It’s just turned 54 and it’s a birthday I wasn’t sure I’d reach. Ten years ago I was diagnosed with a 14cm Renal Cell Carcinoma on my kidney. A radical nephrectomy saved my life but I lost a kidney along with the cancer. Ten years on and my one kidney functions as well as two and I’m the healthiest and strongest I’ve ever been. Getting to this point for anyone who’s had cancer will understand the signficance and the importance of the milestone.
I have this feeling that I’ve arrived. I’m not sure where to exactly, but I’ve arrived somewhere. It feels like a turning point in my life, a moment of clarity and of accomplishment. Overcoming such a huge challenge as lifting the fog that cancer looms over your life is not an easy thing to do.
But the courage and resilience it took to physically and mentally arrive where I am is what I’m most proud of. I also can’t believe what I’ve accomplished professionally in the last 10 years. Besides everything that I had to go through, I still moved ahead in my entrepreneurial pursuits.
I’m proud of myself and I’m comfortable saying so. I feel better than I’ve felt in years. My age is worn with a sense of pride and self admiration. The years are slowly lining my face and I’m looking forward to every line that joins me. It’s just a bummer its during lockdown!
Women in their 50’s are powerhouses!
Women over 50 are a force to be reckoned with. We have years of experience, we’ve suffered losses, gone through financial and personal hardships, built and grown businesses, birthed and raised children and yet, our bodies serve us well..
Admire women who age, don’t begrudge us our thighs and our lines. Celebrate with us the culmination of experience and wisdom. Dig deep into the well of life that we have dug for ourselves and drink from the stories we have to tell.
I’m 54, I’m a woman of colour, the founder and CEO of a tech start up – The Room Xchange. I’m a mother, a wife of 28 years, an artist and a kind human being. We all have our own tapestry we’ve woven. Let’s throw those rugs around each other and revel in what will become this time in our lives – our 50’s!
Ludwina Dautovic xxx