A few months has again flown by since I last took a ‘time out’ to process my thoughts and emotions. Along with the events that have taken place over the course of the last few months!

There have been some ‘occasions’ that have taken place over the last month or so. Most pertinently the old boys birthday Friday the 24th of August! Which involved taking a trip down to Royal Tonbridge Wells for a day and overnight stay. The visit also included a meal at a seafood restaurant – a yearly tradition when it comes to the old boys birthday! We chatted, laughed, drank wine and enjoyed the food on offer.

The day was an excellent one, weather and enjoyment wise!

On the Saturday we continued the celebrations by attending one of the local pubs beer and cider festival!! A lot more laughs and fun were had during the course of that day!! Good times 🙌!!

I also turned a year older on the 31st of August but the less said about that milestone the better. Seeing as the day of the month I was born on now reflects my actual age 😅.. there’s something psychologically disconcerting about that 0 disappearing and being replaced by a ‘real’ number 😂!!

The football season also started and even though the teams performances have not left us totally enthralled and at ease with where this season may lead. It has been been great to be going back to the football together and be doing something that we have shared since I was a young whippersnapper. Memories made. 👌

Now, onto the graft.

In early September (I think), a meeting was had with the Head Honchos in charge of Dads treatment and one of the key points discussed was if the chemo schedule could be altered! As the fortnightly regime had really been taking its toll both physically and emotionally. The request to change to a 1 in 3 week session schedule was granted and most certainly eases the impacts of the chemo. It also allows the old boy to have some respite and ‘quality’ time between sessions!! Which is incredibly pleasing from my point of view, as it enables me to see him get out and about more often and do things that he has previously struggled to do due to the chemotherapy side effects.

You take the small wins where you can get them 🙂

The emotional strain has at times reared its head. The stress, worry and anxiety have at times become to much for my mum and dad. I have somehow been managing to keep a lid on that side of it all on the whole (they may disagree). This is due, I believe, mostly down to my ability to compartmentalise what goes on around me to a high degree!

At times, when dad is struggling, usually post chemo, the two of them can loose their clarity of thought. I see it as my job to help them regain that clarity and to see that what is going on at that time point is not the C taking a firmer grip! It is, instead, normal within the routine of chemo and they are things that we have seen time and time again now. Even if they are 5 days later than they have been previously or are a little more intense. They are still a reflection of normal service when it comes to the treatment process and it’s unfortunate physiological consequences!

We have had frank, open and honest discussions at times about what is going on. And every time we have those emotional discussions it simply reaffirms to me what a strong family unit we are and that no matter what is to come further along this winding and at times treacherous road, we will face up and get through it together!!

🤜 🤛

I am incredibly proud of both of them in respect to how they have handled and continue to handle everything that has been happening!

In a month or so’s time we will know more. His treatment will be finished (this type and round of treatment anyway). An ‘end’ of chemo scan will be done to determine where we are at in respect to the success of the treatment and what happens next! Hopefully the next part of all of this will be that the treatment has had the desired impact and that Dad gets a break from the treatment for a few months!

We continue to live within the realms of the unknown. Therefore, it can be difficult to make plans. However, we should not allow that to be the case and result in life being put on hold. We cannot cease to make plans moving forward. The unknown should not mean we ourselves end up living in some kind of unsettled state of nothingness when it comes to getting out there and doing the things that we want to do as a family.

There will no doubt be some extremely good and happy times to come. There will also be some hard times as we progress but when some of those times arise it’s important for us to, as best we can, dust ourselves down and keep moving forward.

After all, a once great fictitious movie character once said “it’s about how hard you can get hit and keep moving forward”. If there was ever a quote to live by right now. That’s it!!