My name is Naia, pronounced “Nay-ah”. I am one of many people on this earth who live with cancer. Tearing of the Fabric is a collection of poems I have written since my diagnosis of a rare form of cervical cancer. They express my reflections on my diagnosis, grief, my past trauma, as well as my joyful connection with nature and how I view my existence within this complex life. My diagnosis didn’t happen in a vacuum, and no cancer journey is linear. Each poem is a tool that helps me process this journey from the initial shock and devastation of my diagnosis to the realization of my determined spirit. With every poem I write, I build a protective layer. I thread another stitch that gives me a stronger sense of self-empowerment, inner peace, and resilience. I compiled them into a book to shed light on the human aspect of a cancer diagnosis. Perhaps someone will resonate with a single verse or an entire poem. Please utilize my poetry as a source of strength, a resource, a testament that nothing in this world can take away your tenacious will to overcome.