Who We Are

[Pamelamary]

My name is Pam, I am 59 years old and I live in Melbourne, Australia. I have been married for 36 years (gulp!) and my husband is the rock on which my present existence rests. I have one son, who is 24 and still living at home - so proud of him, and hope to see him "settled" and happy. I come from a big family, with three brothers and three sisters. My working life was in teaching, first in high schools, then teaching English to adult migrants and refugees in the tertiary sector. I retired a couple of years ago, mainly because I was sick of the bureaucracy.
For five years I have been an active volunteer with a breast cancer peer support and information service based here in Melbourne. I am currently "on leave", as the advanced diagnosis is still too raw and treatment hasn't settled to routine.
I love reading and have eclectic tastes; to me, a day without a few hours immersed in a book is wasted. My other interests include film, theatre, restaurants and travel - all of which I do as often as possible. I am quite fit, except for the week after chemo, and work out for about 30 minutes a day, as well as doing a lot of walking.
I now have a sense that my life is finite and hope to enjoy myself as much as possible in what time remains.