I’m dashing through this blog post on account of me realising that it is February and my good intention to update this blog more regularly has already failed. No, hold on. We don’t say failed we say…
I have also been channelling this guy: –
No, not on account of my adorable fluffy cuteness but on the fact that I simply CANNOT be punctual.
The reason I am dashing through this post is because I am off this weekend and I was desperate to post something in January (I know it’s February, I know) that related to two things: –
January (aka Ye Olde Shite Month After the Mass of Christmas and Foode Overeating) is the designated Cervical Cancer Awareness Month and contains…
And…
It is/ was my one-year anniversary of my diagnosis and both my surgeries and after finally getting an appointment with my consultant in January (that’s a tale for another time) and receiving a follow up letter I can say with a great big fat smile the following…
I love a bit of irony and the fact that I had The Big Op on 28th January 2017 towards the end of Cervical Cancer Prevention Week is not lost on me, if only because I was one of the key demographics that the prevention campaign tries to reach.
Here are some not at all fun facts for you from Jo’s Trust: –
Now I know there are instances of women who do attend their screenings and unfortunately get diagnosed with cervical cancer and the reasons behind that are often due to the complex nature of their particular cancer or are even more worryingly down to failings of medical care.
That is a level of suck that operates on a wider scale than even I have words for.
I know there are instances of women who get diagnosed at a further stage and have harsher treatments and I know, sadly, that there are women who don’t get to have a great big fat smile on their faces because their news is not so positive and sadly doesn’t become positive. To say that is a level of suck doesn’t even touch on the magnitude of their diagnoses nor does it touch on the impact that their diagnosis has on their lives or the lives of their loved ones.
My goal is not to be flippant about this cancer or the consequences that this cancer has on others. I speak merely from my own experience and my own experience is this: –
I readily tell people the above and I have chosen to say it in lovely flowery letting on my blog to make it look visually appealing.
So pretty for such a stupid statement.
Because I feel such ridiculous lengths of gratitude that I never felt I would experience I have been very vocal about the above in the hopes that someone, somewhere, will read it and come to the realisation that they are also being a big Twerp like I was and will go off and do something about it. That something is booking a five-minute medical appointment to drop their knickers, lie back and think of England whilst some lovely nurse with a headlamp who looks like she’s about to start mining for gold in your fanny makes small talk about the Very British Weather We’ve Been Having.
Although I wasn’t writing my blog last week I was doing some stuff for the cause.
Here is the article that relates to my couple of 20-second soundbites on the local Surrey and Hampshire radio station – https://www.eagleradio.co.uk/news/local-news/2483499/women-too-embarrassed-to-have-smear-test/
My hair is not on point and neither is my make-up. Was I even wearing any?! No. The answer is no. Jeez, looking at it again I didn’t realise how fat my face was getting.
Anyway, here is the link that relates to my That’s Surrey TV (a local tv station) interview where I continue to talk about what an idiot I am – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q5D0IXbFj_c
Wow. Not only is my hair and make-up STILL atrocious I also sound about five. Apologies.
Here is a That’s Surrey TV interview with my consultant whose hair is looking more on point than mine and that makes me sad – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5jXNVqdFCzs
I also provided wording for a blog post for a local charity called GRACE whose aim is to perform research and provide treatment on a range of gynaecological cancers. Unfortunately, I can’t link you to the article but I can and will link you to the charity itself because they do amazing things. Here you go – https://www.grace-charity.org.uk/.
Rest assured, my blog post was me wittering on about my foolhardy behaviour and wish for women to attend smears. Because I really mean it you know. This is not so surprisingly close to my heart now and you’ll hear me witter about it for years to come. Because I plan on having many, many years to come.
Now, this is a message to anyone reading this who may have just recently been diagnosed with cervical cancer, especially the same or similar stage and is facing that horrible first stage of their journey. Nothing will ever go away and there will be moments that you still find hard but let me tell you this one year on…
