Twenty - 20: "Everyone Has a Story" This Is Mine…

By Johanna Moore

Twenty 20

AUTHOR Johanna Moore is an ordinary poor girl from an inner Sydney Suburb with a yearning for life and love of all things great, small and many times very unkind.

TWENTY 20 shares her adventures, tears, dreams, and hopes for the past twenty years of her life. From her early beginnings, unforgettable experiences both happy and sad, and her battle with a brutal attack, depression, anorexia nervosa and malignant cervical cancer, shes one woman who hits rock bottom but nevertheless a survivor of lifes harsh realities and she still holds on to her hopes and dreams. The inspiring read serves to remind readers to live life to the fullest despite the many challenges that will come along the way.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Aug 31, 2012
• ISBN: 9781477122808

Book preview

Copyright © 2012 by Johanna Moore.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of non-fiction. And some incidents are the product of the authors imagination, or are used fictitiously. All inspired by true events.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

Xlibris Corporation

1-800-618-969

www.Xlibris.com.au

[e-mail]

501277

Contents

DEDICATION

INTRODUCTION

CHAPTER ONE

CHAPTER TWO

CHAPTER THREE

CHAPTER FOUR

CHAPTER FIVE

CHAPTER SIX

CHAPTER SEVEN

CHAPTER EIGHT

CHAPTER NINE

CHAPTER TEN

CHAPTER ELEVEN

CHAPTER TWELVE

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

CHAPTER FIFTEEN

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

CHAPTER EIGHTEEN (For Mum)

CHAPTER NINETEEN (for Groover)

CHAPTER TWENTY

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my Mother for all her wisdom, caring and mostly forgiving nature. Her times spent with me listening to all my wildest dreams, deepest thoughts and sharing my greatest adventures in this time called my life! My Dad for his patience, his unknown wisdom and his desire to feed my extreme personality… although he wanted me to become financial Guru like him, he always knew in his mind that was never to be… Thank-You to the greatest parents a girl could wish for… I am only too glad I got to tell you both before you died…

To my Auntie; for her ability to nurture everything she touched; she taught me the art of forgiveness, compassion and being able to let go…

To my Uncle who had the biggest heart, and yet the inability to use it wisely, I love you more than anyone in the family ever did; you taught me the art of imagination… May you all rest in Peace and I dedicate a Chapter to each of you 8684.jpg

INTRODUCTION

This book is called Twenty 20 for a reason… I had Twenty years pre cancer and 20 years post cancer; Twenty years ago… There are 20 small Chapters in this book, to share the adventures, tears, dreams and hopes of an ordinary poor girl from an inner Sydney Suburb with a yearning for life and a love of all things great, small and at times very unkind.

My friends always said to me you should write a book about your crazy adventures, and your will to survive So I did!

Thank-you to Cindy for supporting me through my parents deaths, and all my struggles and adventures in between—Gloria for taking me in when I had nothing—Sandra for her ability to show me how it is, and not how I want it to be—my friend Mickey, who is experiencing what this book is all about…

Inner strength, courage and the will to never let go, no matter what life puts in your way—

And finally; Damien, for being the closest personality to my Uncle I have ever met…

I love you all in different ways for everything you have bought into my life

I thank-you from my heart for your never ending support and encouragement…

So here it is: 40 years of my life (all based on truth, with some extra drama to hold your interest and attention).

I hope it encourages you to hold on to your dreams and never let go… Everyone has a Story This is mine:

CHAPTER ONE

Iwas born into a very poor family in the late 50’s; my parents had lived through the Great Depression, and times were still tough. They survived by eating bread and dripping for dinner. A roast meal would last the family for 3 days, after the Sunday tradition, Mondays and Tuesday’s would be Sheppard’s Pie and sausages, minced from the Mutton that was living a very long life just the day before. My Father was shipped onto the family farm at an early age, to support a growing family of two younger brothers, as their Father had died during the War, leaving three young boys and a grieving Mother behind. He would muster horses and cattle on the Stud Farm, to make enough money to send back home. My Grandmother would also take in boarders to make ends meet. My Mother’s family had six children and a Victorian Father who wouldn’t allow his wife to work, so my Grandmother struggled for many years, not only surviving a Depression, but also surviving my Grandfather!

My memories of my childhood poverty years were very strong: We had to share a bathroom and laundry with 4 other families… in a house that was divided into small flats of just 3 rooms each… This I believe is the reason for my attention to germs, you would call it germa phobia; I prefer to call it attention to detail… We had three rooms to ourselves that were divided by the curtains my Mum used to sew by hand (we were poor) when they would come off the windows, they would go onto my back; to then be known as my Best Dresses she would sit for hours hand sewing my dresses, hats and matching gloves.

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My Mum used to make her own toothpaste out of Pumice (to toughen my teeth up for the horror that was to come) We had no TV, Car or Phone… that’s right; no Foxtel, Laptop, or i phones… We were a very happy family growing up in inner Sydney, wanting for nothing really, as we had love… A love that was to survive and strengthen through a brutal attack, anorexia, bulimia, a mental breakdown, 3 divorces and a cancer sentence.Birthdays and Christmas’s were major events, trying to squeeze 5 Uncles, 4 Aunties, 3 Grandparents and the three of us, plus any friends or animals I had met along the way… We were strong we embraced life, all the joys, horror and poorness of it all. We never noticed how poor we really were, because we had each other, and I had all my dolls, they each had a name, and