I am very very very lucky to be alive and I am very well aware of it. There are so many who don't make it this far.
This year instead of my annual trip to take photographs of the sunrise with friends, I will be at Tunes for Tumours an event this weekend to raise funds for the Peace of Mind Foundation.
Looking back I have come a long way from those first few weeks that I don't remember. I have managed to overcome most of the deficits from the tumour, the surgery and the bleed. It has been a long process and not always a pleasant one but I am here now.
I hope for all my brain buddies that they have a safe recovery. All those battling to win their fight and all those to come have a bright and happy outcome. Brain tumours are nasty sods be they benign or not. They have a huge impact on the patient but often that impact is much more significant for the carers, family and friends.
I am so very thankful for Kim's amazing strength through 8 years of illness and another 5 of recovery. It cannot have been easy for him to be working, caring for the kids and taking care of me. There were many days where he had to take time out of work to take me to appointments or to look after me if I was having a really really bad day. Watching your wife in that state for so many years would have been heartbreaking. There was nothing he could do to fix it no matter how much he wanted to.
James has been an amazing child/teen and now young man through it all. He was 6 when I was diagnosed and it was all very hard for him to understand. He grew up with a sick Mum, not being able to do a lot of the things that his friends got to do and just plain missing out on some of those childhood things. He was 14 when I came home from Sydney. The first thing he said when I walked into the house was "Where are your dirty clothes? I am doing the washing" That is a bit unexpected from a boy his age. For the next few years, like clockwork, he would phone me at 3pm to ask me where I was, who I was with and if I was ok. He has grown to be a very responsible young man.. and retained a wicked sense of humour.
I am blessed with a wonderful family and friends who, along with Kim and James, have supported me, encouraged me and been there for me.
I am sure there is more to be written that I have missed but I will be sure to add it to a new post later. Be well, stay safe and put on your happy
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