Today we talk about THE DISAPPEARANCE, a book by Dr. Fenna Heyning published with our publishing house Europe Books.
Europe Books had the pleasure of interviewing the author, Dr. Fenna Heyning, to get to know her better, what was the moment that led her to the writing of her book THE DISAPPEARANCE, as well as how her passion for Writing started.
Below you can find our interview. Take a seat and enjoy your reading!!!
- What was the moment that led you to the writing of your personal story?
“A book is just an excuse to start a conversation”. That is what my cousin, who wrote a book himself, said to me when I was sharing my intention to write a book, but also sharing my anxieties around it. In my family, we love talking and storytelling, I was raised on it! In my professional life, I have learned over the years that a good story sticks, much more than a complicated slide deck full of facts and figures. So, these wise words from my cousin were the last little push that I needed to actually start writing my stories down to become a book.
- What sensations did you feel by ‘reading’ your life on the pages of your book?
To see my story on the pages, to see my name as “author” on the cover of the book is a fantastic sensation! I became a doctor to help people, to help improve their quality of life. As a doctor you can work as hard as you can, but there are only so many patients you can help in a day. By writing a book, it becomes possible to have an even bigger impact. It becomes possible to help people whom I have never even met! To have that kind of impact is absolutely exhilarating.
- What are the messages you want to send out with your book?
The book gives me the opportunity to talk about how high complex healthcare, public health, environmental sciences and food are all strongly related. Unfortunately, both on the very busy work floor of the hospital, as in politics and in the media, we tend to look at these issues in isolation. Society has become so fragmented. I think it is important to take a holistic perspective on society’s issues and solutions. I have learned that in order for me to be the best doctor or best author I can be, it is important to share some of my personal emotions with the patient and the reader. That is not how I was trained in medical school, I was taught to keep all emotions to myself. I think we can apply these insights to the patient and to other healthcare workers: by finding the courage to be whole and let ourselves be seen as whole, can we help ourselves and others. Wellbeing is about eating healthy, getting enough exercise and having enough social contacts. Healthcare is about these three pillars: eat-move-meet. It is as simple and as complicated as that. This book is a wonderful opportunity to start that conversation with the readers.
- How did your passion for Writing started?
My passion for writing started as a teenager, I loved the story writing assignments we had to do for school! I even won the school’s poetry contest in my junior year. When I entered university, I felt I did not have enough time anymore for my writing, but when I started writing scientific papers for my PhD thesis, I rediscovered how much I like writing. I remember one reviewer who did reject the paper, but complimented me on how well it was written…It made me feel good that he acknowledged that. Later I was invited to start blogging about my work. To experience that so many people read them and appreciated them was truly inspiring, the blogs were the starting point of my book.
- Are you planning to write more books? Can you tell us more about it?
Yes! I am definitely planning on writing more books. The topic of Arts and Health is very close to my heart, dance most especially. I started a foundation that promotes arts as a means to overcome the isolation that patients often suffer from, both literally and figuratively. Since the COVID pandemic the whole world has learned how hard this isolation can be. Together with a professional dancer, Barbara D’Agostino, I have produced and directed a film “continue to dance, if only in your head”. It describes how being a dancer has supported Barbara, while she was undergoing treatment for her leukemia. Currently I am doing research in order to write a book on how Arts can have a healing role in healthcare. Another topic I want to write about is the exodus of nurses and doctors. So many healthcare professionals are leaving the sector, which is threatening access to healthcare soon. Plus, it is so sad to see all these highly motivated, very capable people losing their motivation for the very job they were once so idealistic about! How can we explain this and more importantly, how can we change it?
Europe Books thanks the author, Dr. Fenna Heyning, once again for taking the time and answering our questions. We are really pleased to have walked alongside her on the editorial path that led to the publication of her book THE DISAPPEARANCE. We wish her the best of luck for her future works.
To you, my readers, may this book remind you of the importance of the three pillars that the author reminds us in order to live our everyday life in the best way: eat-move-meet. It is also important to share your emotions and not keep them to yourself, but let them out and free them!
So, my dear reader, all I have to say is to enjoy your reading!
Your editor!