Hi guys,
Well it has been a while since my last confession..erm..I mean blog! As some of you know I went away for a week. I went to Centreparcs at Longleat with a group from my Hospice (Dorothy House). I was very anxious about going to begin with. I didn’t want to leave my family for a whole week, I thought I would get lonely or homesick. I have to say it was bloody brilliant!
The trip was organised with military precision by the Hospice, there were 12 patients, with 6 nurses, split into 4 Chalets. Extra volunteers came down for the day throughout the week to so we were well cared for. When I arrived on Monday afternoon, I discovered I was staying in a chalet with one of the Hospice Nurses Sandra and a regular Volunteer Brenda, along with another patient Chris. The patients that went were from different day groups, Monday to Friday so I didn’t know any of them!
As soon as I met Chris I knew we would get along, he had just picked up a new (old) car, a Reliant Scimitre. As you may know I have a 1964 VW Camper Van so I love classic cars, within half an hour of meeting I was sat in the passenger seat of his car checking it out..fast worker or what hehe! Chris’s story is that he’d had a tumour removed from his frontal lobe, he had also had affected glands in his throat/neck removed. This meant that he has no saliva glands to break down the food he ate so eating was a real chore for him, it took a long time. He had gone from over 16 stone to just over 9, Chris is over 6ft tall so it really is far too skinny for him. All he was managing to eat was bread and jam and glasses of milk. I made it my mission to try and get him to eat more and try different foods again, yes I was a bit of a bully but by the end of the week he had a whole list if things he had tried and liked..mission accomplished!
I had the best week, we spent Monday evening getting to know each other, we all congregated in one chalet for dinner, lovingly prepared by our Carers, who really are a fantastic bunch. Some of the patients were really poorly, in wheelchairs, on oxegen and they even arranged for another patient Peggy to have her chemo there just so she could come, how wonderful are they? On Tuesday we walked around the lakes and had a picnic, went for a ride in a pony and trap, followed by a very pleasant evening meal and one or two alcoholic beverages. The good thing about the Hospice Staff is they have the attitude that anything goes, so long as it isn’t detrimental to any treatment you are on they are all for it!
On Wednesday we spent the day at the Aqua Sana, it had a fabulous relaxation pool and Jacuzzi, it had meditation rooms, steam rooms, sauna, you name it. I tried everything hehe and even convinced Chris to take his swimmers, once he was in the pool I couldn’t get him out! Yet again we had a lovely evening meal together washed down with more alcohol of course! Thursday I did Falconry which was amazing, the most stunning birds! A Kestral, An Owl, A Hawk and an Eagle and they all landed on my arm. It was so cool!
Before I knew it Friday was here and it was time to go home. I had a great time but the best part of it was meeting some wonderful new friends. Like gorgeous Edna who is 92 and such good fun, up until getting sick a few months ago she was still working, volunteering for various organisations what a wonderful lady. There was Carol, who has been told she only has months left, she is 52 and just before she got sick she met the man she is soon going to marry, she has never been married before and the excitement in her voice when she speaks of her partner and their upcoming nuptials is contagious. It is also quite sad that she has just met her soulmate only to have to leave him soon. I hope she has the best time at her wedding and gets to enjoy as much time as possible with her new Husband. There was lovely Peggy who is very poorly and so desperately wanted to come that the Nurses arranged for a Chemotherapy Nurse to come each day and give her Chemo.
So many wonderful people, each with their own story to tell, it reminds me just how lucky I am. My husband is simply unbelievable, if it were not for him I do not know what I would do. My beautiful girls whom I quite simply adore, they didn’t want me to go away but they recognised the need for us all to have a break. The support I get from my friends and family is overwhelming, as is the care I receive from my Oncology Team and the Hospice Staff. I realise I am blessed in so many ways, not everyone has what I have. The grace with which some people face this dreadful disease is most humbling, it brings me to tears. I might have made their nights with my cheeky anecdotes and dodgy dance moves but they all made my week and I’m looking forward to bumping in to them all again, be it in this life or the next!
As always, I wish my friends on here continued good health and happiness.
Indie xx
