Every year I am more amazed and thankful to see the date of another myeloma anniversary magically roll around.
It's hard to believe that I am still here, 13 years on, since that dreadful day in September 2008 when everything changed.
The average length of survival then was 2-3 years, clearly devastating when only 39 years old and having only even been in very good health to that point.
I remember Prof trying to provide a small glimmer of hope, by mentioning a patient of his who was still going after 16 years in. At that point I would have leapt at the chance to live that long, but thought it was just a pipe dream, and that I would inevitably become terribly ill and die from myeloma before I was in my mid forties.
I am unbelievably lucky to still be here. Bloody covid has stolen the last year and a half of normality for us all, and it feels such a shit waste of very precious time while I am well, and while Hawksey is well too. But what can you do, except to squeeze every little bit of goodness out of every day and make each one count. Even if it is a dog walk here, a cup of tea there, a pub lunch, a natter or the bigger things too.
Very good to be back at the theatre in the West End last night for the first time in god knows how long – thanks to Janine & Nicky for coming with me to Hairspray, a very good dose of fun, brightness, lightness and joy.
And we are off to Cornwall this Friday for 2 weeks – so hopefully a lot of surfing (body, obvs), pasties, laughs, hot tubbing, walks, dog drying off, biking etc will fill the time well, as will all the fab folks joining us.
Signing off, thanking my lucky stars to have made it this far. Onwards and upwards, and here's to year 14. S x