The Positive Pants

I decided to write a letter to newly diagnosed version of me. This might help someone you know going through something hard. Or maybe it's you. It's the hope I needed so desperately. I read a longer version at my talks but this is a shorter version for this post.

Dear Amy 🩷

I know you’re scared. Your world has just changed with the three words. YOU HAVE CANCER.

Right now, you’re wondering how you’ll get through this. How you’ll tell the people you love, and whether life will ever feel normal again.

I wish I could sit beside you and tell you this. You’re going to be okay. 🩷

Not because this journey will be easy. In fact it's the hardest thing you may ever face . There will be tears, surgeries, scars, and days when you won’t recognise yourself.

But there will also be strength you never knew you had. 🩷

One day, you’ll stop seeing your scars as something you’ve lost and start seeing them as a reminder of everything you’ve survived.

You WILL laugh again. You WILL find joy in ordinary moments. You WILL love more deeply and live more intentionally. God will reveal himself to you in ways you couldn't have dreamed of. 🩷

And the pain you’re feeling today will one day become hope for someone else.🩷

So be gentle with yourself. Take one day at a time. Let people love you. Say yes to the help. It’s okay to be scared. It’s okay to ask for help. I’m writing to you from the other side of this journey.

I’m healthy now. 🩷

I’m more grateful for everything I have 🩷
I’m living a life filled with purpose.🩷

And I promise you this Amy, the woman you’re becoming is stronger than you can possibly imagine.

You have GOT this 🩷

Love Amy 💗 ( future you) 🩷🩷🩷

Today I had the privilege of delivering another Mental Health First Aid course, and it reminded me exactly why I am so passionate about this work.

Years ago, after my first radiation treatment, I sat alone in a cafe feeling completely overwhelmed. I broke down and cried. People looked away. No one came over. It felt awkward, embarrassing, and incredibly lonely.

In a contrasting moment, on another occasion, an 80 year old beautiful man saw me upset in a cafe. ( It seemed to be a pattern for me 😅) He walked over, sat down, and simply talked to me. I have never forgotten that moment. It wasn’t that he had all the answers. He just cared enough to connect. 🩷

That experience taught me something powerful. We don’t need to be therapists to make a difference. Sometimes we just need the confidence to start a conversation. This is why I love teaching Mental Health First Aid. 🩷

Today my husband organised a course through the company he works for NZMA and the feedback from the team was incredible. The conversations were honest, meaningful, and brought people together. You could literally feel the bonds forming as people shared, listened, and learned. What's amazing is the ripple effect this course will have with work colleagues, family, friends and strangers on the street.

Mental health challenges touch every workplace, every family, and every community. Yet many of us still don’t know what to say or how to help when someone is struggling. Mental Health First Aid helps break that stigma. We still have the "She'll be right" mentality

Participants walk away with practical tools to be able to recognise when someone may be struggling and have supportive conversations with confidence. They can build resilience in themselves and others, create healthier workplace cultures and know how to respond when someone is in crisis

The reality is that one conversation can change someone’s day, and sometimes even their life. 🩷

If your workplace, organisation, or community group is looking for a meaningful way to support wellbeing, I’d love to help. You can book in at Meditrain. They also offer credits now for this course too. https://www.meditrain.co.nz/first-aid-courses/

Loneliness is a real thing and with these courses , we can create more moments of connection and fewer moments where people feel alone.🩷🩷🩷