By Dr Sandra Krishnan

I am a senior breast surgeon and surgical oncologist based in ACT and New South Wales; other than that, I teach, mentor, speak and write.

Like everyone else in this 'pandemic upside down' world, I have had my share of difficulties, from the uncertainty and fear for my patients and their families, healthcare facilities, businesses, and the inability to operate, the unending waiting lists, the personal struggles. Worries about my family, health, and elderly parents are the unmeasurable stresses I have lived with for the past couple of years. Sadly, I know I'm not alone. I did get COVID two months ago; thankfully, it was a very mild sore throat, and for the first time in my entire life, I had taken leave for a sore throat to isolate. I must confess, as a surgeon, I have often ploughed through illness, pain and anything else. I have often felt that the only reason that could stop me from working, operating or seeing patients is — put simply — if I was dead.

During this time, I noticed an overall reduction in well-being and self esteem, especially in young women, a particularly vulnerable cohort. I founded the 'Note to Myself' chapter series that targets the defining decade of women in their 20s. This project aims to empower them from within and build them a strong mindset that can withstand any external force in their world. It is to provide them with an alternate voice, different from the often negative self-talk that we inherently inherit. I have an outstanding team of young women helping me in this project, and together we are building a tribe, a community of young women and mentors of accomplished women to guide them and help them on their journey.

Books were my saviour. As a diverse, immigrant female surgeon, there have been barriers all my life; occasionally, I have felt the odds stacked against me. The hurdles sometimes felt unbearable, frequently looming ahead of me, seeming higher than they were. In particular, when everything seemed very bleak, and I felt like I was alone in a deep dark hole, I started searching. It is hard to pick a single book, there have been so many books and so many mentors, and the beauty about these books and mentors — each one leads you to the next one. John Maxwell says failing is very important. However, Denzel Washington put it best by saying that falling is even more critical. Because when you fall, you force yourself to get up again and search. The book that most moved me is 'The Obstacle is the Way' by Ryan Holiday. In it, he says, 'The obstacle in the path becomes the path. Never forget, within every obstacle is an opportunity to improve our condition.'

The silver lining of the pandemic? If something hostile and dangerous like the virus can spread like fire, the flip side is spot on; something positive and lofty can also propagate, like fresh air! It is an appreciation of the borderless, limitless world we live in.

My message to other women in healthcare (and to everyone) is to start with a deep love for yourself as you are now. Today. This moment. And then, you can begin searching for just anything and everything you want from a place of acceptance. "The things that make me different are the things that make me, me." —Piglet, Welcome to Pooh Corner (1984