QUE SARA SARA

Brian, I love your positivity.  Your team are the tops, so have a good few months on your travels.

Thanks for all your support.

You’re an inspiration Brian. Thanks for sharing. All the best to you

Hi Brian

Thank you for updating us all. It's a bum deal you have but, as you say, loads of tools left in the toolbox for your team to play with.  I particularly like that they are considering your quality of live v treatment side effects and giving you this HT free time to enjoy life, have those holidays and watch over your ever growing family. Many congratulations on the forthcoming addition, too!.  Just some comments/questions!!!

What are EFEs?

You're an inspitation - particularly as my anxiety levels are winding up ahead of next week's PSA test. If we end up in the same position as you, I hope to draw very much on your own optimism and courage to get us through! You and I have been travelling this path together since 2022 - remember donuts?!!!! We seem destined for more journeys ahead of us!!!

So, thanks gaain for your frankness, your support and your encouragement for us all

Jxxx

Hello J (Worriedwife ) 

Thank you for your kind words - EFES is the Turkish beer (named after the ancient city of Ephesus).

I hope your husband's PSA is fine - I confess I enjoy my "freedom" not being on HT but there's a reason, we don't want me to become Hormone Resistant and luckily I am only on 1st generation HT so as Linda (Alwayshope) said "plenty of tools in the toolbox".

Yes - was it Morrisons's car park and the donut saga!! - brilliant - we have been through some good and bad times together in 4 years but your support has been brilliant.

Me - life is good, the family are fine, all 4 kids doing amazing and Lorraine is by my side every step I take.

Even the Community Champions job is enjoyable - I do get about on other groups and do some "stuff" for Macmillan off the Community but everyday is a "school day" as I never know just what's coming.

Good luck next week - and thanks again for all your support.

Kind regards - Brian xxx

Yup - Morrisons car park for donuts .... and a parking ticket for, I think, £80! I appealed that one successfully  as I had been shopping there!!! They had shortened the time limit as it was a match day (nearby football and rugby fields) and I hadnt realised!!!!

Not beng a lover of beer I am also no connoisseur of the different brands!!!

Glad you are enjoying you MacMillan work. I have just stepped back considerably from my own voluntary work role following a nasty virus a couple of months ago which led to me being carted off to hospital. I decided I need to make the most of time with my husband on holidays and outings whilst we still can do so. I do, though, continue to offer my services to the organisation but with less time and responsibility taken up.

So, last week we went up to the East coast and had a wonderful day out. The week before that it was a trip to a garden centre for lunch!!! Yesterday we went and explored Newark - a market town we have never visited. It was beautiful in the sunshIne.  In looking up Newark we came across the Holocaust Museum a bit further north and have put that aside for a rainy day visit! We are also looking for winter holidays. I think this is called  'spending the kids inheritance'?!!!!

So, my message to everyone  really is, continue to enjoy life with whatever pleases you. There is LIFE out there to be lived and enjoyed despite cancer!!!! You, Brian, are showing us all that and I hope to follow your excellent lead!!!

xxx

Hi Brian,

So chuffed to read your latest test results & the positivity in your post with the added bonus of weight loss being thrown in for good measure.  It looks like you have a very busy few months coming up with lots of R&R. 

I must admit that when I quickly read your post the first time I thought you were walking from Sussex to Fife in a week but then reality kicked in. 

Long may the good life continue.

Best Wishes

Brian

PS. Whilst Morrisons donuts are good those from a Cornish baker chain Barnecutts knock them into a hat.  If you are ever down this way you must give them a go. 

Thanks Brian (Buzzers ) 

Yes, life is good and I am enjoying it.

I have a liking for Apple turnovers and our local Lidl sells a very nice one!! I can eat a decent Cornish pasty too!

We do have a list of places to go and things to do - I understand it's a bucket list. Cornwall is on it, indeed it's almost 30 years since I was last there in the Duchy of Cornwall - Par to be precise at a plant (mechanical I should add) auction where we went to bid on a railway diesel engine and my mate bought a rather large dragline excavator whilst we were there. Hey-Ho Happy days.

Kind regards - Brian.

Hello Brian,

I'm very sorry to hear your latest news, but it wasn't a shock was it? I know you'll deal with it with positivity and in your own indomitable way.

When I was given the words "incurable but treatable" just over 2 years ago and embarked on triplet therapy I was brassed off to say the least. After the rigours of chemo I settled into the rest of my treatments and, despite side effects, we decided we had to continue getting the best out of life.

As you know, we're in the USA for 6 weeks at the moment, having already had a trip here in January plus 2 Canary Island trips so far this year. There's plenty more to squeeze in this year between routine 12 weekly blood tests and reviews and then start on 2027's programme.

I beat lung cancer (so far) just over 12 years ago and am a proud member of the one carburetor club as a result. My PC was an irritation when it occurred in 2016 but ironically is the one that's completely changed my life. Still, better than the LC reappearing.

As you say, life is good. We must grab it by the horns and enjoy to the maximum while we can. If necessary adapt later if it's essential to do so. 

All the best, hopefully we'll catch up for a pint at Stalyybidge soon. In the meantime keep on cracking on.

Derek.

Cheers Derek

Yep - I am on the case, especially the holidays and enjoying life. The change to incurable wasn't a shock - it's been expected, just confirmed it today so we know where we are.

Enjoy the USA - not too much cold beer, (can you ever get too much?) and I will catch up with you in the next couple of months.

Kind regards - Brian.

Well Brian, I am completely bowled over by how positive you are, as well as being staggered by the holidays and such.

Where you get the energy from I don’t know.

You support all of us here by just being you, and I, for one, am immensely grateful.

I did read somewhere that intermittent HT is now a treatment. Something about the cancer cells learning to enjoy living the good life, and then they get a good kicking when the HT is switched on again. Sort of treatment by confusion.

Keep being the breath of fresh air you are!