MY first memory of ABBA is watching the video “Take a chance on me”, I was only seven years old and loved the colourful clothes and ooh how much I wanted those high boots the girls wore!
My whole childhood I spent every penny I got on buying ABBA magazines, even the smallest articles I wanted for my scrapbooks.
Highlights were the days the fanclub-magazines arrived in the mailbox, remember we had no internet back than and all information a fan ‘needed’ came from the fanclub.
Many, many, many
Growing up ABBA was put a little to the background, it was not very popular being 16 and admitting that you liked ABBA. I listened to their music anyway, alone in my room. (Like many, many, many others, I guess!)
When I just turned 30, I was married and had two little kids, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. My grandmum had this too and because of her we were told to check ourselves. In a way my grandmum saved my life, being only just 30, having two little boys oldest almost three, youngest one-year old, it never crosses your mind that you might be ill.
I was very tired in those days but the doctor told me it was because of having a busy life, work, kids etc. I still remember my mum saying that I lost my weight so fast after having my second son, not knowing that it was the cancer that was eating me… I think of cancer as an assassin, it is there to kill you, but you don’t know/feel/see it…
ABBA’s music gave me so much comfort, the facts didn’t change but listening to their music gave me a different feeling, if only for a few moments, it made me feel good. And that is something that their music has done for me my whole life. It makes me happy in happy periods and gives me comfort in times when I need it.
Having surgery, chemo & radiotherapy made me more sick than I could ever imagine. I was only tired before and now I felt like my last days were here… I got the advice to eat as natural as possible, lots of vegetables and fruits, less meat, less sugar, no food that had bad supplements. It really worked for me, I felt much, much better within six weeks, even better than I felt before the cancer!
When all is said and done…
Four years after the cancer I got divorced and that was a very hard time in my life… I felt very sorry for my children that their dad and I couldn’t be together anymore. I think it had to do with having been ill, you don’t take things for granted anymore and I want to live my life the fullest.
My husband cheated on me once before and now he did it again and again. I needed to make a new start in life with my kids and we did!
So, naturally, my ABBA devotion came back, I found it very relaxing to look on the internet for collectables and make my collection grow. Once a year I went to the international ABBA fanclub day with my dad ever since I was a little girl and we started do to so again. My doubles I tried to sell on these days and lots of memorabilia were bought there (by me). Because the fanclub day was only once a year and I liked being busy with ABBA music and memorabilia so much I started to look for something that was more permanent.
Move on… (Bonny’s favourite song by Abba)
So the idea of ‘The Second Hand ABBA STORE’ was born… it was quite an adventure because I had no idea if this would actually work. But it did, I bought items from other fans and auction sites which I try to sell in the store.
I do have a daytime job as an assistant manager so I don’t need to make a living out of ‘The Second Hand ABBA STORE, so I decide that all items that are given to me were going to be sold for Pink Ribbon [Ed: thanks, Bonny ]
And I was given lots of stuff!!! Promo items from local stores, Mamma Mia! displays from cinema but most I got from Helga, president of the official international ABBA fanclub. (http://www.abbafanclub.nl). Posters, cards, magazines all were made available to sell for Pink Ribbon.
She really helped me a great deal making this webstore work, for which I thank her a lot!
It was a good decision to do so, people actually do buy stuff from the PR category just to support the great work Pink Ribbon does.
My grandmum got breast cancer, that had made me aware. PR does make all women, old & young aware, specially for young women it is important to know that breast cancer isn’t for over the age of 50 only…
The winner takes it all
My store celebrates its fifth anniversary next year and so far I was able to donate over 700 euro, I hope it will be lots more in the years to come!
I’d never thought “Why did it have to be me?”, no, I often think “ooh my what a lucky girl I am”. You know, many people that I knew didn’t survive this awful killer, I did and I want to do something positive for all women that have to deal with this too. And what would be a better way to do so by doing what you like most?
To visit Bonny’s second.hand Abba store, please go to: [www.thesecondhandabbastore.nl]
To email her email b.v.d.dobbelsteen@home.nl
PINK RIBBON ADDS: thank you Bonny for your inspirational and moving story. We wish you and all in your life well. Best of luck moving forward and we hope your store goes from strength to strength too.
Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 05/05/2014 01:35PM by admin.
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