rebecca rose.
Tell us about yourself, who you are and where you’re from.
My name is Bec Williams. I’ve always been a Bec. Never really liked Becky or Rebecca. It sort of reminded me of an American cheerleader or something. I always liked more-down-to-earth Bec.
Although, since I’ve become sicker, I’ve taken on the name Rebecca Rose, which is like another version of myself, I suppose, that’s encapsulated everything I thought was special about my life—a creative stage name. So, Rebecca Rose has been what stuck around the last couple of years.
I was born in Western Australia, but we moved a lot. I’ve got a cute little two-bedroom flat that was built in the ’60s. It’s just tiny. I’ve got ocean glimpses. I’ve got the best neighbours in the whole world. They always bring me whatever they’ve been baking in their ovens, and they all make it gluten-free for me now as well. It’s very sweet. I’ve got a bunch of handy husbands who live downstairs and next to me and are always willing to fix anything that’s been broken. And my family is so close. We’ve timed it and they’re literally seven minutes and thirteen minutes away from me, and that’s my mum and my dad respectively, so that’s just a godsend. My parents have basically become my full-time carers.
Tell us about creativity after your diagnosis.
Becoming sick and having the foundation of my life ripped out beneath me, and where I thought I was going and how I thought I was meant to be behaving—all of a sudden, to be given a six-month life expectancy, makes you completely re-evaluate how, what and where you want to live your life.
For me, creativity has always been in my blood. I can’t not be making something. Ever since I was a little girl, I think my mum must have instilled that in me. So, after the diagnosis, we put the focus on what makes me happy: increasing as much creativity and human connection as possible, day to day, so that’s been the recipe. I really believe that’s been the recipe for my longevity, my having stuck around.
Tell us about your parents. Your mum is an artist?
Yes, my mum is an artist and my dad’s retired. I’ve got my beautiful step-parents as well, Judy and Oompie (that’s his granddad name). They all rally around me to do whatever we can possibly do to keep me here that little bit longer.
My dad juices for me. He even, at one point, took reiki reflexology lessons so that he could learn how to massage my feet. He would spend time out in the garden, sitting in the sunshine, massaging my feet.
I don’t know anyone who spends time with their parents quite like that. That quality time that we get together—we always seemed to get together when something needed to be done, something needed to be discussed, or if there was a matter at hand. Never
