Lady Luck is on My Side

Lady Luck is on My Side....

(...and not just because of Iceland beating England in the football!)

I want to talk, today, about something that keeps creeping into my mind - and it seems a very normal thing for me, yet when I say it out loud I get laughter and mixed responses. 

I am a very, very lucky girl.

That's right. I'm a very lucky girl - and I am! I may be sitting here with little to no hair left, a tumour in my chest and around my body, and just after my second dose of chemotherapy - but I could be sitting here with no support, no family, and nobody here to tell me, "It's going to be okay". I could be so much worse off, and that's the mindset I have to have. It's a mindset that helps me through.

Mainly, the thing that makes me so lucky - the thing I am so lucky to have, rather - is the support that I've been given. So let's start there.

I have always known that I have an amazing family. Sure, we have our moments, but overall there is no family I would rather be a part of. They are my rock and my everything - To those who don't know, before all this started, it wasn't plain sailing for me. I had alot of emotional problems and trouble with my thoughts, and it really put a weight on my family, I think, as well as me. But through seventeen years, they're still standing by me - they really are my everything.

Through this diagnosis, I realized that I took my family for granted sometimes - and it really is such an easy thing to do. They're constant, so you think, "they'll always be there, anyway", and move on without taking the time to really stop and appreciate them. That's something I want to stop doing - I want to learn to appreciate the little things and the big things, alike. Family are forever, and I'll be damned if I go a day without telling them how much I love them.

I've also always known, that I am part of an amazing community. My town is full of wonderful people; there is always something going on for a good cause, and it's a really beautiful thing to see. But through this hard time for my family and myself, I have met so many outstanding people in my community. I have fundraisers set up for me and friends who wish to help out and raise money for cancer charities- And honestly, I am so proud to be a part of it all. Everyone in my town has been simply amazing - as well as people from all over the world! I've had my blog shared near and far, and I owe a massive thanks to everyone - but I wouldn't have gotten anywhere if not for those of you in Carrickfergus, Northern Ireland. 

I am also so, so lucky for the doctors and nurses who have helped me through all this - Every radiographer, PET scanner, specialist and more. You are the reason I'm sitting here typing this with my cat beside me, instead of being stuck in a hospital bed. But even when I was in hospital, I never felt unlucky or lonely - there was always someone to chat to, something to do or something to watch. I had everything I needed, and while nobody enjoys being in hospital, my experience wasn't a bad one. It wasn't pleasant, but the nurses and doctors really made the difference for me and I owe everyone in Antrim Area hospital a huge, huge thankyou. 

And lastly, I owe a huge thankyou to friends and acquaintances who have taken the time to send me a message. You guys are the people who keep me going. The messages I get and the love and support - it goes a long, long way. You brighten my days. The little acts of kindness that you might not think much of really have the power to change my day - and they do. Every message you guys have sent to me have really touched my heart - and I have a scrapbook made of every card, well wish, and so forth in my bedroom. I don't know where I would be without my friends and everyone who supports me. 

Certainly, I wouldn't be here if not for all of you - so thankyou. Thankyou for reading this; You, yourself, are owed a thanks. Thankyou for the support, and the kindness, and thankyou for being here with me through this. 

I am a very lucky girl - cancer, or not.