Me and Boycey got the next two bases sussed.....

I already know that I love my base coach (Oncologist) Adam.  For a start he is my age so if geography had collided for us, we potentially would have gone to school together. There is absolutely no way we would have gotten similar grades however I would have loved him at school because he strikes me as one of those sweet guys that was there to hug you and buy you a sausage roll after you'd had your heart broken by some ego driven jerk.   I can tell already that he has a very big brain and an unbelievably impressive knowledge of all things cancer. Most importantly, I can tell he is kind.

He is softly spoken and very calm in his approach and if my Aunty Lyn were in the room she'd say 'he has a lovely manner about him'.  And he does.  He put me at ease immediately and the women running the office were also cheerful and friendly.  They are the satelite A team from my Sydney team and I feel completely confident being in their care - the baton has been passed with smooth precision.   I've also discovered that the world of Oncologists and cancer experts is actually quite small and it appears that Adams cousin had Stephanie as a Surgeon, Jodi (Sydney Oncologist) went to University with Adam, Adam went to school with Julia's good friend Patty and so on and so forth.  We also both laughed out loud when Adam mentioned how incredible it was that I was able to collectively be supported by the A Team in record time following diagnosis and that he had heard it was because I knew this 'Speechy' that runs the show in St George.  Enter Dr Julia Maclean.  Woman of Science/Crazy Lady, Medical Coordinator and now apparently Chemo Captain.  Aka 'The Speechy'. 

So we got down to business pretty quickly and came up with the game plan.  I have an awful lot of things going for me in terms of beating this cancer and ensuring that it never ever comes back.  I am relatively fit, I have no family history of breast cancer, the cancer was a grade 1 (slow moving) cancer, detected as far as we know early and cut out in record time.  Yeah okay so it was a bit bigger than we first thought but we all accept in life that size doesn't matter right? See, I can still do stupid smutty humour - there's nothing wrong with me....So, basically my batting average is very very good.

However the one significant handicap that I appear to have is my age.  I'm young.  Hear that!  I am YOUNG!  I'd like to test the theory at the Les Mills Instructor Workshop or buying a new bikini at Billabong, standing in line at Cheeky Monkeys Night Club or lets face it, going to the doctors these days?  Young?  Laughable.  Accept when it comes to cancer.  Statistically I am very much in the 'young' range.  This was confirmed both through these amazing computer graphics they showed me but in a much more real sense when I first turned up for my very initial appointment at St George Public Hospital to see Jodi a few weeks ago now.  I sat in a waiting room with giant swinging doors that unfortunately for me at the time, swung open and one of them stayed open.  From my waiting room chair I could see a group of what appeared to be very old, unwell yodas receiving their chemo through intravenous drips.  And they were old.  All of them.  And they looked really sick.  All of them.  And the few people waiting in the reception area with John and I were also old. Like hanging out with Grandma Gimbert at the Yamba Bowling Club - that kind of age. All of them.  And then there was me.  I remember turning to John and making the statement that I just dont belong here.  But really, who does?

So, because of this age handicap (mostly) it has been discussed and agreed by Adam in appropriate consultation (as the one to have to actually make the run to second base) that this game needs to be played and played hard. It will make the final victory taste just that much sweeter.  I will undertake a trifecta of treatment that includes chemotherapy, radiation therapy and hormone therapy.  Kind of like going to your favourite beautician and getting the massage, the facial AND the pedicure. hmmm well, sorta? And why would you only choose one when you can have all three and eventually walk away knowing you have given yourself the absolute best odds possible to never have to do this again. 

It's a game plan I am committed to seeing through and Boycey has just flagged me on to head to the security of second base.  And now I had better gear myself up to run like hell.  And Boycey is a doing man so next Thursday the 8th of December will see my first hit.  I am nervous of course - I am treading completely unknown territory for me but I have the amazing support and advice from what seems like too many others to help me front up with confidence and treat this as my friend (thank you Nel).  This cocktail of toxic drugs is actually helping me to eventually get better.  And I know I will need to remind myself of that most likely a number of times along the way.  But lets not dwell on that for now. 

For right now I am going to enjoy my time. I will work, teach and train.  I will eat well and enjoy every mouthful!  I will savour all the good things and the beautiful people I have in my life.  I will bask in the sun and dance in the rain.  I feel so happy I have a plan and a sense of timeframe so I can eventually box this up and shelve it.

I just adjusted my sails................x