Page 290 - She's One Crazy Lady!

again for a brilliant evening and I look forward to reading your book in the near future.” (July 2008)
I loved this lady’s confidence in me and very much hope she is well and does get to read the book!
I was in full flow and engaged the ladies by asking them questions and encouraging them to ask questions and perhaps talk about and share their experiences of cancer, which some did, some didn’t. I asked how many of them had had experience of breast cancer, either personally or that of a loved one or a friend or a colleague. Approximately half of the ladies put their hands up. I wasn’t surprised, but seeing so many hands up was a stark reminder as to the high percentage of people affected. They were also fascinated by the procedures I’d had and were enthralled when I plucked up the courage to show them my ‘party piece’! I’m not lying when I say that every lady in the room tried to see if they could do it! Like I did at every talk, men and women alike, I ended by reminding them all to be breast aware and to see a doctor if they noticed anything different about their breasts that was of concern to them. A lovely vote of thanks was given and I was able to sit down – rewarded with a hearty slice of home-made Victoria sponge, one lady joking it wasn’t a shop-bought Marks & Spencer one – for they, like me, had watched Calendar Girls!
Before leaving, several ladies came up to me asking if I would be willing to give a talk to their church group, their Over 60’s group, a Widow’s group, their husband’s Rotary Club... more requests followed in the post – the ripple effect had started, as had promises of more people wanting to organise fundraisers for us. Two ladies, independently, sidled up to me and very quietly told me they had had breast cancer years ago but didn’t want to say any more – they were fine now they said. I of course, respected their feelings and wishes.
Driving back, feeling so uplifted, amazed at what I had just done and thinking what a lovely afternoon it was, I thought it would be a great challenge to do a talk at each of the WI groups in the county – more than 300, if not more, at that time...
(I managed seventy-six but still ‘owe’ a few and hope sincerely that I may be able to continue with my talks.)
In order to be able to have access to more WI groups I needed to feature in their County’s Yearbook. I was invited to the Women’s Institute Head Office in Moulton to be interviewed with a view to being added to their yearly Speakers List. It reminded me of a section of the film in Calendar Girls when the founders had to ‘sell’ their idea of producing an ‘alternative calendar’ at their WI national conference. The panel in front of me that day, although on a smaller scale, must have been what it was like it was for them – these ladies looked so serious! I simply told my story as before and, as always, I enjoyed it. No preparation, no notes, just ‘my story’, from the heart, for this was a real story. I loved telling it. I was relaxed. What would be the verdict? Had I waffled too much?
“Before leaving, several ladies came up to
me asking if
I would be willing to give
a talk to their church group, their Over
60’s group,
a Widow’s group, their husband’s Rotary Club...”
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