MY ALTERNATIVE WALK

Having gone off walking with his friend, Barry, this morning, I got Mr. HCB to drop me off in Old Town because I wanted to take a copy of last week’s Blip into Andrea in the Expressions shop and also to make a donation to the Breast  Cancer Charity box on the counter.  Sadly, she wasn’t there today, but I left the copy for her and her colleague said she would put a note with it so that Andrea saw it tomorrow when she came into work.

I carried on walking down the hill into the town centre, passing Theatre Square on my way and remembered that Mr. HCB had alerted me to the fact that there was a mural in the square which might just do for BCAM, as it was quite pink.  He wasn’t wrong!

The new mural called “Uncertainty” is part of a project aimed at regenerating the town centre and was done in collaboration with charity Artsite and funded by Swindon Borough Council and InSwindon.  In the mural, painted on the door and wall of a nightclub, artist Caryn Koh has reflected on her migration to the UK from Malaysia four years ago and says it was inspired by the feeling of uncertainly she felt during her journey.  Feeling that words can be restrictive, she uses her art as a way of showcasing her emotions, which then enables her to talk about her emotions and feelings.  I was sad that the area all round was rather unkempt and wished I could have cleared away the weeds, although of course, maybe they are part and parcel of Caryn’s journey.

Reading the write-up about Caryn in the local paper made me think of the uncertainty that breast cancer patients go through when given their diagnosis and I was thinking in particular of two good friends.  Heather lives a few miles away and has been a friend for many years since we first worked together and the other lives on the other side of the world but I have never met her. Both these friends, in their own way, have been an inspiration to me.

Back in 2015, a Blip friend, Marylou, who also lives in Pakistan, and at the time worked for a magazine, shared an article she had read about Fauzia on her Facebook page as she was so moved by it.  Fauzia had been diagnosed with breast cancer and the article told of her subsequent journey entitled “Tougher than Cancer”.  I remember I had tears in my eyes as I read the article, but it was so full of hope that I also felt uplifted and humble as I read it.  Fauzia was well supported by her family and friends and I was so impressed by the way she had coped with her diagnosis and treatment that I felt I wanted to write to her, which I did.  We then became friends on Facebook and have been friends ever since, sharing many thoughts and feelings about home, family and a host of other things too, including cricket!

I remember one night, very late, watching the Pakistan Cricket team playing a match against England that we were watching on television, when I started chatting with Fauzia on Messenger.  It was quite late at night and I remember her saying she was in bed, but I was able to give her the up-to-date scores, which we both found hilarious!  

We had some good Facebook Messenger chats earlier today and I have Fauzia’s permission to “weave in” some of her story today, which of course, makes things more personal during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Having read some of my Pinktober Blips, Fauzia said that October keeps her occupied because she speaks at different forums on Breast Cancer.  She told me that there is usually a panel of doctors who speak first and then once the medical terminologies have been taken care of, she does her talk.  She speaks, as a survivor, about her fears, the myths surrounding breast cancer and her personal journey.  

She tells how she had to balance her work and personal life and how she discovered the beauty of nature, including the early morning sunrises, which were always there, but that before this chapter in her life, she had never paid much attention to.  She also said that she noticed little things that she had never noticed before, like dew drops on flowers and how that previously she could not stand the cawing of crows, but that even this sounded like a song.

I did ask if Fauzia if had a quote I could use, but she said she had no particular quote, but thought of people who live on an island in Japan who live long lives and who say that one has to have a purpose in life rather than just muddling along with no idea of what you are here for.  She mentioned that she always tries to interject her speaking with humour, so that she doesn’t sound too morbid, but always speaks about early detection of breast cancer, which as we all know, is so important.

I hope that I may meet Fauzia one day because she has certainly inspired me throughout the time I have known her and I’m sure if we do meet, there will be some midnight oil burned!

“The grand essentials to happiness 
     in this life are something to do, 
          something to love, 
               and something to hope for.” 
Hector Garcia Puigcerver - 
Ikigai: The Japanese Secret to a Long and Happy Life


P.S.  Please continue to click on this LINK to enable those who cannot afford to pay to have a free mammogram.  Thank you.  M xx