New Zealand Listener - November 5, 2016

34 LISTENER NOVEMBER 5 2016

to the seaside and just enjoyed time in the

sun. I am dealing with things by creating

awesome memories and having quality

time. For now, I am going to bloody well

live. I would prefer not to go through this,

but it is the hand I have been dealt, so I

have to try to make the most of things.

No one wants to be around a sad-pants all

the time.

Have you become an expert on your disease?

Yes. I have read all about clinical trials

that are happening, even other types of

breast cancer. I went, as an advocate, to

Tasmania a couple of years ago with the

Australia New Zealand Clinical Trials

Group. That was enlightening. I go to

things to educate myself, then I go back

better informed, so I can tell friends if

they ask. You do yourself a disservice

if you don’t find out everything about

what you have. No one else suffers, only

you. You need to question your oncolo-

gist about things, to keep abreast of latest

developments. You never know, you could

be eligible to be in a drug trial and it could

make the difference. I am one of those

SHELF LIFE

leap-in-and-do-it types.

Reading has always been

important to you. How did

that develop?

I have always been

bookish. Because of my

illness with rheumatic

fever and not being able to participate in

sport as much as my siblings because of

my ticker, I found great solace in reading.

I read anything and everything. All the

Lord of the Rings series and The Hobbit by

the time I’d finished intermediate school,

fantasy novels, Terry Pratchett, that kind

of thing where people were destined to

do this or that and save the world. I loved

reading those real escapism books.

What do you read for escapism now?

I’ve got back into Marian Keyes – Sushi

for Beginners and Watermelon. She’s

hilariously funny. I used to read a lot of

horror stories, but I found myself having

nightmares. It was too dark, so I stopped

reading them and started filling my mind

with positive things. I find Keyes’ female

characters so real, human and funny, and

strong and gutsy, [and they make] lots of

mistakes, so I love reading her books.

How did your recent interest in biographies

come about?

Through Totara Hospice, I wrote my

biography for my children, so they would

know what I was like growing up, would

know my whole life, not just me as Mum.

I was an activist back in the day, I was a

muso – all those types of things – but they

just roll their eyes. “Mum, you were never

that cool.” Through doing that, I have

become more interested in other people’s

lives. I’m not into sport, but I have just

started Richie McCaw’s autobiography,

The Real McCaw.

What about reading to help you deal with your

predicament, as you call it?

I have never done meditation before,

but I think in my situation I need tools.

Meditation is a tool to help your mind

and your spirit. I am reading Stars of Aroha

Meditations by Tess Moeke-Maxwell and

it is unique to New Zealand. Tess’ partner

Nette was going through breast cancer

treatment when she wrote the book. It’s

amazing and made a convert out of me,

someone who has never gone into that

realm before.

The book comes with a rolling star, a

bit like a dice, with 20 triangle-type faces.

You roll it, and whatever it falls on, there

is a symbol. You look up the symbol in

the book and how it might relate to your

meditation. Kawakawa, for example,

is aligned with the spiritual theme of

humble ness. I have found it life-changing

and I have really embraced it. Now, for

five minutes in my daily life, I have quiet

time and meditate.

Yesterday, it landed on awa, which is

river; the book talks about letting yourself

drift in the river and relaxing. It has

helped me to become more open to the

universe. I always thought those were

namby pamby-type things, but I really

should have tried it before I knocked it.

Bottom line, I find myself focused on

what I do for the day and I am calm. I

have more inner strength. l

Moana Te Oriwa Papa is a member of Sweet

Louise, a charity that supports women with

terminal breast cancer and raises awareness of

the disease.

“You do yourself a

disservice if you don’t

ind out everything

about what you have.”

Clockwise from top left,

newlyweds Moana and

Paul in 1995; on holiday

with their children Devlyn

and Rionne in 2015; as a

new graduate with her

family in May 2010.