Author: Helena Bolhuis
Located in: Australia
Submitted: January 11, 2021
Tell us a little about yourself. I am a stay at home Mom of six children and have been married for 25 years. When I was 45 I was diagnosed with breast cancer, and then two years later, a recurrence of that cancer.
What was your motivation behind this project? When I was diagnosed with breast cancer, I entered a world I didn't understand. I soon realized that this life-changing news was so much more than just a physical assault on my body. It was multi-faceted and complex. As I searched for guidance and information, I struggled to find one book that would address my myriad questions. Questions about the cancer itself and its corresponding operations and treatments. Questions about how it would impact my children and change my relationships. Questions about how it would refine my soul. Questions about whether prayers changed God's plans.
What do you hope folks will gain from this project? When I reached the end of my treatments I had learned so much - about me, about others, but most importantly, I learned a lot about God. I wanted to reach out to others in similar circumstances, to encourage them in knowing what an incredible God we have and how He has good reasons for allowing suffering in our lives. So I wrote Broken Beauty - the book I wished I had had when I was diagnosed.
How were you personally impacted by working on this project? Writing this book was not easy. In a way, I had to relive it as I wrote it. But I wanted to encourage all sufferers that they never have to walk alone and that God will be their constant and faithful companion every step of the way.
Who are your influences, sources of inspiration or favorite authors / artists? Some of my favourite authors that I read during my cancer journey were John Piper, Ann Voskamp, Joni Eareckson Tada, JC Ryle, Charles Spurgeon, C.S. Lewis and several Puritan writers.
Anything else you'd like readers / listeners to know: As you read Broken Beauty, it is my prayer that you will be blessed by what you read and that God will be glorified on its pages and in your life.
