West Lothian mum-of-two shares hysterectomy experience in short book published in two languages
A West Lothian woman who had surgery to remove her womb last year has written a book on her experience to help other women who undergo a hysterectomy.
Mum-of-two Giovanna Surleti, who lives in Fauldhouse, has released the short book, Not a Country for Wombs Diary of a Whole Woman: Living without a uterus in a society that demands it.
The book is available in both English and Italian language versions.
Although she has only lived in West Lothian since 2019, 35-year-old Giovanna is an Italian national from Reggio Calabria, situated on the southern coast of the mainland overlooking Sicily.
Giovanna said: 'I had been bleeding really really heavily and after a couple of other things were tried it seemed the only way. I'd been on blood transfusions and other stuff. So it was my last chance.
'The surgery was in March last year. I've been good since then, I'm a new woman and now have to rediscover myself again.
'There are a lot of woman who are ashamed after the surgery, who ask themselves, 'What am I now?'.
'It can be a devastating surgery whether you have children or not. I have two teenage daughters, aged 16 and 14.
'The book is only 45 pages but it tells my personal story of undergoing a hysterectomy at the age of 35. It's like a kind of before, during and after diary starting before surgery.
'It is not a medical essay, nor do I consider myself a professional writer. English is not my first language, and I wrote the book in Italian at first but I felt deeply that I wanted to honour the country that welcomed me, by sharing my voice in both Italian and English.
'The book is intimate and honest, born not from ambition, but from the need to break the silence around a topic that is still too often considered taboo. My only goal is to raise awareness, May was Hysterectomy Awareness Month.'
The cover of the book, which is available in both paperback and digital formats, features a photograph of Giovanna's leg sporting a tattoo of a 'bull flower' which carries special meaning to her, as it represents a uterus, but not just the physical organ.
'It's not just a design choice, it visually reflects some of the deeper themes within the story, a kind of symbolic doorway into the world I've written about.
'The tattoo I wear is intimately connected to the narrative. I actually write about it in the book, it's more than ink, it's part of my personal journey, a reminder of what led me to write my story in the first place.'
As Giovanna's book explains, the tattoo represents 'the power to create, to transform, even without the ability to bear children'.
Giovanna works as a civil servant but is also studying psychology at university.
'I was doing sessions with a psychotherapist before my surgery and it became really important during the whole process. I feel the need to be able to help other women. But it's a long way.'
The paperback and Kindle versions of the book are available via Amazon, search for its title or author: Surleti, Giovanna Rita.
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