The Day After...

So. Serious stuff now.

Yesterday, the 14th March 2011, my mum told me that she has breast cancer. Oh.

My mum is one of those people that never goes to the doctors, fights through viruses and infections that leave me in bed feeling no end of sorry for myself. One of those people who has a remedy or reason for everything, someone you could go to for anything and know you are in safe hands.

I knew something was "wrong" when I got home, my sister was there without her partner or children which is very unusual, especially during the week. Mum shared the news after tea, which almost made a reappearance (sorry, TMI). We talked and went through the options and cried and hugged. Mum has the option to go for surgery, or for chemo then surgery, she has opted for the latter. After the initial shock we tried to make mum laugh, discussing what wig she could get, or even a bandana decorated so she could be Cheshire's Jack Sparrow! She appreciated the giggles.
Monetise
So now we are left with the shock, the uncertainty, the... the. We don't know how to feel, none of us. I can only speak for myself but that is something I do know.

How do you react to that news?
How am I meant to feel?
What can I do?

I don't know the answers to any of these. I don't think I should know the answers to any of these. I need to be strong for my mum, she needs my support more than ever. The tears will stop eventually, we will have plans and ways to look forward as a family.

Telling people is the hardest, the hardest thing to say is "My mum has cancer". Its even hard to type. So hard.

I have also signed up to take part in the Race for Life. I did my first charity walk last year for the Alzheimer's Society, doing another one for Cancer Research UK seems fitting.

To anyone who may read, please share your experiences. And thanks for reading.

Oh, Hi! Glad you made it...

Hi Everyone,

So, the first post. Hopefully the start of a special relationship between me and thee. We are now "us".

I think it would be a good start to introduce myself properly. My name is Sam, I am 23 and live at home (obviously) with my mum and dad, as well as our West Highland Terrier, Toto, and our Australian Parakeet, Wye Bird.
I have an elder brother, Martin, who lives with his wife Nic and their two daughters, Madeline and Victoria. I also have an elder sister, Debbie, who lives with her partner Chris and her three children, Laura, Caitlin and Kai. I am engaged to Andrew, and at some point he will be attending the wedding I am planning with one of my besties, Kay.

Friends and family are the most important to me, there is nothing more important.I will ramble endlessly about my friends and my family and the weird and wonderful experiences that we frequently partake in.

I work as a secretary for a Mental Health team, I've been there nearly 5 years and I can honestly say I am still not used to it yet! It is a wonderfully strange unpredictable job with massive rewards and experiences I would never be able to gain elsewhere. I love it.

Otherwise, I enjoy surfing the internet for various forms of useless information, reading books on a variety of fact and fiction subjects, and listening to a wide array of music. Music is my third favourite thing after my family and friends. It's a powerful thing and works well as therapy for me. I listen to anything from dance to pop to heavy metal.

I decided to write this blog after finding out that my mum, my wonderful, beautiful, practically perfect in every way mum, has breast cancer. The big C. Scary stuff. I don't want to focus the blog on just that, I will try and cover a variety of topics, hopefully at some point sharing my collection of some of the worlds most awful postcards.

So, enough about me, how are you? Tell me about you!