Hand to the Plow

Maybe we could talk. I vowed, quite a few years ago now, to never go back into the corporate world or enter again the world of business, it was causing me to spiral into depression. I railed against turning a blind eye, to some of the fecklessness, duplicity and the lack of dignity, courtesy and imagination that was apparent to me and at the inertia in some quarters, not all – there were a few fine, bold, imaginative souls not merely worried about their own position, however it did lead me to believe that this environment was not for me. And it wasn’t.

I was an artist, a stranger in a strange land. Then three years ago I discovered that I had a brain tumour. I got involved with the brain tumour community, ran a brain tumour support group, ran a national support organisation, I fixed their dysfunctional IT systems, streamlined their communications systems and wrote articles for their magazines. I reintroduced my fingers to the piano in order to stimulate the communication between my hands and my brain and designed an online Patient Reported Outcomes programme to give patients a greater voice.

I also created and published a monthly e-News, sent to many hundreds of subscribers across Australia, designed to engage with the brain tumour community, providing information to help them in their journey. It fuelled both my creative and my analytical brain. The results were astonishing – a 50% increase in readership, three to four times the industry average, information that told us what people are interested in and what their concerns are, across a broad range of subjects. I believe it communicated a kind and generous spirit, something we all need, regardless of the journey we are on. 

I’ve been fortunate. Many brain tumour patients never work again, there are many deficits to overcome, unseen wounds to heal. Surviving a brain tumour is not the end of the journey, just the beginning of a new one, with a new definition of normal. If you are involved with a not-for-profit organisation, or even if you’re a business and you think I could do something similar for you then get in touch. As I said, maybe we could talk.