Sometimes we come across stories and blogs so perfectly told that we can’t do much to improve them. So we’re not going to. We’re going to offer the opportunity to share stories exactly as you want them told.   In this new series, we’re creating podcasts from our favourite blogs, read by their writers in their own voices. This is In Her Own Words.  If you write a blog or would like to recommend your favourite blog please contact cassie.delaney@her.ie _____________________________________________________ Blogger Kristian O’Leary penned her first post from a room in Cork University Maternity Hospital. Her blog, www.ruerascal.com chronicles her life as a mother, a runner and a chemotherapy patient. The post Kristian reads below was written nearing the end of her chemotherapy treatment. She says, “I was hopeful, yet wary. It hadn't been a terribly long road, but it had been a winding one and I was fearful to encounter another hidden bend in it. I always try to lighten the mood of the piece no matter how hard the moment was to be in. I'm not ignoring the gravity or the nature of what I'm writing about, but I do believe you need to have a sense of humour to get through what I did”. Kristian uses her blog as a literary scrapbook, filled with the adventures she shares with her daughter Rue. With this in mind, she says “I am perfectly happy with it remaining somewhat under the radar and a hidden haven for anyone who relates to me or my story. I enjoy the feedback I get from women out there who have experienced and endured similar outcomes. This was always intended as a form of therapy for myself. Putting events in black and white was quite cathartic and made it easier for me to deal with and come to terms with it. I also love that Rue can look back in the future and read about our times together. They are there in print to recapture any details that may fade from our minds with age”. As her treatment ends, Kristian intends to transform her blog into a more casual parenting diary. “Now that I'm in remission and clinic appointments are few and satisfyingly monotonous and non-noteworthy, I have found inspiration dwindling. I am now going to bring a more maternal element to it, taking it in a parent-friendly direction, while still keeping a youthful tone and hints of dry humour”. https://youtu.be/-sHTW53Vagg