The article below was contributed by one of our long-term Venus members. Mel Curwood’s world was turned upside down a few months ago, and she wanted to share what she has learned through that experience in the hopes that it may help someone who may be going through something similar. As you prepare for your 60-second intro, consider sharing what this has brought to mind for you – is there something that has struck a chord about your own self-leadership in times of extreme difficulty? When something totally unexpected happens that takes all your focus and energy, how do you keep going?

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Tuesday 8th March 2022

Mel:

6.07am

“Hi Caro.  It’s Mel here.. There is something wrong with John.   Can you please txt me when you’re awake.

Many Thanks

Mel”

 

Caro:

6.07am

“Call if it suits x”

 

Mel:

6.28am

“Ambulance here now.. assessing .. Thank you.”

Caro:

9.42am

“How is he x”

 

Mel

9.46am

“He’s stable and they are giving him fluid.  They said they may give him a blood transfusion at some stage.  They are also going to do a colonoscopy at some stage.  They have also run some blood tests.   He is having a sleep at the moment.

Thanks so much for your help this morning.   The ambulance drivers confirmed that he was in a bad way when they arrived.”

 

Monday 14th March

Mel

7.33pm

“Hi Caro.  Just spoke to the Doctor.   They found a tumour”    . . . .

 

I knew that something was very wrong, but I never thought we would be beginning this journey.

What have I learned about myself as a person and about self-leadership?

Here is the extract from a Zoom recording of our May Growth Roundtable:

…“I’ve learned a lot, ..  It’s been a very intense month … My husband had an event about two months ago where he passed out and I had to rush him to the hospital and we subsequently found out that he has bowel cancer and it has metastasized. We found out about one month ago that he is …. stage 4 … he’s a 46 year old awesome person so yeah I’ve learned alot about myself in the last month.

…I’ve learned  some things that you wouldn’t think to learn about yourself – but what it has taught me is that I tend to go into overdrive and I get busy being busy which gives me something to focus on, but it means that my stress levels are so high I’m just constantly on adrenaline…

…I’m having to re-learn how to ask for help and how to accept help and how to look after myself so that I can be in the best possible position for my family…

…I’ve also learned that you can have the darkest of days and then the next day you can still have a brilliant day and  to remind yourself of that when you’re having those dark dark days … the next day is quite likely going to be a lot brighter…

… I cannot reemphasize enough about how much Venus has meant to me during this time. The first people I picked up the phone and asked for help from were all Venus ladies both current and previous and the help that I have been able to put in and around myself… around my family in all kinds of different ways has all been fundamentally initially from Venus ladies, so that’s been awesome.

I’ve also learned that I can have a balance from focusing entirely on my family and what their needs are but then I can focus on my business and that’s o.k. …. when it first happened I thought, ’How am I ever going to be able to run a business … If I don’t work, I don’t earn an income… What the Fuck am I going to do?’

… but I’ve learned that having my business is something that doesn’t just provide income. It nourishes ME and allows me to bring value into the lives of others, and I think the more I focus on helping others, then it helps me to switch from what’s going on in my own life into a sense of purpose and a sense of passion that’s outside of the situation. I can get in my car and go for a drive and go serve some people.”

Questions and Food for Thought: How do Business Owners keep going when their world is turned upside down? I remember thinking to myself: Just Pick Up the Phone, Speak to Somebody and Add Some Value.“

EPILOGUE

Wednesday 3rd August

Mel

9.28pm

         “We have been so Blessed with all of the support we have received so far with  John’s Journey back to full health – Thankyou all so much.

Over the next week or so it would so wonderful if all of our incredibly supportive friends and family could take a moment here and there to pray or envisage or focus on John’s tumours shrinking down like little raisins.

John is doing so well and we want to focus on him getting better and better.  We have all experienced both little and big miracles.at different times in our lives … It’s time to add another xox.💕

Thursday 4th August

Mel

6.19am

 

Next Thursday John has another CT Scan before we meet with his oncologist later that day.  This particular CT Scan is to determine how well everything is responding to the current treatment…It would be so awesome for John to be able to stay with his current chemo if possible as we know his body handles it really well :)

 

Thursday 11th August

Mel

9.00am

 

“Thanks Everyone:)  I’ve just dropped John off for his CT Scan. We are both understandably nervous xo

We are so appreciative of all of the good wishes. My thoughts and wishes now are for peace and calm no matter what the outcome but mostly of course Shrinkage :).”

 

Thursday 11th August

Mel

11.57am

“The Thing no Guy at the beach was ever pleased to say…

Daddadddaaaa…

WE HAVE SHRINKAGE”

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If you’d like to chat to Mel, you’ll find out more about her here: www.melcurwood.co.nz