ATTITUDE – that small thing with a huge impact

Hi everyone. Welcome to the final post in the series birthed out of ‘Be Inspired 2018 conference’.

I met many amazing people and each person had a story worth telling. After listening to Heather Clark, I knew I had to share her story with you.

I first heard her story at the ‘Be Inspired 2016 conference’, but this year brought the second instalment of her journey which I found just as inspirational.

To help manage her morning sickness, Heather’s mum was prescribed Thalidomide which resulted in her being born with virtually no arms and legs.

Her parents had many choices to make including how to raise her to become all she was destined to be. She grew up knowing no limits and not seeing any difference compared to others.

If there was one word that summarised what I learnt from Heather, it was ATTITUDE.

The first thing that struck me was that she held no animosity towards the doctor that prescribed the medication to her mum. She forgave them. This set her free from carrying around anger and bitterness.

This is closely followed by her positive attitude to life. She is full of excitement and has chosen to live her life to the fullest right from a young age till now.

She has a can-do attitude, one that refused to let anything stop her from achieving her dreams of becoming a successful Television journalist and athlete who has represented Great Britain in the Paralympic Games thrice.

She is a fighter. Part two of her story came with a curve ball in the form of a medical diagnosis of incurable stage 4 ovarian cancer.

This is a diagnosis that would shake anyone to the core of their being and paralyse many. But not Heather, who has chosen to fight back as only she does.

She is not only dealing with the diagnosis but she has taken on the fight against Ovarian cancer and is devoting this challenging phase to educating every woman about the dangers of ovarian cancer and how to spot the symptoms.

How is that for a fighting spirit and some inspiration?

I don’t know what you are going through today and no doubt, many are going through situations that are irreversible, appear impossible and perhaps hopeless.

While we can’t always change or control everything that’s happening to us, we can control our attitude or at least tweak it.

My prayer and desire for you is that, you recognise and make the changes you need to make today, to make any situation you’re in more bearable.

Thank you for stopping by to read my post. Please like, follow and share with others. See you next week.

Hey! Before you rush off, check out some useful facts below and please share with the women in your life.

Useful facts about Ovarian Cancer:

• The signs can be easily missed
• It can’t be detected through a routine Cervical Pap smear
• Recognise the signs and BEAT ovarian cancer – persistent Bloating, Eating difficulties, Abdominal pain and Toilet changes
• Keep a record of any symptoms and visit your doctor if you have any concerns.
• Check out Ovacome for more information and if you are looking for a UK charity to support, this is one to definitely consider.