Nothing like wishing everyone a Happy New Year on January 8th…already this year is zipping away! But I have a couple of wishes for 2016.
Firstly good health is everything – you can’t really wish for anything more! Only when faced with a major health issue do you truly understand this. Last year saw many of my extended family receive quite shocking health diagnoses and some are facing a year of challenging treatments. All I can say is good luck, eat healthily, stop regularly and smell the roses, breathe…slow and relaxed 4 or 5 times a day…just  stop and breathe. Especially when confronted with stress and anxiety, you really can’t do better than just breathe in….and out…in a gentle calm way and try some meditation, some mindfulness.
Secondly, keep moving, keep exercising. There is good evidence that this helps you in so many ways- mind, body, cognitively, mood, joints, bones, cardiovascularly, muscle strength…. it’s just damn good for you!
Thirdly, I am going to spend this year de-cluttering our house, our cupboards, our shelves – wish me luck. As I enter my 60th year on this planet I realize how much I accumulate from birthday, Mother’s Day, Christmas, anniversary presents from lots of family and friends. And I have decided to make a plea to everyone. I want to say to all and sundry- if you are giving me a present this year I would love a donation to be made to HADA on my behalf. I don’t care if it’s only $10 and I don’t mean give $10, $20 or whatever as a donation and then still give ME something. I want for nothing and it would give me the greatest pleasure and huge satisfaction to receive absolutely nothing, but for HADA to receive many donations towards the wonderful fistula and prolapse repair surgery and the incredible education that Professor Judith Goh, Dr Hannah Krause and Dr Barbara Hall perform in Africa.
I know that this work happens outside of Australia and that there are many incredibly worthy causes here that you may feel deserve such a donation. But continence promotion is my daily thing and it really gets me how awful it must be to not only have the tragic loss of your baby, who dies in the process of being born (over the course of 3 or 4 days) but also leaves a woman completely urinary and faecally incontinent, ostracized from her husband, her family and her community.

So here is the LINK to HADA  and then scroll down until you find the panel that says Medical Training in Africa. And I mean it- no dinner vouchers, no little sneaky gifts, no chocolates, no wine and I mean especially nothing for my 60th- just a card saying you have donated on my behalf.  I can tell you the women of Africa are very grateful!
Happy New Year.