Editor’s Note

Hi Everyone,

This week when I was running on the treadmill at the gym, I saw a woman doing a fitness class in the next room with her 12-month-old baby in her arms.

I was amazed at how determined she was to continue with her class despite her restless baby demanding her attention.

Instead of giving up, she simply scooped the bubba up and carried on.

The baby was delighted and didn’t even mind the jogs and jostles of her mum working out.

What a hero!

This week we are celebrating International Women’s Day with a special feature that profiles 15 different women in our community from a variety of industries.

I had the pleasure of meeting many of them at the frontpage photo shoot earlier this week and I was amazed at how quickly these complete strangers became friends.

Within minutes of their arrival, they were chatting animatedly about their businesses and handing business cards to each other – it had become somewhat of a networking event!

When you see them linking arms in the photo, it reflects this genuine feeling of kinship. I loved watching this instant camaraderie and it reminded me of our female superpowers – that of love, empathy and connection.

One other woman I know who brings these qualities to the world in everything she does is my own mother – Jan – who is (as I write this) on her way to the Whitsundays from England.

Thanks for travelling all the way over here by yourself mum, you are my truest role model and I love you so much.

Noons

(my childhood nickname!)

“Your graciousness is what carries you. It isn’t how old you are, how beautiful you are, or how short your skirt is. It’s what comes out of your heart. If you are gracious, you have won the game” (Stevie Nicks)

When Judith Miller Backway was woken by a “big crash” at 3 am, she raced out of her bedroom to find her husband on the bathroom floor in terrible pain.

She immediately called an ambulance to their Cannonvale address and was relieved when it arrived some minutes later. They rushed him to Proserpine Hospital where it was initially thought to be a heart attack but after further investigation, they discovered he had a Ruptured Aortic Arterial Aneurism.

He was then taken by the RACQ CQ Rescue helicopter to Townsville Hospital where he was treated by a vascular surgeon.

Afterwards, his wife found out that eight out of 10 people who suffer from the same condition do not survive the trip to the hospital.

“We’d like to say a huge thank you to all the medical teams in- volved,” said Judith.

“Unfortunately, I don’t know their names, but everyone from the paramedics to every doctor, nurse, pilot and the helicopter doctors were just amazing!” Since the incident, which took place earlier this month, Judith said they found out that this type of aneurism has no symptoms and no warning.

“Most people find out when it ruptures and by then it is too late,” said Judith.

“But you can ask your doctor to refer you for a routine ultrasound which would pick it up and I wish more people knew that.”

Judith says her husband is now doing well and that they have been able to complete their move down to Hervey Bay, but he has been on very light duties.

“He said he’d do anything to get out of the packing,” said Judith. “But this was a step too far!”