Thursday, December 24, 2009

WOW! It's Christmas and my birthday!



Hell there.. another long time between posts. It is Christmas Eve at the Boutique as I write this. And my birthday too. The girls have given me some nice presents and I do really appreciate that. Another year is closing and a new year and in fact a new decade is soon to be! I hope 2009 was kind to you and that 2010 will be even better. And if this past year wasn't every thing that you had hoped for.. then dust yourself off and give it your best shot in 2010.

Yesterday I had my heart touched by a young girl who was busking at Hamilton. You see she was blind. She walked along holding her dad's arm as he played the guitar and they sang popular songs together. Nearly all the people at the cafe put a coin or even a note into her hat. It soon put my life into perspective.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year from all of us here at Spirit of Life.

Debra

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Movember.. one week in!


In my last post I told you of my husband Mark's involvement with Movember. Movember is a fun way to raise funds for research into prostate cancer and depression in men. Like breast cancer in women, prostate cancer is as prevalent in men at the same rate. I have enclosed a picture of Mark's "growth" of 7 days effort... so greyI Not at all like when i first met him all those years ago.

You can track Mark's progress on line (and donate funds) by following this link. Here is a picture of Mark at 7 days!

Talk soon

Debra

Monday, November 2, 2009

Pink October ends.. & Movember starts


Hi ladies.. well another Breast Cancer Awareness/Fund Raising month has ended. November brings Movember where men grow a moustache to raise funds for research into prostate cancer and depression in our men folk. My husband Mark (who shaved off his moustache when he went grey) has decided to get involved this month as part of the Brisbane North Chamber of Commerce Team. You can donate to support him as follows: (Check out his sad sack photo.. hope he smiles at the end)

Yes ladies, as Debs' other half I am growing a moustache this year for Movember. I have decided to put down my Braun razor for one month (November) and help raise awareness and funds for men’s health – specifically prostate cancer and depression in men. What many people don’t appreciate is that close to 3,000 men die of prostate cancer each year in Australia and one in eight men will experience depression in their lifetime - many of whom don’t seek help. Facts like these have convinced me I should get involved and I am hoping that you will support me.

To sponsor my Mo, you can either:

• Click this link http://au.movember.com/mospace/105705/ and donate online using your credit card or PayPal account
• Write a cheque payable to ‘Movember Foundation’, referencing my Registration Number 105705 and mailing it to: Movember Foundation, PO Box 292, Prahran, VIC, 3181

Remember, all donations over $2 are tax deductible.

Movember is now in its sixth year and, to date, has achieved some pretty amazing results by working alongside The Prostate Cancer Foundation (PCFA) and beyondblue: the national depression initiative. Check out further details at: http://au.movemberfoundation.com/research-and-programs. If you are interested in following the progress of my Mo, click here http://au.movember.com/mospace/105705/. Also, http://au.movember.com has heaps of useful
information.

Thank you

Mark Taylor
clayfieldstudio.com
australianminingphotography.com

Friday, October 23, 2009

I enjoyed meeting some more nice people.


Hello there.. this morning I again joined with the Brisbane North Chamber of Commerce as they held a Pink Ribbon fund raiser for Breast Cancer. We listened as two cancer survivors told their stories. One lady had fought the battle and won against breast cancer while another is bravely fighting lymphoma.. and doing a great job along the way. The committee very kindly asked me to say a few words about the Boutique and i was happy to tell the ladies (and a few men) about how we help our ladies to get back to normality after their surgery. So it's a big thank you to Hillary from Brisbane North Chamber of Commerce for the opportunity to speak this morning.

Talk soon.

Debra

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Think Pink in Racecourse Road


Hello there ladies. Well I am back from Melbourne from my Grand Mother's funeral.. and life goes on. This morning Mark and i attended a fundraiser for Chicks in Pink at the Lido in Racecourse Road at Ascot. Lido owner Bev has been an enthusiastic supporter of Breast Cancer Awareness and again came to the party this morning with a special brunch with funds going to the Mater Hospital's Chicks in Pink. If you're looking for a place to dine in Brisbane's north, I can heartily recommend the Lido. Here is a picture of me with Bev (in the middle) and Helen from Chicks in Pink.
Talk soon

Debra

Wednesday, October 7, 2009

A sad ending to a day that started out so well!


Wow! Can't life turn around so fast. Yesterday morning I was enjoying breakfast with the Lord Mayor in Brisbane. The day looked full of promise and opportunities. And then just after lunch I received a call from Melbourne. Grace Fisher was very ill. Come now! My husband Mark jumped into gear and booked me onto a flight to Melbourne later in the afternoon. Just enough time for him to race me home, pack a small bag and get me to the airport. As I sat waiting for my flight to be called, I thought about my long relationship with Grace. You see, she was my Grandmother and someone whom I loved very much. I thought of my teenage years when I lived with her in Melbourne and all of the things we used to do. As I grew to become an adult and then a mother myself I still took time out to travel to Melbourne to see her. Ours was a mother-daughter relationship. So very special.

My plane lands after an eternity in the sky; John waits in his car and we race to the hospital.... unfortunately we get there 5 minutes too late. My loving Grandmother Grace was gone. Now 24 hours and countless tears later, I realise yet again what a gift life is. Yes my Nanna is gone, but she will live forever in my heart and in my memories. She was blessed with 95 years to live out her life and like us all, she faced her joys and challenges with a strong heart.

Vale Grace Fisher.. gone but not forgotten.

Debra

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Sad news at Mike Ahern's Passing


If you grew up in Brisbane in the late 60s/early 70s then you would remember Mike Ahern from radio 4BC. Mike was a hero DJ to a generation of Brisbane Baby Boomers. My husband Mark has fond memories of doing his home work listening to Mike on the radio spinning Beatles records. It is hard to imagine now that Mike and his fellow DJ's had a cult like following from the teenagers of the day. Mike passed away early in the morning of October 5 in England after a battle with cancer. He was in Australia earlier in the year and I had the pleasure to join with him and Mark for lunch. He started his career on Radio Caroline in the UK and was able to broadcast again from a Pirate Radio reunion just recently.

Debra

What an interesting breakfast!


Hello friends. I have just come from a breakfast meeting of the Brisbane North Chamber of Commerce. There I met some interesting people and had a chance to chat to our Lord Mayor, Campbell Newman before he spoke on his vision for Brisbane for the next 20 years. Of course October is Breast Cancer Month and I would ask that you get behind your local fund raising event to help raise funds to fight this insidious disease. At the boutique we have some decorated bras on display in the window, so if you're passing by, please stop and have a look. Talk again soon.

Debra

Wednesday, September 30, 2009

World Masters Games Sydney October 2009

Hi there.. we have had a few ladies into the boutique who are going to the World Masters games in Sydney. They have been chasing sports mastectomy bras and swimsuits. Good on you girls.. great to see you taking part in life! If you are attending, please drop in and let us look after you in the foundation department.

Talk soon

Debra

Monday, September 28, 2009

A work in progress!


Hi there. Today I am not at the boutique; rather I am working on our next newsletter at my husband's photographic studio. Although away from the hustle and bustle of the boutique, it has still been a busy day. Looking for digital image files and working out what stock will be available next month. And then of course I had to take my dog Dorothy for a "hair do". I was so impressed with what the people at "A Gentle Clip" did with Dorothy, I had Mark photograph her so I could put her up on my blog site. She is the most spoilt dog in the world.

Debra

Tuesday, September 22, 2009

Count your blessings...


Hello there. It has been a while since my last post. My other half Mark keeps telling me that I should blog more often... but like a lot of things in life, out of sight is out of mind! One of the things my mother used to tell me was to count my blessings! As a child I never paid a lot of attention to this.... but now as an adult I have come to understand the value in it. If you live in Australia like i do then we really are blessed. Think about it.. Governments change without any blood being shed, we enjoy high standards of living and health care. In fact this has to be one of, if not the best place on earth to live. I have been visited by a Doctor from Iran who herself has had a bilateral mastectomy. Poorer women there do not have a government funded mastectomy service like Medicare here in Australia. After hearing her story, we gave her a large quantity of prostheses to help at least some of the women in her care.

Yes, we do live in the lucky country.

Debra

P.S. Where were you when man walked on the moon in 1969?

Wednesday, August 12, 2009

Greetings from Melbourne



So here I am in the city of my birth, Melbourne. I have come here to visit Anita Australia to sort out future deliveries due to the overwhelming popularity our our new range of Anita Prostheses. And one of the great things about Melbourne is the incredible number of little back lanes that have the most fabulous coffee shops in them. On a cold and foggy Melbourne morning there is nothing like a great cup of coffee to start the day. Anyhow.. must be off; lots of things to do.

Talk soon

Debra

Monday, August 3, 2009

One lucky Anita Care customer has won a camera!


During the month of July, we ran a competition where any lady who purchased an Anita Care Product went into the draw for a Canon Digital Camera. And last Friday night at the close of business we drew the winner.... (drum roll pleaase!)

And the winner is... Kerry Leach from Mackay, North Queensland. Congratulations Kerry. A Canon A480 is winging its way to you this week.

Talk soon.

Debra

Monday, July 27, 2009

Wow! What a road trip it was!


Hello everybody... after many days on the road the trusty Land Rover has brought us safely back to Brisbane. Our road show was incredibly well received by the ladies of the South Burnett, Rockhampton, Mackay and Ayr. To you all thank you so much for your kindness and your feedback on the new products that we showed you. The Pyjamas with pockets for prostheses from Amoena were a big hit along with the new soft Anita breast prostheses and stunning Anita bras. An especially big thank you to Carolyn Humphries from Queensland Cancer Council Rockhampton, Margaret Stapleton from Breastscreen Mackay and Shirley Gilmore from the Burdekin Breast Cancer Support Group. These ladies made it all possible. Thank you one and all.
I must also thank my husband Mark who spent time away from his business to be my "driver and roady".

And wasn't my dog Dorothy glad to see us home!!!

Will post again soon.

(The picture above is of Marion Strong, Breast Care Nurse Toowoomba and me at Kingaroy.)

Cheers

Debra

Saturday, July 25, 2009

Burdekin Breast Cancer Support Group



Well, Saturday morning finds us wrapping up 2 days with the Burdekin Support group based in Ayr, North Queensland. I have seen quite a few ladies and fitted thek with new prostheses and bras. Shirley Gilmore (in the pictures with me) is the driving force behind this group and they really are a lively bunch of ladies. Being in the tropics, swimming is high on the agenda and they really like the new range of swimwear from Anita. Very colourful is the most common comment. Also the Anita breast prostheses are proving a big hit with these ladies again because they are so soft and gentle against the chest wall. This afternoon finds us on the road starting back to Brisbane in our trusty Land Rover with a lot of empty spaces from all the prostheses we have supplied to ladies on this trip.

Talk soon.

Debra

Thursday, July 23, 2009

A morning at Breastscreen Mackay


Well, here I am at the local McDonalds having a well earned cool drink after a Post Breast Surgery Choices workshop at Breastscreen Mackay. I met some lovely ladies who had interesting stories to tell and we had a great time. Again I find that ladies are blown away by having such a large choice in prostheses from both Amoena and now Anita of Germany. Next stop in our road show is Ayr around 3 hours up the track.

Talk soon.

Debra

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Spirit of Life on the road - Mackay


Well here we are safely in Mackay. Yesterday I ran a small workshop at Cancer Council Qld in Rockhampton. I am getting good feed back on our additional ranges of Anita Prostheses; ladies like the soft feel of them and the fact that they are not flat backed.. they feel softer against the chest wall. Our trusty Land Rover that was full to overflowing when we left Brisbane is now starting to show the odd bit of empty space as we outfit our ladies with new prostheses and bras etc as we travel along. Tomorrow we are running another Post Breast Surgery Options workshop in Mackay courtesy of Breastscreen Queensland. Then it's on the road again and off to a local support group of ladies in Ayr. Also you'll see that I have added a photograph of me with one of the new Anita mastectomy swimsuits.

Monday, July 20, 2009

BCAQ Kingaroy

Hi there. This latest entry is from Rockhampton. We have just come from a BCAQ (Breast Cancer Association Qld) workshop in Kingaroy. The BCAQ works so hard to carry the message of education about Breast Cancer to rural women throughout Qld. I am so proud that Spirit of Life is part of the team and accompanies them on their missions. Tomorrow I am doing a workshop at Cancer Council in Rockhampton, then on to Mackay and Ayr to do similar events.

Hopefully we'll get some pictures up before the week is out.

Take care,

Debra

Monday, June 22, 2009

Bras by the Stars - Kim Walters Choices


Here at Spirit of Life Boutique we like to support all Breast Cancer related charities. Kim Walters Choices run a Bras by the Stars feature where local identities decorate bras. These are then displayed at shopping centres around Brisbane. This year we're getting behind an amazing fashion designer.. Connor O'Grady. You may have seen him on channel 7's Today Tonight program recently. You see, Connor is only 8 years old. He has wanted to be a fashion designer since he was literally knee high to a grass hopper.

His Grandfather bought him a sewing machine for Christmas and he uses this at the rear of his dad's veterinary surgery to crank out all sorts of creative designs. And remember he is only 8 years old. We are all so proud to support Connor in his endeavour to be a well known fashion designer by the time he grows up. Here is a picture of Connor and the bra he designed for Bras by the Stars for Kim Walters Choices.

Also our new webstie for Anita products is now up and running. Please enjoy.

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Spirit of Life is the Brisbane home of Anita Care!


At last! Real choices in Post Breast Surgery Products.
I am so glad to let you know that we now stock virtually the entire range of Anita Care Products. While we have always stocked Anita products, we now carry a a whole lot more. What this means to you is real choice when it comes to purchasing your new Prosthesis. You can now choose from a wider range from both Amoena and Anita to ensure you get what suits you best; regardless of make. And of course the Medicare rebate still covers up to $400 towards the purchase of your new prosthesis. (Or $800 for bilateral).

On a lighter note, famous "Dog Whisperer" Cesar Milan is in town at the moment. (He will be appearing at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Friday 19) My husband Mark (a professional photographer) had to photograph him tonight and I was fortunate enough to meet him. For those of you who know of him from his TV shows, he is a very gentle and charming man. I spoke with him about my little dog Dorothy and Mark caught the moment for me!

Best regards

Debra

Tuesday, May 12, 2009

Welcome all delegates to Reach For Recovery in Brisbane

On behalf of all the staff here at Spirit of Life Boutique, we welcome all delegates to the Reach for Recovery Conference being held in Brisbane in May 2009. It is simply wonderful to see so much positive energy out there being focused on recovery from this dreaded disease of breast cancer.

And while you're in Brisbane, please feel free to visit us at the Spirit of Life Boutique. Whether you need a new prosthesis, mastectomy bra or swimsuit or would simply like to chat and have a coffee or tea, we'd love to met you. Brisbane is a beautiful place to visit in May; our Mid-Autumn. Spend an extra day here and see the amazing sites we have to offer.

Enjoy

Debra Taylor