Winter Wonderland

If last week was good this week was even better. The avastin treatment went well last week and on Thursday we went to see Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles at the cinema as a treat for the boys. I had an appointment with the psychologist on Friday and that was really good and I feel as though I can be honest with her. At the weekend we spent time with the boys before dropping them off at the grandparents on Saturday afternoon. Ema and Dan were visiting again, but tonight the four of us, along with Laura and Lee, were going to the Winter Wonderland organised by Emma Grandisons friends. The charity event was to raise money for two charities, Rosemere Cancer Foundation and the Neo-Natal Unit at Royal Preston. It was a formal evening and we all dressed up and had some champagne before going out. It was an excellent night and the venue was dressed up. We had some delicious food, before the Raffle and Charity Auction. The event raised almost £10,000 and we had a great night; while the drinks flowed we danced and laughed the evening away. While I was there I managed to have a quick chat with Emma. She is doing fantastically well considering the treatment she is currently undergoing. I also got to speak to another friend I have made through Emma and Chemo, Sharon. She had some fantastic news; she had been told that she was in remission. This is great news, another friend beating cancer! The following day, after having a full cooked breakfast we went to Barton Grange to meet the grandparents and collect the boys. While there we bought some new plants and food. We had a nice afternoon and in the evening I went to church for the All Souls Memorial Service. My mum, dad and Sister were also there and we remembered my grandparents and brother. I thought about David, my brother who died over 8 years ago and although it is very different to what has happened recently, I consider that I was very lucky in being diagnosed early and having the right treatment. On the other hand, David was unlucky in not being diagnosed with Pneumonia early, and his treatment began too late. It is unfortunate and he is missed by all of us. After having a week off for half term, I started back at work full time on Monday and I feel glad that I can now finally do a full day and week at work. It’s busy with a big project but I like it and prefer it this way, rather than not having anything to focus on. As part of the Sports and Social committee we started planning the diary for next year and I thought about actually how close to the end of the year we are and looking back at this whirlwind of a year, it just seems to have been so quick, it has passed by much quicker than I thought it would do back in January when I was diagnosed. I honestly thought it would be a long, tough road, but for me personally it has been relatively smooth and flat. There have been bumps along the way, but I would say I have coped pretty well with them all. It has now over 9 months since my diagnosis and almost 5 months since my surgery and it feels as though it has happened to someone else. Probably next year it will hit me that it all happened to me but at the moment it hasn’t really sunk in. On Tuesday night I went to the Ferret on Fylde Road with my brother in law, Dave, and my friend, Rob. We went to see a blues artist called Bob Log III. He is incredible on the guitar and his performance is not like anything else. He is a one man band and his performance is unbelievable. I ended on stage with him and it was a really good night. This was followed up by another good night on Wednesday when we went to see the firework display at Pear Tree Park in Penwortham. The boys loved it and it was a good display for Guy Fawkes Night. I also went to an appointment with the Fit & Quit Squad and it was really good, I like to plan for the future and with the help of the Fit Squad and the psychologist I will hopefully be fitter and stronger than before.