Using a Powerful Magic to Deal with a Breast Cancer Diagnosis

Stacy Nottle, the author of Breastless, isn’t one to chant charms or believe that breast cancer can be overcome just by magic. But she does believe that through the creative process—in her case, writing—she has found a way to live well despite her cancer.  

Further, she felt it was vital to, take a long, hard, uncomfortable look at her baggage and ask questions around self-worth, femininity, friendship, and grief. Why was this important to her breast cancer survival? Because readers will be reminded—just as Stacy was during her cancer journey—that they are beautiful, amazing, strong, and braver than they think.

                Stacy uses magical quotes throughout her book to underline each step in her journey. Sometimes whimsical but always inspiring, one of these is from Terri Windling[1]: “Community, friendship, art: stirred together, they make a powerful magic. Used wisely, it can save your life. I know that it saved mine”.

                It’s time for the blunt question though:  Does creativity really have any health benefits? Well, according to James Clear’s article[2] published in 2010, in the American Journal of Public Health, the answer is an unequivocal, yes! More than 100 research studies concluded that there is a positive “impact of art on your health and your ability to heal yourself”.

Stacy’s book is about her journey through her cancer diagnosis, treatment, and what comes after that. It’s about her search for an answer to, ‘Crap! How the hell am I going to survive this?’ She talks about the voices in her head—The Committee—and how she has learnt to live with the hand that she has been dealt. It’s about enjoying life again, taking each day as it comes, and valuing freedom. Stacy hopes that each of us—regardless of circumstances—will come away from reading her book acknowledging the importance of self-love and living authentically.

This is Stacy’s second book and the insights, rawness, and quirky take on a frightening disease—the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in Australia[3]—is well worth the read. Find out more about Stacy, and her books, Breastless (2021) and After the Flood (2019), from her website: www.stacynottleauthor.com