I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year. I certainly did although it seems like a hundred years ago at this point! I shared a lovely Christmas with family and afterwards we went on our annual trip to a gorgeous castle near Limerick called Dromoland. It was the ultimate in relaxation and just what I needed to recharge my batteries after all the hard work and my radiation treatment.
As soon as January arrived I knew I needed to kick into action. There's nothing quite like a fresh start is there? The first job was to shoot an advert with the one and only Katie Taylor. I became an ambassador for Breast Cancer Ireland last year and Aisling who runs it mentioned that she has always had a dream to involve Katie in a campaign for breast cancer. After all she's inspiring, a fighter and a wonderful example of what can be achieved by a strong and determined woman. I am privileged to know Katie and she very kindly agreed to get involved. I'll put a link to the advert below so you can see the results.
This new App is designed to remind women to check their breasts each month. It's free to download and includes a step-by-step demonstration on how to carry out a proper breast examination at home. Early detection is key, so please click on the App, download it and be safe.
As you can see from the pictures Katie allowed us into her newly refurbished boxing club and along with Aisling and Samantha from Breast Cancer Ireland and the other ambassadors, we had a really fun and inspirational afternoon. As Katie did her moves for the film we were all silenced by her agility speed and grace. To see her in action is quite astonishing. Annie and Donna from Makeup Forever came to make us all look lovely and they too were awestruck by how beautiful Katie is. She hasn't a mark on her face and it's baffling to realise she spends her life being boxed! Well, she is world champ, European champ and an olympic gold medal holder, so she's pretty darn good at avoiding punches... But all the same, you'd expect her to look a little worse for wear right? Wrong! Take a look at the advert via the link below...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a95qk0Ms37M#t=11
Here are some photos that were taken on the day...
There are so many exciting things coming up and I'll share them with you as I go. The only downside to my trip was that Herbie the delinquent dog saw fit to eat two of my shoes. A suede nude shoe with one of those heels that makes them actually comfortable and also a black glittery shoe. He ate two left feet... I'm told by my doggy psychology expert friends that he did it because he missed me. I'm not that interested in why, all I know is that my shoes are no longer. This obviously means I'll need to buy more... Don't tell my hubby!
Health-wise, my energy is good and I'm headed for another bout of radiation soon. My latest scans say good things... I'm clear everywhere bar the cancer on the right side of my neck. So that'll be zapped over five weeks. Finishing just in time for my new book.
I trust 2014 is treating you all well so far. I'm filled with excitement ideas and hope. My star sign is Libra which is represented by the scales, so I always prefer balance and even numbers. I know that sounds utterly barmy, but I never claimed to be that sane...
Please, ladies click on the breast aware app, stay safe and I hope you've all survived January joyfully!
Love and light
Emma x