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

Cancerversary.

So it has officially been a year. On the 9th March 2011, I was diagnosed with Lymphoma, and on the 9th March 2012 I'm in remission. Crazy huh? I was ill, diagnosed, treated and I'm out the other end all in a calendar year. Far too surreal.

So, of course, because my best friend is a sentimental loser (in the most amazing way), we celebrated..and of course, with food and wine. Lily, who has been the biggest God-send of a friend this year, comes over, bearing gifts of the most sentimental kind; a bedazzled card and a poem. Yes, she wrote a poem about me last year. I read it. I cried. If you were to read it, you'd cry. But you're not going to read it, because it's mine.

Most people would spend the day mourning about how shit a time it's been and how glad they are that it's over. But because that's too mainstream for Lily, we celebrate the fact that I was one of the lucky ones, and that I survived. Yes, it's been a shit year, but at the same time it's been an amazing year. I've met the most amazing people, become closer to the most amazing people in my life and had some amazing experiences. And now that I'm over it, I've come back bouncing.

Anyway, in other news, my fave charity, It's Good 2 Give! had their first ever ball last week which was the biggest of successes. Raising around £20, 000 and leaving the Sheraton wine-less, it was one of the most amazing nights in Good2Give history. I strongly advise tickets to be bought for next year sooner rather than later as it's selling out fast. G2G WINNING.

Tumour Humour.

I've just come home from a weekend in Nottingham at Center Parcs with the Teenage Cancer Trust. Basically, they do an annual conference called 'Find Your Sense of Tumour' (I know, right?) for teenagers over the UK to get together and attend various conferences and partake in various activities. Now, I have no idea what I expected, but definitely not how it was. Spending a weekend with people you don't know, in a confined area, talking about cancer. Doesn't sound too thrilling. And then I got there.


Each day consisted of breakfast, conferences from 9-4, free time and evening meals and discos. The conferences varied from talks from different people with different experiences and a talk from Hardeep Singh Kohli to an inspirational speech from Sean Swarner - the first ever cancer survivor to climb Everest and a question and answer session with a pannel of consultants, experts and GPs. To say the least, they were all surprisingly entertaining whilst still informative. 

Meeting other people going through exactly what you have is so, unbelievably reassuring. You're always told "don't worry. that's normal. everyone in this position goes through that." But you never really believe it. Being handed the opportunity to share experiences of treatment, side effects and how it affects friendships, social lives and you're state of emotion reassures you that, in reality, everyone else actually is going through what you're going through. 

Hodgkins Girls EYYY

The way the weekend and the people functioned was hilarious though. For example, I met a guy whilst waiting for our massages. I spoke to him for about half an hour, spoke to him that night and the following night, could probably tell you his life story, yet I still don't know his name. It just didn't come up in a conversation which started 'Hey, how are you, so what do you have?' and then carried on to share experiences of treatment etc. So, young gentleman from London who has testicular cancer and a tattoo on your neck, if you're reading, get in touch.

Not only did I come away from the weekend tired and inspired, I came back with a lot of new friends, reassurance that I'm 'normal' (for a cancer survivor anyway) and with expanded tumour humour (the ability to laugh and make jokes about cancer, and , obviously, tumours.) So I'm pleased to announce, officially, that I did indeed find my 'sense of tumour' (Which my friend and I decided was a Fabergé Egg) and I am now extremely comfortable in my new senses.

For further information, you can watch the conferences online at www.jimmyteens.tv (I strongly recommend Sean Swarner's when it's uploaded.)