I sunk into a deep depression that lasted three months. Two weeks later, my boyfriend dumped me via email. Then, the day I was discharged, I got fired. However bleak things look, there is always light at the end of the tunnel. Your situation will seem a lot better, and you'll feel more resilient as you get on with life and work out your problems. If you're going through a tough time, focus on the things you have, not on those you're missing. I was lucky to be alive, and to this day I am thankful for all the small things that we take for granted – a hot bath, a comfortable bed, even supermarkets. There were people in the same hospital as me, dying, in agony, with nobody at their side. In that context, not being able to have sex for a while didn't seem so bad.
I had phone calls 24-7 from people around the world who loved me and were worried about me. I started to look around and feel gratitude for all the good things I had. It made me realise that my problems were nothing compared to other people's. For their benefit, I started putting a rosier tint on things – I told them I was in a great hospital, where I was well fed, being looked after by a fantastic surgeon and making a good recovery from my surgery.
