Reija Sillanpaa

Taking a risk is never easy. But what if the daily grind is making us unhappy and leaves us feeling unfulfilled? Sometimes it is necessary to take a leap into the unknown to come unstuck and open the door for new possibilities.

Having read about some success stories where people were earning a very decent living from writing on Vocal, I had high hopes of instant success when I wrote my first story. But my story didn't get any reads. The same thing happened with the next few stories and I almost gave up.

Cancer sucks. In fact, it both sucks and blows. Hearing the words ‘you have cancer’ was the worst moment in my life and felt like a death sentence. Especially when my oncologist told me that I needed chemo- and radiotherapy following a radical hysterectomy. Or when he said that he could not predict if I would be in the one in a ten group of survivors. He is an amazing surgeon and oncologist, but severely lacks a compassionate bedside manner.

Womb cancer, when diagnosed at stage one, has a very high survival rate at 95%. However, far too often it is not diagnosed until it has progressed to more advanced stages. This is because there is a lack of awareness of womb cancer and its symptoms, meaning women often seek medical advice only when the cancer has already progressed beyond stage one.

Albert sat alone at a table, staring at an old black-and-white photograph. Fifteen faces stared back at him, one of them his own. Fifteen haunted faces and eyes that spoke of fear, suffering and loss. He sighed and folded the picture in half with great care and put it in his wallet.

On the day dubbed Super Saturday, the UK saw its pubs and restaurants reopen their doors. But while some binged for Britain and spent £210 million on booze on Saturday, others were fearful of the repercussions.