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| Rockchoir at GuilFest 2011! Rain had just stopped! |
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| Rockchoir in Auditorium at Wembley Arena! |
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| Our own Male Rockchoir on stage at Wembley! |
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| My favourite time and place in the garden! Apart from having cancer secondaries diagnosed in my liver and starting chemotherapy in July, it has been quite an amazing summer! I joined Rockchoir in January, as a goal following my last cycle of chemotherapy which ended in November 2010. Between January and May I learned 13 songs (in harmony - mine is alto)! Very necessary if I was to take part in the planned concerts. Very exciting, and I was looking forward to everything, but especially our surprise venue, which we were eventually informed was to be... Wembley Arena! This was to be our first major performance - talk about starting at the top! It was a lifetime experience - amazing feeling to sing with 8,500 people in that iconic venue! And a wonderful surprise, especially when our own Male Rockchoir went on stage to sing 'Pretty Woman' - none of us knew, even the wives were not told! We went wild - they were fantastic! The whole event will be in the Guinness Book of Records as the largest choir to sing in a concert who had a Top Twenty Hit. Our second concert was at The New Victoria Theatre in Woking. It was incredible! Really on stage this time. We even had two standing ovations, one of them was for our hit song 'Something Inside So Strong' - very moving. Our third concert of the summer was to open the GuilFest Musical Festival. Unbelievable day - I have never seen so much heavy rain in one place, most of it directed towards our stage, and being the shortest, I was in the front row, so I got quite wet! But not as wet as our Choir Leader, Sam, who ended up wearing her wellies on stage! Unbeknown to me, or anyone, I was developing secondaries in my liver, probably as long ago as before my walk in May. So, even though I was active, gardening, playing tennis, walking a lot, I had been having some abdominal discomfort, and by the time of our 'Wembley' Rehearsals, I could not take, or hold, a deep breath when singing, and I felt somewhat 'bloated' in my upper abdomen. We had a lot of Rockchoir Special Rehearsals, which I found exhilirating, but not easy to breathe! After my blood tests and check ups, I began to suspect it was returning somewhere, as my ca 125 had started creeping up again. It did not really occur to me that I could have liver involvement. The mind is a weird protective organ - it does not want to know, so is in denial, making any excuse such as, needing to do stomach exercises, ate too much cake etc.! I was to have a scan on 16th June , with the result to coincide with my oncologist's appointment on 12th July. Coincidentally, that evening was our Special Rehearsal for GuilFest, which was on 16th July - I had to make that, discomfort or not! By the time I saw my oncologist, my 'liver' discomfort was actually painful, and the bloating under my ribs meant I could not sit up easily without rolling onto my side. Playing tennis was not comfortable either. So I knew it would be bad news before I even saw my consultant. I started chemo on 20th July. Before that, I had a wonderful half-spa-day to use - bought for my 70th birthday, to use after my Walk - an ideal time to use now, to unwind, de-stress, and chill out. A very good friend agreed to accompany me, and we definitely chilled out, as after our swim, jacuzzi, massage and relaxation, we had dry white wine spritzer's in the Alexander House garden hot tub, in the rain before having a delicious lunch! A perfect ending to a lovely summer, before my third course of chemotherapy! The good news about this chemo, is it has less side effects. I have still got my hair after three cycles! I do not get the 'Taxol' bone pain, because I am not on that one - I am on Caelyx. I have to avoid anything hot - fluids, hot showers or hot baths, the sun - so I am getting used to everything tepid, and using Factor 50, and wearing a sunhat even to do the gardening! The nausea and tiredness are the worst side effects, and usually only last about a week. I have felt generally well enough to go to various events that I would not have been able to go to on my previous regimes: A wedding on my third post chemo day (!), likewise a cousin's 80th birthday (surprise) party, in Birmingham - got a lift from my sister and Keith, otherwise I could not have gone to that. We stayed in a Premier Inn, avoiding the drive back the same day. Also, we had a five day break in France during my fourth post chemo week, before returning early for my brother-in-law's funeral. I also went to my friend's birthday, with the tennis group, when I watched the game (the day after chemo is really too soon to feel like playing!), then stayed for coffee and cake. We had her birthday lunch and presents giving the following week. Then, three of us went to see Jane Eyre a few days later. Another amazing thing happened - I have been nominated to carry the Olympic Flame! There will be 8,000 carriers from all walks of life, so I probably will not be chosen, but a great honour all the same. Altogether, an eventful time, whilst trying to fit in decorating the outside of our house! Of course I have to spend quite a lot of time resting in the day, because the nights are as usual - insomnia is very lonely... I have extended my justgiving page to 1st December 2011, to give more time for those who have not donated, as well as for those who had been left out of the original loop because the messages did not get through. Hopefully, I will then achieve my target of £3,500! |
