Shooting for Donovan

“So you are done then”…. When people ask where I am up to with my treatment plan and I say ‘I’ve had the chemo and I’ve had the bilateral mastectomy” they generally respond with “so you are done then”. Well, I wish!! I’ve come to realise that I will never be “done” with cancer. Yes, I’ve conquered 5 months of chemotherapy, and the surgery and yes, I believe everything has been removed, but the fear will always be looming. Recovery post op has been so draining, emotionally. As a teacher we get lovely long summer holidays (sorry parents, now it’s your turn!!) and all my teacher friends are jetting off to exotic places. I’m currently VERY resentful of the fact I’m stuck in the UAE, with my life on hold. It doesn’t help that the UAE is hotter than living on the sun (50 degrees C) and therefore I am essentially housebound. I think I’ve watched every Netflix series going (any recommendations greatly received). Facebook is also rubbing it in with their ‘memories’ each day. For anyon...

The hardest thing I have ever done…. Last week was certainly chaotic. My mum was due to land on Sunday 10 th June to be with me on the 13 th , my surgery day. Unfortunately, due to a missed connection from France, she missed that flight and at great expense had to rebook for the following day. Unbeknown to her, whilst she was in the air, my surgery was moved forward to Tuesday 12 th June. Poor mum was picked up at the airport and driven straight to hospital where we had about an hour before I went to surgery. 7 hours later I was wheeled back to my room and the next phase of my treatment was complete. I’d had my double mastectomy. I can honestly say that THIS is the hardest thing I have ever had to do. Surgery makes chemo look like a walk in the park! According to the Doctor and the nurses my recovery is going really well. I was up and walking around the ward the following day and was allowed home at the weekend, and truth be told the pain is bearable. But what is not ...

Blog 3 – A last to be celebrated!  We talk a lot about the firsts in our lives— first loves, first jobs, first international cap!!  Firsts are momentous and as such are recorded, photographed and posted about. This week I had a LAST that I’m certainly going to celebrate!! The 29 th May 2018 was the date of what I hope will be my LAST ever chemotherapy! I ‘graduated’ after 16 sessions. Over the last 20 weeks I have spent more time in a hospital than I ever believed I would and I know there’s more to come. To be diagnosed with breast cancer at 39 years old was never in my life plan but in these situations,   you can only grit your teeth and deal with it as best you can. People tell cancer patients it’s all about positive mental attitude, at the one time we actually have something to be negative about. So, I thought I’d compile a list of things that I’m positive about. 1)       My teeth! I hadn’t realised just what impact the chem...

Example isn’t another way to teach, it is the only way to teach. Albert Einstein. Many people over the last few weeks have called me inspirational and a role model. I am exceptionally proud and flattered that that is how my story has been viewed. Although I am now a cancer fighting netballer, first and foremost I am a teacher. Ever since I can remember I wanted to be a teacher, to use the old cliché, for me, it was definitely a calling. 19 years later (how did that happen!) I still feel the same way. I am now Head of Netball at Dubai College and to be honest, that is partially what made me trial for the UAE national team. Thinking about Einstein’s quote, how could I coach and teach these young talented netballers, encouraging them to push themselves further each day, if I wasn’t prepared to lead by example. I’ve been thinking a lot about who has been my inspiration, who my role models are, who are the people who shaped me into the character, and player, I am today. Although there...

What a  week it's been! 16th May 2018 Attending the Netball Europe Open Championships 2018 in Gibraltar had been my goal ever since my cancer journey began at the end of 2017. Having trialled and been selected for the UAE national team before my diagnosis getting to the competition became my focus. I fought the side effects of chemotherapy weekly, determined that nothing would stop me getting on that court. It has certainly not been easy, the side effects are draining and cumulative and as I write this I am back in the hospital bed, being pumped with my fourteenth dose of chemotherapy drugs in almost as many weeks. As amazing as the games were (and I loved every moment) what is even more incredible is the global support I am now receiving. For the last five months I have been so determined to ensure that cancer does not define me that there are many friends and even distant family members that I hadn’t told of my situation. In fact, I didn’t tell most people until my hair s...