of survival, and almost no examples of women who had moved on and built happy lives after cancer.

I turned to TV and films too, but it was the same there. The portrayal of cancer was bleak — the “tragic” storyline, the sad ending. Rarely did anyone show what comes after. Rarely did I see a woman who looked like me, young and vibrant, moving forward with strength and purpose.

And that was the hardest part: the silence around survival.

When you’re newly diagnosed, what you want more than anything is proof that life goes on. Proof that there is still laughter, joy, and love after treatment. Proof that your story doesn’t end with your diagnosis. But I couldn’t find that proof anywhere.

So I decided to go out and find it myself.

That was the beginning of something extraordinary.

I started reaching out — through social media, at charity events, through campaigns and treks. Slowly, I began to meet other women. Women who had been where I was. Women who were thriving, smiling, building families, chasing adventures, and living fully after cancer. They weren’t perfect stories, and they weren’t always easy, but they were real. And they were full of hope.

Meeting Katie, a young woman also going through chemotherapy, was one of the first turning points. We spent hours talking about the fear and loneliness we felt. We also talked about the desperate need for positive stories — stories that reminded us there was a future worth fighting for. Together, we agreed that we needed more than what we were finding online.

The more women I met, the more I realised how powerful their voices were. From fashion shows to fundraising football games, from trekking the Himalayas to simple chats online, these encounters gave me strength. They showed me that healing isn’t just about the medicine; it’s about connection, community, and the courage to believe in tomorrow.

That’s why I wrote this book.

I wanted to create the book I couldn’t find when I needed it most: a book filled with real stories of resilience, from real women who have walked this path and found light on the other side.

This isn’t a sugar-coated version of life after cancer. It’s honest, raw, sometimes heartbreaking, but always threaded with hope. It’s proof that while cancer changes you, it doesn’t end you. It’s a reminder that scars can be beautiful, that survival is powerful, and that there is joy to be found even after unimaginable challenges.

I wrote this book for the woman sitting in a hospital waiting room, terrified about their diagnosis. For the one who is scrolling through forums late at night, desperate for reassurance. For the families who want to understand what their loved one is going through. And for anyone who needs to know that no matter how dark it feels right now, there is a future waiting for them.

Writing this book has been one of the most healing things I have ever done. It reminded me of everything I have survived, everything I have built, and everything still ahead of me. But more than that, it connected me with the most incredible community of women — women who inspire me every single day with their courage and their strength.

I hope that when you read this book, you’ll feel less alone. I hope you’ll feel comforted by the stories within its pages. And I hope you’ll see yourself in them, whether you’re newly diagnosed, supporting a loved one, or simply needing a reminder of the resilience of the human spirit.

A woman joyfully twirls in a blue and white patterned dress against a rustic, textured wall, radiating happiness and carefree energy.

✨ “I wanted to create the book I needed when I was diagnosed — something that showed me there was still a future, still joy, still hope waiting for me.”