I was Feeling Stuck... So I Tried to Rebuild My Life from Scratch

I want to tell you something real today.

A few years ago, I reached a point in my life where I said, "Enough".

My marriage had been over for years, but I stayed because I couldn't afford to leave. And if anybody asks - we all know how much it costs to live here in London/UK. And no, moving back to Germany wasn't an option.

One day, I finally decided: I'm going to change my life.

I applied for a job as a bus driver - random, I know - but I passed every single test the first time. For someone like me, that was huge. I had never passed anything first time in my life. I felt like maybe... just maybe... things were finally going to get better.

But three days before my final exam, I got diagnosed with Polycythemia Vera - a rare form of blood cancer.

I smiled and said, "Alhamdulillah - it is what it is. Life happens." The doctor was shocked.

But a few days later, I broke. I was alone in my car, and I had to pull over. I cried so hard - from anger and frustration.

Anger at my body. Anger at the world. Anger at Allah swt (yes). Because I finally had the courage to change my life... and this happened.

And that's when I realised: Sometimes you're not tested at your breaking point. You're tested right after you've decided to fight for yourself.

When the Dream Fell Apart

I ended up leaving that job a a little over a year later because I struggled. Fatigue and pain became my new norm, and I wasn't willing to risk the lives of my passengers - or anyone's on the road.

I couldn't afford to move out anymore. And I had to let go of the dream I fought so hard for. 

But you know what I didn't let go of? Me.

The Birth of MINKO

I started MINKO HOME from that same place - sick, stuck, still under the same roof.

SO if you've ever looked at me or my work and thought "she has it together" - now you know.

I built all of this in the middle of a life I didn't choose. I was brought into it.

And maybe that's what makes it real. Because sometimes, what's born from pain becomes the most honest kind of beauty.