My book – How it all began

How it all began
My most recent experience is that of being a writer. At the beginning of 2015, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. A harsh experience that, looking back, strengthened me in my life’s journey. Anyone who is going through a serious chronic illness or treatment knows that it is a challenging time and yet life events such as these offer a lot of room to experience oneself and to grow.
Writing a book was never part of my life goals. Besides, I didn’t think I could do it. I owe the impulse to do so to other people, because they thought I could contribute something to benefit others. Making a contribution became at some point the decisive reason to start.
Without any expectation of an end result, I started writing in mid 2016 and I was struck by how easy it was for me. And that was new, because I had rarely found such ease of doing (especially in my professional work) to be so clearly noticeable or even possible for me. My professional paths also went somewhat all right for me, but this one had an even better fit. And so I would like to share at this point: Much more is possible than we think! We just need to believe less of what we think!
What it says
The publisher’s (Carl-Auer Verlag) bookstore preview featured my book with the following introduction: Why do we travel? From Max Frisch comes the answer: “So that we can experience once again what is possible in this life.” And this could indeed also be the subtitle of my book. It is about experiences and possibilities, above all about possibilities of creation. This also brings us to the middle of the book. It is not so much about being ill and my own story, but rather about an attitude, self-confidence and the activation of the strengths and powers that lie within all of us.
You will learn how to deal with your diagnosis and a possible “why me” question differently, how to focus on your self-care and activate self-healing powers through inner images, how to pay attention to interaction and communication in the healthcare system and how to deal with your environment. Or you might find sample questions for your conversations, compactly and flexibly designed so that you can choose at any time whether to read only sections or all of it.
The book also provides support for those accompanying the patient in dealing with the person affected and with their life situation; this is often so new for everyone involved. The book is intended to provide suggestions to make things easier. The diagnosis and the unplanned journey that comes with it are challenging enough. There are no lectures in the book. Instead, I would like to encourage you and accompany you with the following message. Trust your body knowledge, trust yourself!
Enjoy discovering!
My interview at the online congress “Lichtblicke für Krebspatienten”
Denise Rudolph interviews me about my book and my personal experiences during my healing journey. Feel free to register and check out the variety of different options for your own journey. (German only)


Diagnosis cancer – the role of travel companions
“It is time to break down well-rehearsed roles if they are no longer helpful.”
This article on the roles of travel companions was first published in the journal momentum 3/2020 of the Society for Biological Cancer Prevention. (German version available only)

Trust your body knowledge
A cancer diagnosis is not the end, but the beginning of a journey. Travelers can actively influence the course of their journey in many ways. This is what Marijana Brdar says, who was affected herself and has written a gripping book about her experiences on her journey to healing. (German version available only)
Published in bewusster leben 06/2018
Trust your body knowledge, trust yourself!
Marijana Brdar