Results tagged “Notcutt's Garden Centre” from Birmingham Mail - I Will Survive

When I came out of hospital seven years ago after major surgery and I started chemo, I knew that I looked really awful with no hair, no figure,due to weight loss and no sparkle- I had definitely lost my sparkle! One day as I looked at this tired body I thought what can I do to make a difference. The only parts that seemed not to be ravaged by the disease and the chemo were my feet and hands so I made an appointment to have a manicure and pedicure.

In my previously busy working life I didn't have time for such luxuries, but when I left the hairdressers' that day with shiny bright red toe nails and finger nails I felt like a new woman and decided that a bit of pampering was not just a luxury on my journey with cancer but something that made me feel good about myself as a woman and that is so important.

Consequently, when I went last week to get my nails done for a dinner dance, I still remembered the good feel factor it gave me 7 years ago. We ladies are very bad at finding "time for ourselves" and I am the worst person at this, but we do really need and deserve this "me time".

Last week, inbetween tutoring my course,going for my scan,visiting my dentist and solicitor, I managed a yoga session, a reflexology session and my aromatherapist Ann came to our house to give three of us the benefits of her wonderful massage with the special oils she chooses for us each individually. Lavender to relax, bergamot to uplift, marjoram for pain, grapefruit for energy etc. I had felt so tired and had been having unexplained pains over the last few weeks which worried me, so I reckon I needed all those oils to work a miracle.

Way back in 2001, which seems like a lifetime away now, Lyn. my reflexologist kept mentioning that she felt I had problems in my ovaries and lungs. This was 6 months before the medical profession finally diagnosed ovarian cancer which had spread into my lung. Consequently I have a great faith in what she says. This time she said she could feel something in the right of my pelvis and in 2 areas either side of my spine. Once again she was spot on, that is where I have been experiencing pain recently. I will be interested to know what my scan shows.

Talking of scans, I kept ringing and ringing to try to get an appointment with my oncologist to discuss the results, to no avail. It is so hard, as I am sure so many cancer patients would agree, when you are really worried and you to have to wait 2 or 3 weeks to see your oncologist to learn whether you are still OK or that you will have to have the dreaded chemo again.

So many of my friends also go through the agonies of waiting and I sometimes think that this stress is what causes tiredness and of course when you have pains, as hard as you try to be positive, it is human nature to think the worst. Through being persistent I have finally and thankfully got my appointment for tomorrow. As always I am very nervous, but we will just have to wait and see and face it. I do so desperately want to go and see my son Jonathan in Canada for Xmas, but again where there is a will there is a way.

Talking of Xmas, last Saturday,I had the joy of taking my 2 grandsons, Ben and Nicholas who are 5 and 3 to see Father Xmas at Notcutts Garden Centre. Seven years ago all I wanted was to live long enough to see my first grandchild. Now I have moved the
goalposts! I think like most grandparents I have this incredibly strong feeling that I want to help protect them. I now want to see my grandchildren grow up, become young men. I want to be there when they get married. If this feeling is so strong for me as a grandparent, I can't imagine how hard it must be for young men or women with children who have to cope with cancer, but it must also make their will to live even more powerful.

I don't think I have ever really grown up and I know John would certainly confirm this. I still love birthdays - not just mine but anyone's birthdays and I still get excited over Xmas and now I have a wonderful excuse to visit Father Xmas myself.

Notcutt's have made it very special for the children (and grandparents!) with reindeer, donkeys ,goats, ducks and turkeys strutting happily around. We were having such fun and then Ben asked the question "Are these the turkeys we eat at Xmas?" How do you answer that one? In fact they both asked 101 questions about Father Xmas and you cannot destroy the magical fantasy that our parents created for us and that we in turn created for our children, so hopefully I answered all their questions and still kept them believing in the "Magic of Xmas" In fact, as we finally went in to meet a very jolly Father Xmas I almost believed it myself!