The Chapter That Changed Me Twice

By Peta-Ann Wood, Elegant Rebel®

A few months ago, over coffee (of course), a beautiful soul asked me a question no one had ever thought to ask: ‘What’s stopping you from promoting your book?’ The answer arrived instantly – simple, obvious and incredibly confronting.

Especially considering how proud I am of my book, What Happens When They Don’t Grow Back… The upside-down view of life after a bilateral mastectomy. But I needed to update a particular chapter – Never Say Never.

The relationship I describe in the original version was a forever story – my truth at the time. But life shifted in a way I never expected, and my partner disappeared without warning or a trace. Three years on, the chapter no longer reflected what actually unfolded, and I couldn’t share my book while this mismatch existed. Updating wasn’t about rewriting history; it was bringing the story back into alignment with my lived experience, my integrity, and my youest you.

This chapter was never about romance per say. It is about identity, self-worth and the complicated, often unspoken terrain of intimacy after a bilateral mastectomy – especially when you’re navigating it partnerless. It holds all the messy questions: What do you tell someone about the scars? The odyssey? The Buddha Belly? The hyper-vigilance around metastasis? The parts of your story that don’t fit neatly into society’s version of normal.

And ‘normal’. This word has caused more teeth-clenching moments than I care to admit. It’s benign on the surface, yet loaded with expectation, guilt, shame, time travel, and absolutely zero acceptance. So when I found myself post-mastectomy, discussing future relationships with a BFF, stating, ‘That’s it! Never again for me,’ it wasn’t drama – it was fear. Conditioning. Old self-esteem patterns resurfacing. Suddenly, I was giving into someone else’s version of normal.

This chapter is central to my whole odyssey, and not sharing my book because of it became its own conundrum. So the updating began. And now, this July marks my 11^th Flattieversary and the relaunch of my debut book. Thanks to a simple chapter update.

The whole story began with a body that changed, the deeper truth is – I changed too. Not all at once. Not always gracefully. Not without dark-cloud days or a few dramatic ‘never again’ declarations. But change came anyway – quietly and insistently.

The real odyssey wasn’t about losing breasts. It was about losing parts of myself that were never truly mine to carry, especially the shrinking and apologising for taking up space. Those things didn’t grow back either – thankfully.

Somewhere between the medical appointments, identity unravellings, heartbreak and rebuilding, I found something more valuable than getting back to ‘normal’.

I found my youest you.

Not the polished version. Not the ‘strong one’. Not the woman who pretends she’s fine. But the woman who is delightfully chaotic, deeply intuitive and absolutely done with diluting herself to make others comfortable.

That’s why the story I tell in my book matters so deeply. It’s a book about finding the women who emerged on the other side of a breast cancer diagnosis. Light-hearted, quirky, unapologetically honest. Because normal was never my destination. Normal was the myth that was never going to grow back.

And if my odyssey has taught me anything, it’s that the world doesn’t need you to be normal or more palatable. It needs you to be you. Because when you choose your youest you, something beautiful happens: your joy grows back. Your laughter grows back. Your clarity grows back. Your life grows back – not as it was, but as it was always meant to be.

And now, with my inner knowing clearer than ever, I choose to be me and I no longer believe in ‘never again’.

If these words resonate, What Happens When They Don’t Grow Back… offers the full odyssey – identity shifts, flat-choice freedom, the messy middle and the quiet triumphs. The updated edition is available from mid-July, everywhere books are sold. And my hope is that through reading my wee tome you rediscover your voice, your worth and your elegantly rebellious self.

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com.au/What-Happens-When-They-Dont/dp/0228879345