storied selves
My Story typed words on a vintage typewr I have always loved reading and writing
and if you had met me as a child, I would have been scribbling in a notebook,
typing stories on my typewriter or creating mini-books. As a doctor, who
specialised in the care of working age adults with complex disabilities
(Rehabilitation Medicine), I am no stranger to illness, loss and grief, both as
a witness to the experiences of others, but from my own personal experiences
too. Six weeks before my Medical School final exams, my younger brother died as
a result of advanced colon cancer he had been bravely dealing with since the age
of 19. It was a truly bewildering time for us as a family, but many important
decisions needed to be made, like, "do I or don't I sit Finals exams?" after
five enjoyable but arduous years at medical school. Three months later, I
entered into the whirlwind of life as a trainee doctor, which gave me little
time to think and process my brother’s death. It was a year or so later, when
Grief took charge, and like a well-meaning but firm,wise advisor, signalled to
me that I really did have to stop, and process things.
