I’ve written a few items on my experience with cancer since being diagnosed in 2020, some at the time, and others later.
I am finally mentally and physically prepared to share my story in depth and to also give back.
I will be doing a fundraising walk up Snowdon in Wales with my Sister for Bone Cancer Research Trust in June this year.
I’ve also recorded a YouTube video going into detail about my experiences.
Please give what you can on my JustGiving page!
Thank you 🙂
I’ve been quiet on here. I’ve been busy. We’re currenly in the process of selling our house and that’s a whole different level of stress… I don’t tend to deal too well with matters out of my control. Most of the factors there including Estate Agents, Solicitors, and other 3rd parties are out of our control.
I came across a recent video posted by Moog from Mighty Car Mods on their second YouTube channel covering his journey to compete in a CrossFit competition, having never done any serious exercise for decades (he’s now in his mid 40s). It’s a great documentary film, and should inspire many to get up and experience the outdoors.
I’ve exercised on/off for many years as it’s a good way to destress, and the exercise I do at home (5BX variation) is something that can be done anywhere, at no cost, without a massive amount of time required on a daily basis.
Following my cancer diagnosis and treatment 3 yrs ago, I needed to learn to walk again, but it was the determination (and requirement) to exercise and get strong again kept me going and focused. I still needed to seek therapy following that exerience, but the exercise and determination to get back doing the hobbies I enjoyed previously kept me on the straight and narrow.
I should add that it was MCM that led me down the slippery slope to turbocharge my MX5, before it was really popular here in the UK. I’ve still got that car, and following 8 months of chemo, all I wanted to do was to get that completed and running properly, which I now have. It kept me driven.
Enjoy the film, and thanks Moog.
Last week I finished working at the job I’ve been working at for 5 years. That’s a long time and a lot has happened in that time.
The postives: got another cat, got some new cars, made progress on my Mazda, visited some new places (Amsterdam, Paris, Hamburg, various places in Wales, Cornwall), got married!
Negatives: Got Cancer (and covid); spent the last year working through a company that had gone through multiple acquisitions culminating in me going off on stress leave for around a month.
Enough is enough!
I’ve been engrossed in watching or learning about Cerro Gordo Ghost Town (see Ghost Town Living) and it’s been a really interesting experience watching someone who had no real life experience of living alone in the middle of nowhere. Needless to say he had the quick realisation that he was the only person who could determine anything that happened there, and he’s got some great philiosophical insights. One thing I’ve really taken away from that all is what he said and that is that if you don’t like something, do something about that. And that’s what I did!
Work got too much and after the big C, I have a different outlook on life. Making the most of every day and life in general is important, and I’m not going to spend it being unhappy, so I spent the time I had taken during the absence of leave finding a new job. Big priorities were ensuring it was another remote working role – I’ve been working remotely since around the beginning of the pandemic and I’ve enjoyed it. You do get lonely at times, but at the same time the pros outweigh the cons. Not having to get stressed in rush hour traffic and shout at other drivers is a bonus. That is one good thing that has come out of the pandemic really, and something that I could have done for a long time (working in IT) but it took that to wake a lot of people up.