Carla’s Journey through Breast Cancer

Last week, we introduced you to Aga, our writer on the
Beautiful, Precious ME retreat. This week, you get an update from Carla.

Both Carla, founding member of Shine Retreats, and our Retreat author, Aga Lesiewicz, join forces to create an opportunity for you to see into their lives and cancer stories. 

SR Carla

Shine Retreats Founder, Carla Octigan shares her story.

When Aga suggested running a retreat together, with a cancer focus, I jumped right in. My role at Siliano Alto is very much one of a host and facilitator, I am not a retreat leader but this is a retreat reality close to my life and my heart. 

It has been 7 years since my breast cancer diagnosis and although having been given the “all clear”, anybody who has had a diagnosis will know, recurrence is a lifelong fear.

Fear becomes a part of you, in the same way that “loss and grief” become a part of you. You don’t get past these things, you learn to integrate and live with them. People who know me well, may be surprised to read this as my life is a busy and full one. All is true, both are true, I am happy and successful, I am sad and scared. “Yes, And” as a good friend often muses with me, it can all be true. The world is grey and it’s a positive. There is no right or wrong, no black or white any more.

 

 

I think this is what  this retreat will be, a space that can acknowledge all sides of the individual. A Cancer patient, living with anger, fear, sadness and also joy, gratitude and hope.

For me, 7 years ago, I wanted first hand experience, I was not interested in your Aunt’s cancer journey, I wanted to speak with your Aunt. Even though there are a million different experiences and a million different realities, each of those first hand experiences I was able to share or read about, added something to this important jigsaw puzzle that I was making.

I took what I needed at the time and it is now an honour to be able to give back and hold the space and the hands of friends and clients who need to connect, share or cry through their own time of need.

So, if you or someone you love is in need of support and wants to join us in Italy in May, we will be waiting for you.

Read Carla's journey as shared with Shine 7 years ago.

SR colourful girls

We welcome you to what wonderful possibilities has come out of this process:

Beautiful, Precious ME Retreat
May 1st - 8th 2024

A retreat that sees our resident writer Aga Lesiewicz and one of our founders Carla Octigan, bring their personal experience of breast cancer to a week of acknowledgement, writing and joy. 

 

 

LET'S STAY CONNECTED

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Feb 7

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All of our retreats include healing treatment, set in this stunning environment. Whether you choose The Regeneration Retreat, to fast and heal your body, the Creative Writing or Actors retreat, to enhance your skills and ignite your imagination, or the Tastes and Treats retreat where you have the holiday of a lifetime taken to the best spots Tuscany and Umbria have to offer…this moment…this treatment and coming outside to this view will be part of it. Link in bio to choose your adventure. #shineretreatsitaly #creativewritingretreats #writerscommunity #writersretreatsitaly #actorsretreat #fastingretreat #yogaretreatitaly

All of our retreats include healing treatment, set in this stunning environment. Whether you choose The Regeneration Retreat, to fast and heal your body, the Creative Writing or Actors retreat, to enhance your skills and ignite your imagination, or the Tastes and Treats retreat where you have the holiday of a lifetime taken to the best spots Tuscany and Umbria have to offer…this moment…this treatment and coming outside to this view will be part of it.
Link in bio to choose your adventure.
#shineretreatsitaly
#creativewritingretreats
#writerscommunity
#writersretreatsitaly
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Jan 23

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The views, the trips, the tastes. These are the things that can be hard to describe when we explain everything included on each retreat, but are the very fabric of what makes a retreat come alive. Here you see our writers taking breaks from creating, to get out and enjoy the best places to explore and be inspired. @aga_lesiewicz Join us on retreat and come alive this year. Link in bio to find your ideal retreat. #shineretreats #writersretreatsitaly #umbrialovers #tuscanylovers #holisticwellness #pilatesretreat

The views, the trips, the tastes. These are the things that can be hard to describe when we explain everything included on each retreat, but are the very fabric of what makes a retreat come alive.
Here you see our writers taking breaks from creating, to get out and enjoy the best places to explore and be inspired. @aga_lesiewicz
Join us on retreat and come alive this year.
Link in bio to find your ideal retreat.

#shineretreats
#writersretreatsitaly
#umbrialovers
#tuscanylovers
#holisticwellness
#pilatesretreat ...

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Jan 21

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Have you thought about joining our Writing through cancer retreat, “Beautiful, Precious ME retreat”? Are you curious about what it will be, if It is right for you? Well, so have I… Will we only take breast cancer patients? Will anybody be in active treatment? Will somebody join knowing they are terminal? How would that affect the dynamic of the group, when we are talking about process, recovery & moving on? All these questions are running through my head right now. I have my answers to these curiosities, I also know people never fail to surprise me, I am always given more than I expected in challenges and gifts. Or are you supporting a loved one, a friend or a neighbour through their own personal cancer reality? Are you living with the loss of a loved one and want time and space to connect, share and process? What I would like to share with you is that there is no right person for this retreat, sadly I suspect almost every person I know could join this retreat. Few of us get through life without Cancer affecting ourselves or somebody we love. Having had first-hand experience gives you a perspective but it is just one tiny prism of reality. There is no right way to do Cancer, only your way, only somebody else’s way. All valid, it is about time we stopped believing there are right ways to live, work, parent, be ill or die. I think it is natural to believe in the choices you make, why would you choose to do something unless you believed it was the right choice? But when it comes to major decisions, like cancer treatment, most of us are inexperienced, ill equipped to even understand the language and choices ahead, let alone the fact that you are usually in shock at this time, the overwhelm is overwhelming. So with this retreat, we create a safe space for dialogue, writing, resting and processing. If you want to bring your questions to me @octigan DM or email retreats@shineholistic.co.uk Retreat link in Bio #cancersupport #writingthroughcancer #italianretreat

Have you thought about joining our Writing through cancer retreat, “Beautiful, Precious ME retreat”? Are you curious about what it will be, if It is right for you? Well, so have I… Will we only take breast cancer patients? Will anybody be in active treatment? Will somebody join knowing they are terminal? How would that affect the dynamic of the group, when we are talking about process, recovery & moving on? All these questions are running through my head right now. I have my answers to these curiosities, I also know people never fail to surprise me, I am always given more than I expected in challenges and gifts.

Or are you supporting a loved one, a friend or a neighbour through their own personal cancer reality? Are you living with the loss of a loved one and want time and space to connect, share and process?

What I would like to share with you is that there is no right person for this retreat, sadly I suspect almost every person I know could join this retreat. Few of us get through life without Cancer affecting ourselves or somebody we love.

Having had first-hand experience gives you a perspective but it is just one tiny prism of reality. There is no right way to do Cancer, only your way, only somebody else’s way. All valid, it is about time we stopped believing there are right ways to live, work, parent, be ill or die.

I think it is natural to believe in the choices you make, why would you choose to do something unless you believed it was the right choice? But when it comes to major decisions, like cancer treatment, most of us are inexperienced, ill equipped to even understand the language and choices ahead, let alone the fact that you are usually in shock at this time, the overwhelm is overwhelming. So with this retreat, we create a safe space for dialogue, writing, resting and processing.

If you want to bring your questions to me @octigan
DM or email retreats@shineholistic.co.uk

Retreat link in Bio

#cancersupport
#writingthroughcancer
#italianretreat ...

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Jan 9

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Space to think, to rest, to create, to discover. Time to Shine in 2024. Choose your retreat. Link in bio #shineretreats #umbrialovers #tuscanretreat #creativewritingretreat #holistichealthretreat #fastingforhealth #fastingretreat #chronichealthsupport

Space to think, to rest, to create, to discover. Time to Shine in 2024.

Choose your retreat. Link in bio

#shineretreats
#umbrialovers
#tuscanretreat
#creativewritingretreat
#holistichealthretreat
#fastingforhealth
#fastingretreat
#chronichealthsupport ...

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Jan 1

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As we bring in the New Year here at Siliano Alto, we do the normal looking back and dreaming forward. Our gentle home held space for many creative and healing moments. We made life long friendships and explored ideas, passions and longings. Running retreats is a huge privilege and a complete pleasure. As someone who has worked in the service industry for 39 years now, I know the power of connection. The feeling you get when others leave you feeling better than when they had arrived. I remember loving my early days of hairdressing back in 1984, I’m quite sure I didn’t fully appreciate why. With so many difficult realities happening globally, too many to do any sort of justice to, with some sort of trivialising list. We commit to making 2024 about simple, human connections at Shine Retreats. A promise of time, of space and of kindness, it really was all in the name, A time to Shine, for us and for all who join us here in this gentle house. Link in bio #timetoshine #shineretreatsitaly #2024retreats

As we bring in the New Year here at Siliano Alto, we do the normal looking back and dreaming forward.

Our gentle home held space for many creative and healing moments. We made life long friendships and explored ideas, passions and longings.

Running retreats is a huge privilege and a complete pleasure. As someone who has worked in the service industry for 39 years now, I know the power of connection. The feeling you get when others leave you feeling better than when they had arrived. I remember loving my early days of hairdressing back in 1984, I’m quite sure I didn’t fully appreciate why.

With so many difficult realities happening globally, too many to do any sort of justice to, with some sort of trivialising list. We commit to making 2024 about simple, human connections at Shine Retreats.

A promise of time, of space and of kindness, it really was all in the name, A time to Shine, for us and for all who join us here in this gentle house.

Link in bio

#timetoshine
#shineretreatsitaly
#2024retreats ...

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