You can stick your membership card and renewal form

Clubs… pretty much everyone has been a part of a club at some stage in their life, whether it’s a cycle, rugby, book or shoppers club, the choice to join or leave the club is generally free and at your own discretion.
I personally have a fair few membership cards, my wallet is overflowing with coffee club, VIP shoppers cards. One club I didn’t sign up for was the cancer club.

This club is one you really don’t want to voluntary sign up for, its generally free, the merchandise sucks and they don’t hold great Christmas parties…. Ohhh and the only free coffees you get generally come with a side dose of Chemo….. It’s a pretty shit club.

Sadly 1 in 3 people in New Zealand have some association with this club.  It’s a club that once you have joined (like it or not), that you will forever have some link to it whether you like it or not.
This week is daffodil week (Friday is Daffodil day), a week that is the annual fundraiser for the NZ cancer society. For me this week means acknowledgement, not just of a particular cancer but acknowledgement about cancer itself, how it affects everyone - and not just the person with the cancer. It’s about families and friends, they too are forced to be part of the cancer club as well.
This last two weeks has also marked the start of my journey of post cancer scanning and checking, I’ve had my bloods done and my markers are still showing that I’m in normal  levels (yes, people I have a piece of paper to say I’m actually “normal”!... I know I’m confused, and slightly amused as well!!) – they have dropped to 0.7 from the 1.0 they were a few months ago… I’m quite happy with the dropping of numbers – that’s a good thing!

Being part of the cancer club means that even though I’ve finished my treatment and no longer have cancer, I still need to be regularly checked, for the next 3 years I will have scans, tests, exams and bloods done every 6 months,  then after 3 years I go to yearly checks for the next 3 years.  So even though it’s gone physically, I’m reminded constantly that it can come back (although my odds are pretty good that it won’t), it’s kind of like a ghost dog (this will be another post for another day)… lurking in the darkness….  I’ve done my dog training, I’m pretty good at it, so it should beware if it thinks about stepping over the line.

I’ve decided that whilst I don’t have a choice regrading being part of this club, I will still express my displeasure at being part of it… “cancer club” …. you can stick your membership card and renewal form!

 So please support Daffodil day, buy a  daffodil, dress in yellow, paint your nails yellow .... show your support for someone in the cancer club.

 

Thank you ......

RAG x x x

Mud, sweat and "sucking it up"

I rode my Mountain bike on 'real' Mountain bike tracks for the first time in a year.... hairy, muddy, wet tracks, in the rain in 2 degrees (oh and there was a bit of snow)... and I LOVED IT!

I know this sounds a little mad, but shit it felt good. Felt the best I have been on a bike in so long (Including pre diagnosis!). It was also good for my head space, something that I need to work (that's another post).

I'm paying for it a bit today (I'm tired and feeling sick), but was so worth it! It was hard and a little scary (I was worried I wouldn't be able to do it), but I sucked it up and did it.


Now I've done it, I'm a lot more confident and will do it again.... what I learnt.... suck it up sunshine, do it and don't talk yourself out of it.

until next time, sorry I'll add photos later ( a few technical issues with my brain tonight),

RAG x