Festive Reflections

WARNING: ENSURE YOU HAVE 5 SPARE HOURS TO READ THIS POST. I BLAB. A LOT.

First of all, I would like to wish you all a very Merry (Belated) Christmas and a prosperous, happy and healthy New Year. The Winter season is always one full of family fun, festivities and food, making it one of the happiest times of the year. 

However, some, like me, have even more celebrations over the festive fortnight. December 21st was my one year anniversary of being in Remission. I have been cancer-less for just over a year now and life has never looked so promising. The same day, I got an unconditional offer for Northumbria University which just made my already-amazing day, even more amazinger.

So I'm going to take the time to reflect on the highlights of 2012, before plunging into 2013.

January 2012: My first cancerless month
I started off 2012 by having my first month of not being a cancer patient. I had my first clinic check up appointment which was all good news and I began to get back into the swing of things.

February 2012: Trip to London
In the middle of February i went on a school trip to London. It was my first proper time out of Edinburgh after my 1-hour-boundary from hospital during treatment. London was fun.
February 2012: FYSOT
The week after my trip to London, I ventured down to Nottingham with some of my cancer friends to attend the 'Find Your Sense of Tumour' conference with TCT. We attended conferences and speeches about life with cancer along with 500 other people who actually understood us, as they were the exact same. Being surrounded by people who talk about cancer as if it's just another one of 'those things' was weirdly relieving and comforting. An unbelievable experience.

March 2012: It's Good 2 Give's First Ball
After much preparation and hard work from Lynne, the charity hosted it's first ever ball. A huge success and incredible evening. The 2013 ball was sold out before we even had a confirmed venue, crazy excited for round 2!
9th March 2012: CANCERVERSARY
The 9th March 2012 was a very special day as it was my first cancerversary. Cancerversary is my made up word to mark my anniversary of diagnosis. It seemed surreal that it was an entire year ago that I was diagnosed, and a year later I was through treatment, in remission, losing the weight and gaining the hair. I marked the date with a meal and drinks with three of my best friends. Happy as Larry. (Who's Larry?)

April 2012: Floridaaaa
In the Easter Holidays I got my first proper holiday after my 1-hour-boundary to FLORIDAAAA. My mum took my brothers and I to Universal to visit all the parks and stay in the Hard Rock Hotel. Quite easily one of the best weeks of my life. Harry Potter Land was well worth the anticipated wait. Unreal.

July/August 2012: SUMMER
SUMMER. Easily the best summer yet. After my Work Experience in London, I backpacked to T in the Park, Broke away to Crief Hydro, Jet set to Palma/Magaluf/Puerto Pollensa/Everywhere in Mallorca and Chilled and partied (legend) at home. An unforgettable summer.

November 2012: Fashion Show
I hosted the It's Good 2 Give fashion show again this year alongside Grant, Iona and Shannon which was the best fun. A huge success, raising a crazy sum of money.


December 2012: EVERYTHING
December has been a crazy month. From working in Jack Wills, to birthdays (my birthday WAHEY), to sending off my UNAYYY application, to the Christmas Ball, Christmas (x2) and New Year preperations..I. Am. Shattered. Incredible month, nonetheless.

HOPES FOR 2013:

• A couple more university offers would be nice
• Good exam results
• Good hospital results
• GENERAL HEALTH (hahahahahahahahhaha we can all hope)
• Recovery for my cancer friends
• Success in my charity work 
• Long hair (LOL)
• Another amazing summer
• New and existing friendships hehehe

So I'm sorry if some of you have dozed off during this post, but I wanted to reflect on the past year in order to look forward to the next. 

May 2013 bring you love, happiness and health with a lot of success along the way.
All my love X

The Only Way Is Up

There is no better feeling ever ever than the feeling when you get good news. Not good news like 'you passed your NAB' or 'we're going to Nando's for dinner' albeit, that is always some preeetty good news to get; I'm talking like, REALLY good news.

In Cancer world, a world very parallel to non-Cancer world you can get everything from the bottom extreme of a friend passing, to the top end of a friend being cured and quite literally everything in between. And let me tell you, in the past 2 years, I've had it all.

So I told you about my good friend Rachel in my last blog. She was diagnosed with pre-Leukemia 44 days ago after being ill and feeling pretty rubbish for a while. She was extremely lucky in that she was caught very very early, because she pursued her GPs. She thought something was wrong and she wouldn't take no shit from no one. So here she is, not even bald yet, IN. REMISSION. 

I REPEAT. RACHEL LAIRD IS IN REMMISSION. AFTER 44 DAYS. 
Somebody get her a trophy, please. Some people have colds..or bleeding noses for longer than that. Rachel was diagnosed, treated, and fought cancer in 44 days. I don't even know what to write, it's incredible. 

This is some of the best news I've ever received  And I don't think it's quite appreciated as much when you haven't experienced it. Being told you'll get better, and that you've gotten better is an indescribable feeling. It was genuinely one of the best days of my life. AND I GET TO SEE RACHEL TOMORROW AND WE CAN CELEBRATE TOGETHER YAAAAAY. 

Anyway, I wanted to let all my followers know. Cause it's amazing. Yeah.

Whilst we're on the topic..it's 22 days until my year Remission anniversary. YAY.

Apologies

Guess who's baaaack! 

Yes, me. I would like to note that my blog is not dead, simply dormant for periods of time. I do realise that the last time I blogged was in summer..and it is almost November..but this is a cancer blog..and I have not cancer. But here I am. Life goes on. C'est la vie.

I sit here with my (optimistically) shoulder length hair and relatively normal life, having had a whole month without going to the hospital once and feel somewhat of a traitor to my cancer society. Should I not be bald? Should I not be ill and unwell and in and out of hospital being poked and prodded by every living nurse and doctor? No. I am in remission and that is good. My experience is a parallel world to the one I live now. Of course, it plays a major party in my life and not a day goes by without it affecting me, but each day it becomes more and more surreal that my body was being taken over and attacked by tumours..only 18 months ago.

Edinburgh Jenners pink for Brest Cancer EYY

I am in remission. I have been in remission for ten months and eight days. My regular clinic check ups have just been moved from every month, to every second month and October is the first month I have not had a single reason to be in hospital since probably August 2010. 

Along with the good news I have brought you, comes some not so good news. A good friend of mine was diagnosed with pre-leukemia a couple of weeks ago. Luckily, it was caught very very early on and she is only on a six month chemotherapy treatment scheme. She was one of my friends who, when I was diagnosed, didn't understand how I kept so positive, she told me she could never be that strong. I can tell you right here, right now that she is as strong, if not stronger than I am was. It's amazing. Something about Rachel is that she wants to be me. Not only did she copy my illness, she copied my blog. (Hohoho kidding obv) so you all NEED to check it out. It's crazy good. http://rachelbouncingback.blogspot.co.uk  Although what's happened to Rachy is awful, like..the awfullest, I'm pleased that she is now my cancer friend. Cancer friends have this special bond, you see. A bond that nobody else quite understands. And only cancer friends have..or develop Tumour Humour. Nobody else understands that either. LUV U RACH X

And my final piece of news. That makes me just the happiest person ever ever ever to announce is that my FIRST EVER CANCER FRIEND Ailsa finshed her treatment on October 19th. She was diagnosed with Leukemia 3 years ago now and I cannot remember a single time in my treatment that she wasn't there for me. She really is a very very special gal and I am just SO HAPPY that she's been given the all clear. YAY AILS.  

And finally finally, the Annual It's Good 2 Give fashion show is on Sunday this week. There are still tickets available if you are interested so feel free to contact myself of Lynne for details! http://www.facebook.com/events/266433110093362/?ref=ts&fref=ts

Anyway, that is all for today. 

xoxo

New Beginnings

I haven't forgotten about my blog, I promise. I just don't have much to write about, which has been a recurring problem all year. After going into happy happy remission in December, my cancer side of things has been lifeless and repetitive (much like my hair) Normal life. Clinic once a month. Back to normal life. Clinic four weeks later. Normal life. So much so, that going back into my second home of Ward 2 at the Sick Kids, it feels like a lifetime ago that I lived there. I get somewhat nostalgic in the surroundings.

So, I'll catch you up...

• My team and I came 7th out of 28 at the Dragonboat race; Unbelievable
• I won a prize for Special Achievement (lol) at prizegiving
• I had the most amazing weekend of my life at T in the Park
• I've been to Majorca for three weeks on holiday
• I had my six month full body scans which showed everything as fine. WAHEY
• I saw Madonna live :|
• I got my exam results and somehow managed to scrape four As
• I eventually got the piercings I wanted
• A beautiful little boy was sadly taken from us, receiving his wings yesterday
• Tomorrow I set off on my final year of school

So summer 2012 is officially over. I can happily say that it has 100% been the best summer of my life and definitely made up for my lack of summer 2011. Between weekend festivals/breaks, holidays with my girls, my family holiday and my time in Edinburgh I have had the sickest time. I have the most amazing friends and family in the entire world that have made my summer as amazing as it was. LUV U GUYZ XOXO 

Also, as a footnote. It's Good 2 Give (only the most amazing charity ever) have begun to get busy organising our amazing annual fashion show. Tickets are available now so you should most definitely save the date: November 4th. SEE YOU THERE. http://www.facebook.com/events/266433110093362/

Control

So I notice I've become somewhat absent. This is not because I don't have time for my blog, it's simply due to the fact that I have nothing much cancer-related to talk about, and this being a blog about my cancer, it all proves a little difficult. Don't get me wrong, that doesn't mean my life is back to hunky-dory how it was; far from it, in fact..it just means that nothing is interesting enough to share.

However, I have experienced a few problems as of late, which have made me angry, to say the least. So I finish my treatment; my nine months of hell and I'm put into remission. YAY. WOPEE. HALLELUJAH. CELEBRATIONS. All is well; I'm told my life will slowly morph back to normality, I only need to go into hospital once a month for clinic, my side effects shouldn't be too disruptive, I should cope fine..la de dah. I'm given the impression that I have my life back. Yes? No. I have recently discovered that my life is still very much controlled by my disease, by my doctors and by the hospital.

Example A

For about three years now, I've wanted double piercings (a piercing just above a normal lobe one) and to begin with, my parents were all 'no no you're not getting that' and it annoyed me very much. And then they accepted it and agreed to it early last year as I was getting ill. I was then diagnosed and all that was thrown out the window due to infection risk etc. As soon as my treatment is over, I'm planning on when to get them done, where to go and all that. I'm told to wait a few months for my bloods to go back to normal. That was October. This is June. I'm still unpierced. I decide to go last week, plan it, and tell my mum. "Oh did Angela say it was okay" "Well, she said in October to wait a couple months.." "No, no, I would rather you had Angela's direct permission." Angela being my consultant and first port of call. REALLY? I am not twelve. I do not want to have to get permission for everything I do. I want my promised independence, please. 

Example B

I have just returned from spending the week in London on work experience. As far as I'm concerned, and I hope, I am cancer free. Cancer was in a previous life and I'm a 'normal' person now. Of course, not a day goes by without cancer-related implications or jokes or conversations or thoughts, but on the whole it doesn't hugely affect my day-to-day life as it used to, obviously. So I'm all packed and jetted off to London when my mum asks that I've ensured that I've given my discharge notes to my dad's friend who I'm staying with. What? "Just in case anything happens." Fair enough, of course, she is my mother, she worries and my safety is paramount to her. But, really? 

Although these two provided examples may seem somewhat small and petty, there are many. They add up. They frustrate me and they deduct from the normality of my life. My life will never be normal. Never ever. I had cancer and I will forever more be defined and restricted by my cancer. But for crying out loud, let me pierce my ears.

DON'T FORGET TO SPONSOR ME AND MY PALS WHO ARE DOING A DRAGON BOAT RACE NEXT WEEK FOR A LOCAL EDINBURGH CANCER CHARITY. EVERY DONATION WILL MAKE A HUGE DIFFERENCE. WE NEED YOUR HELP TO REACH OUR TARGETED £2, 000. FOLLOW THIS LINK TO SPONSOR;www.virginmoneygiving.com/team/Lauras-Road-to-Recovery X

Dragon Slaying

Juus' Rowin'

So I just wanted to dedicate a post to this fundraising event me, my family and some friends are doing. Unfortunately, no, it is not quite dragon 'slaying' as I put it. It is dragon boat racing (tomAto, tomato, right?) 


To put it briefly, it is a rowing race. It will take place at Ocean Terminal in Edinburgh on June 23rd. We have built a team and we shall be training from now until then. We are raising money for my fave charity It's Good 2 Give! which supports children, young people and their families in Edinburgh going through cancer. 


So yeah, any extra information is on the website linked. Any donations, however small or large are greatly appreciated and support on the day would be incredible! 


GET DONATING, EVERY LITTLE HELPS. 
Thank you, kind warriors. X


http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/fundraiser-web/fundraiser/showFundraiserProfilePage.action?userUrl=Lauras-Road-to-Recovery&isTeam=true

The Great Escape

So I'm just home from my first holiday after my hour-from-hospital boundary for the past year. And boy, I cannot even explain how amazing it was. Not only was the holiday incredible, but just some sun, a change of scenery and getting away from everyone was exactly what I needed.

My mum, my brothers and I jetted off to Orlando to spend the week doing the parks we've not done before. We stayed in the Hard Rock Hotel which was LEGIT; a three minute walk from the Universal parks and a crazy cool hotel full of rock star memorabilia and poolside bands. We did Universal, Islands of Adventure, Sea World, Busch Gardens and Wet n' Wild in the week and still had time to chill, re-do rides and shop (and spend time with my new boyfriend Joseph obv)

It was the most incredible first holiday post-treatment and has made me beyond keen for summer and all the holidays/events i have in line. Until then, exams, highers, defining my life, no biggie. Death.

In other news, I CAN TIE MY HAIR UP