It's been a while...

So the last time I wrote a blog was back in June when my Mum was in the middle of her chemo treatment. I've not written for a while, partly because I've been busy with work and life and stuff but also because I find it quite  draining. Watching my Mum go through the chemo was really painful and so it felt hard to relive it again in the blog. Also I have so much I want to say I don't know where to start then when I do I'm worried I won't be able to stop!

My Mum had her last chemo session on the 2nd August - the day of her and my Dad's 38th Wedding anniversary. Since my Mum was diagnosed in January lots of people have asked me about how she's doing / feeling but when someone asked how my Dad is doing I was quite shocked - why? what's wrong with my Dad I thought? I'd been so wrapped up in what my Mum was going through that I hadn't even given a thought about how it was affecting my Dad. The truth is, and without being too personal as I'm not sure it's my place, I think this whole thing has absolutely devastated him and from what I can gather, the hardest thing has been him feeling so helpless. My Dad's a 'doer' - he's a practical, and I guess, quite traditional man who's not that great with talking about feelings and stuff. He can or at least will try and fix anything but this was out of his control and so to see the person he loves most in the world in so much pain and have the worry and uncertainty of what might happen next hanging over him without the ability to fix it must have been so hard. The chemo was almost unbearable for both of them.

BUT, they got through it and now they are stronger than ever! :o)

It's safe to say that it's been a tough old year for everyone - obviously more so for my Mum but it has affected everyone around her.  I'm sure I've said it before but I am happy to say it again - if this year has taught me anything, it's just how awesome my Mum is and I am ashamed to admit that I'm not sure I fully realised just how awesome before this.

When my Mum finished the chemo I gave her a card which read 'You didn't just wait for the storm to pass... you learned how to dance in the rain'. This is absolutely true - she didn't just sit and feel sorry for herself (although I'm sure she had her moments), she cracked on with what she had to do, embraced everything the doctors and I threw at her - the chemo, surgery, juicing, change of diet, abuse about being a baldy, and she got through it with dignity.

There's still a long way to go yet. Although the chemo is over, my mum still has to take lots of preventative drugs for the next 5 years which have side effects and there's still the reconstruction to consider but before that the gene testing... which if she tests positive for BRCA2 then it's a whole new ball game. And I guess the worry for the rest of her life of whether the cancer will come back or not.

Once you get cancer it's a part of your life forever... which is why I would really urge everyone to take control and do everything they can to stop themselves from getting it. I don't understand why you wouldn't?

It is reported that nearly 50% of cancers diagnosed in the UK are caused by lifestyle choices - that's a high enough statistic for me to want to take control and at least give myself a 50% better chance.

The biggest causes are smoking, drinking and diet - all things you can change. Smoking and drinking is obvious, but here's a few simple changes you can make to start with:

- Cut out as much sugar as possible.
- Eat less meat - especially any that is processed or not organic.
- Eat more fruit and vegetables - ideally organic
- Drink more water and less caffeine and fizzy drinks
- Exercise more
- Swap white bread and rice to brown or wholegrain

I've also found this article which is really helpful... there's loads available on the web though. http://www.helpguide.org/life/healthy_diet_cancer_prevention.htm

My Mum and Dad have taken all this on board - my Mum rarely eats any meat now and she's still juicing twice a day! The next stage is for them to eat less dairy...