Sink or Swim

Hello everyone, I need not tell you that there are four seasons every year: summer, autumn, winter & spring. What I have come to learn in that we also live through seasons in our personal lives, some which last longer than others & some which pass almost as soon as they have begun. Over the past few months, I have lived through all of these seasons. Up until the middle of March, it was summer , physically, mentally & literally. The sun shone daily in my life. I was oblivious to what was going on inside my body.   Autumn then arrived, the season which marks the transition from summer to winter. That time of the year when leaves start to fall off the trees, flowers die, days are still warm, but the freshness of winter shows subtle signs. It was in this season of my life when things started to fall apart,   my soul was dying & very apparent signs of winter were setting in, rapidly.  Winter came around not long after, a dark, wet & gloomy couple of month...

Hello everyone, This is my fourth blog, something I have found very therapeutic to do & I am really enjoying sharing my journey. One of the main things I wanted to achieve through my blogs, other than having them to read & reflect on (which I often do), was to inspire people, even if just one. It gives me a sense of pride to know I have managed to achieve that. A few people that follow my journey have privately reached out to thank me for being an inspiration & providing hope for a situation they are or have been dealing with. When family, friends or colleagues ask if they can share my blogs, my answer is & always will be “with pleasure.” Someone out there needs to know that after a storm, the sun will eventually come out. It sometimes just takes a little time. (If you live in Cape Town, you will know how much truth lies in this) According to the official website for my miracle meds, side effects within the first month can last around nine days.  Any reoccurrence c...

Hello everyone, No one said life would be easy. If they did, you were potentially being set up for failure.  Regardless of how challenging this thing called life is, there is always something to be grateful for each & every day.  The fact that you wake up to live another day should be gratitude in itself.  For those who have a job, whilst it might not be the job of your dreams, you should be grateful to be earning an income.  If you have a roof over your head & the ability to put food on the table, even if only a basic meal, these are all things you should be grateful for.  Some people do not have these "luxuries". No matter how bad you believe your personal situation is, there will always be someone in a worse off situation than you.  When I last blogged, I had just seen my oncologist & was back to a weekly consult due to her needing to take some planned sick leave.  Whilst my overall bloods were showing positive results, my protein count ...

Hello everyone, Thanks for taking the time to read my previous blog & for the kind comments.  I hope you enjoyed it & could take at least one thing away from my story thus far for your personal benefit. Here I am with my next blog as a means to continue to tell MY version of MY story. I intended to send this blog out sooner, however I started and then life threw me some lemons. So, make lemonade they say. Anyone need lemonade, my supply is overflowing? I had no energy or creative writing skills to finish up. I also do not know Murphy, nor have I ever understood his supposed law, but when you least expect it, there it is. 28 Days  is the number of days in my birthday month (excepting every 4 years obviously).  It is also a rather amusing movie starring one of my favourite actresses, Sandra Bullock. Less interestingly, it is classically considered the curing time for concrete. Most importantly for me though,  28 Days is one complete cycle of my treatment ....

Hello everyone, One of my best friends joked & said I should write a book about my health journey.  I do not ever recall excelling at school with creative writing (or (m)any other subjects for that matter). however, over the past few weeks, people have encouraged me to start journaling, so I decided I would start a blog.  My blog is a way in which I can share my story with others, many of whom have so kindly been praying & thinking about my family & for that we are most appreciative.  It is also a way for me to look back a year or two from now & see just how far I have come.  If my story makes just one person feel encouraged or gives them reason to see the doctor that they have been putting off, then I consider that as having made an impact on someone. I can with certainty tell you that on a daily basis you deal with someone that is going through a tough season, be it in their personal or professional lives or someone who is carrying the load for a fa...