January is the month of the year I dislike the most. I know I write that every year, but it remains a fact. No matter how much I try to tell myself it’s a new year, a new beginning….. my focus always gets dragged to it being cold and grey, and the anniversary of me finding out I have a terminal condition. So I write this blog entry in an attempt to do what I try to do in January every year……..find the positives. Here goes…….
The first one is really a no brainer, if you’ll excuse the pun! My last MRI scan was in December. Usually I hear some news within 2-3 weeks. A fortnight ago, after no word and many nights of lost sleep, I rang to try and get an update. I was told my scan results showed stability and I’d get a letter soon. This is the best news ever, yet I don’t feel able to properly appreciate it until I see it in black and white, or hear it face to face…….. big demands in our current covid restricted world, but hopefully soon?…
Second positive. Anniversaries. Last week marked my five year seizureversary. Brilliant!! What could be better than that, especially given my stable scan results?? It’s also four years since my near death experience of phenytoin toxicity, so I should be feeling lucky and happy, rather than lamenting the grey season.
The cancer journey is undoubtedly a traumatic one, not just for the patient, but also for those around them. After 5 years living with, there’s no denying our lives have changed. Never forgetting, of course, that many of these changes are positive….. better and stronger relationships, clearer priorities and a fuller appreciation of life.
But it’s not just healthversaries we get to celebrate this month…… this week is our 25th wedding anniversary. 25 years! We are justifiably proud of that achievement. Definitely not to be sniffed at. Cancer has made us stronger. Unfortunately plans of going on a romantic trip to Venice seem unlikely to come to fruition this year, but there will be other opportunities when the world opens up a bit more. There’s still plenty to look forward to this year, with rescheduled trips to The Netherlands (fingers crossed…..that one might fall too, but we’ll see soon), Edinburgh, Dublin and Manchester all in the diary. Even if there have to be more changes, it’s a lot more hopeful than it has been the last 2 years.
All in all, I really have little room to be whining about January being grey and rubbish! So welcome to 2022. The year the world unlocks. The year we get on with our lives. Let’s get out there and enjoy!!! Xx
