Blog 3 – A LAST to be celebrated!


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 29th 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 chemo would have on my body. I knew I would lose my hair but had no idea that sores in my mouth and weaknesses in my teeth would keep me up at night. Thank goodness for netball friends who happen to be dentists booking me in for a cheeky check up! If you are due to start chemo make sure you visit your dentist for an MOT first. I cannot stress this enough!

2)       I don’t have to cut my nails for netball any more! They are so weak they just break off, not to mention the lovely yellowish tinge that goes with all my netball dresses!! All joking aside, I’m just glad they haven’t all fallen off yet.  

3)      The meds that keep the numbness in my fingers and toes at bay. As the sessions have progressed the tingling has definitely got worse. I’m hoping that as a shooter, not being able to feel the ball has given me some form of 6th sense when finding the net!?!

4)      Sleep! I was always a double figures girl at the weekend, and now I’m awake…pretty much all the time. That’s not to say I’m not tired, I’m always tired but just not asleep! So when sleep does come…bliss!

5)      Cancer stole my cries! Which is probably a good thing and therefore has made the list. The chemo has made my eyes (and mouth) really dry and as such I couldn’t cry even if I wanted to - I’ve even had to buy ‘fake tears’ to keep my eyeballs from totally drying out!

6)      Post it notes!! Chemo brain really does exist. Some have likened it to baby brain?? I find it hard to listen to conversations whilst concentrating on driving, and hard to remember the jobs I need to do or where I need to go. I’m sure its more frustrating for the people around me but I’ve become ever so reliant on a list.

7)      I’m saving water with every shower! Who knew how much quicker it would be to get dressed when you don’t have hair. I was never one to spend hours teasing my tresses into shape but this is next level. Not to mention the money saved on all other forms of hair removal. Every cloud….

8)      Also – how good is it that my skin is so thin that I only have to walk past the window and I get a tan (ok, sunburnt!) Couple that with the hot sweats caused by the injections I’m on and the fact I live in Dubai you would think I’d be losing weight by the minute – my life is like a Bikram exercise class. Luckily, thanks to the steroids though I definitely haven’t lost any weight and in fact have put on about 7kg (mainly on my face!!!).

In all seriousness though, these are some of the things I am actually grateful for…

I’m grateful that I have been able to exercise through the treatment. I honestly believe the exercise kept most of the side effects at bay, as well as helping me mentally. Some days fastening my trainers was about as much exercise as I could handle, but on the good days it really gave me the boost I needed. As a PE teacher I always believed in the positive impact of sport, this has just proven it to me. My oncologist recommended at least 30 minutes a day and the days that I didn’t manage to get out, even to walk the dog, were the hardest for me psychologically. So, fasten up your trainers and get those endorphins flowing.  

I’m grateful for work (who says that)!! The routine and normality of going to work every day was what I needed, for my own sanity. But having an employer who understood that I needed a little more flexibility and understanding really took the pressure off and I cannot thank my colleagues enough.
Not to mention the students. They make every day different and add the fun to my job. Recently I received a video off some students that I taught in 2009 in Al Ain. Seeing their messages of love and support, and the fact they cared enough about me to compile a video despite the fact they are now spread across the globe was just another thing to spur me on.  

When the chips are down you certainly learn who your friends are. People that you thought would step up disappear, and others truly step up. I am grateful for the friends and family around me, that understand I can’t do everything I did before, but that I’m still me.
A special thanks to the ‘Chemo Crew’ for the weekly commitment sitting in the hospital whilst I have the best (drug induced) sleep of my week! 
If you have a friend or loved one going through something similar….simply showing up is enough! “Treat them the same but with a little extra love”.

No matter what we face in our lives, there are always things to be positive about and celebrate.
I’m celebrating my week of lasts….
last chemo
last training session with the UAE girls for a while
last week at work
last staycation before the operation.

What are you celebrating this week?

Sara
Instagram: s_donovan78








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