By Tricia Mifsud
PYALONG resident Cathy Koning reflects on her diagnosis with a rare form of cancer in her debut book, Life Blood.
Ms Koning was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukaemia, a cancer that accounts for one per cent of all the disease’s diagnoses, in 2012.
She knew something was wrong when she started developing bruises all over her body, her hair began thinning out, and she could barely lift a shovel in her beloved garden.
Life Blood provides an understanding of what it’s like to be a patient, trying to survive against the odds.
Ms Koning said she was initially anxious about penning her experiences, but knew it would help her recovery and educate others.
“I was a little nervous about writing the story. It’s quite funny sometimes, one minute you’re living your life then all of a sudden you’re told, ‘you’ve got a rare leukaemia and you don’t have long to live’,” she said.
“At first, I thought ‘I’ll put it all down and see where it leads’, but it was in the back of my mind that the whole world is going to know about me.
“If I was 20 years old, I may have felt different, but I’m nearly 70 and that is a bit scary.”
Ms Koning made the entire publishing process personal, deciding to self-publish the book.
“I did try to get a publisher, but that takes a while with things like appointments. So I put a bit of money behind it, I got the book professionally edited, found a self-publishing mentor and hired a professional cover designer,” she said.
Ms Koning said she was feeling good now and was well enough to continue writing.
She is now working on her next two books – the first about a notorious American con-man and the second a photographic homage to Melbourne’s Last Laugh Theatre Restaurant.
“I’m doing very good, the only thing is I’m getting older,” she said.
“I garden, I go out and I see my friends, and I’m working on more books. I’m a natural researcher, I enjoyed that so much with Life Blood and will do it again with these next books.”
Life Blood can be bought as both paper and hardbacks, and an e-book version is also available at www.amazon.com.au/dp/099432443X.
