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This story began because I was dying to live. It ends with having learned how.

Wise beyond her years, Shell Rowe's life took an abrupt turn when, aged 20, instead of being able to follow her dream and continue her film studies in America, she discovered a lump on her throat that turned out to be Stage 4 non-Hodgkin lymphoma. She was given a slim chance of survival.

Three diagnoses later, facing extreme challenges and hardship each time, yet always managing to win the battle, Shell shares the life lessons she learned along the way.

From realising that life doesn't always work out the way you planned but may turn out even better, to making your own luck, giving yourself time, being brave as the jump is worse than the fall, embracing the chaos and realising that growing old is a privilege, this is an uplifting and humorous guide to making the most of whatever life throws at you.

The lessons are intended to help you defy the odds and transform the adversities you may face, whether that's losing a loved one, facing a diagnosis, receiving a rejection from University, not getting the job you want or struggling in a relationship.

It is a testament of hope and a confirmation that we all possess the power within us to shape our own reality, despite the hardships we each face.

© Shell Rowe 2026 (P) Penguin Audio 2026