When I heard the words ‘complete remission’ on 16th November 2016 I was able to breath a big sigh of relief; I had reached a huge milestone. I’m now a few weeks into my second boxing match with ‘Cyril’ – the aim of this match is to remain the champion. As I expected, its been a rollercoaster, with good and bad days.
My three weekly Avastin treatment is going well. My tumour markers are behaving and my ‘Normal List’ is helping me to stay focused on reconnecting with all the things I’ve had to put on hold over the last six months. Doing this is helping me to regain control of my life instead of allowing my fears and anxieties to take over. Sometimes the fears do overwhelm me, but I see it as my job to try and take the reins back when this happens. Otherwise I risk stopping myself from achieving all the things I want to do. It’s like what Dame Elizabeth Taylor once said:
“You just do it. You force yourself to get up. You force yourself to put one foot before the other, and God damn it, you refuse to let it get to you. You fight. You cry. You curse. Then you go about the business of living. That’s how I’ve done it. There’s no other way.’
This week I was feeling well enough to attend a Monday staff meeting at my school (doing ‘school things’ was on my normal list) and go to the staff Christmas dinner. It was an opportunity to focus my mind on work for a while which I really enjoyed. Next up on the list is to go to the gym on my own. I’m so grateful for all the support from the Chai Cancer Care’s physiotherapy team who have worked with me on a weekly basis and helped me get to this point. They have given me the confidence I needed to get back to a point where I can think about going back to a gym on my own.
This week I also attended a carol service outside the Royal Marsden in Chelsea to mark the turning on of their Christmas tree lights. Every Christmas, the Marsden offers people a unique way to remember and honour their loved ones. They give the public the opportunity to purchase a personalised star on the Christmas trees, which stand tall and proud outside the entrances of the Chelsea and Sutton hospital sites. You give a donation to buy the star that then goes up on one of the trees. You also receive a gold star lapel badge as a reminder of your star on the tree. The money that the Marsden raises goes back into the hospital to help them continue doing the incredible work that they do. I put a star on the tree year in memory of somebody very close and special to my family, and I will continue to do this each year. It was a beautiful and moving ceremony and I felt very emotional as I thought about everything I have been through in the last six months and what I continue to battle with. I also thought about others who are affected by cancer, and about the inspirational young man who I put a star on the tree for. At the same time, this service gave me a chance to look forward and think about my future. There was something very special about standing outside the hospital that saved my life, surrounded by a beautiful Christmas tree, gorgeous Christmas lights, carol singers and lots of people.
Continuing with the Christmas spirit, I would like to share something that my school have done to mark Christmas this year. They decided that rather than giving out Christmas cards to one another, they would instead donate the money they would have spent on cards to Finding Cyril’s just giving page. I felt so overwhelmed by the gesture, and I am honoured to be part of such a wonderful and supportive team. I am so excited to eventually be back at work with them all.
These Christmas donation ideas got me thinking, and this week I have come up with an idea that I have appropriately named ‘Merry Christmas Marsden.’ I am sure we all have those moments when our wallet gets too bulky with coins, or we find loose change at the bottom of our bags. So this Christmas, why not count out some of these coins and donate the value of them to the Finding Cyril’s fund for the Royal Marsden? I opened my wallet this morning and had change to the value of £1 in coins, so I donated this to Marsden by texting FICY58 £1 to 70070.
You can donate £1, £2, £3, £4, £5 or £10 by text, and anything from £2 upwards online on the Just Giving Page. If your loose change makes up less than £1, or you just want to get rid of your loose coins I have Royal Marsden Charity boxes to fill up. Please email findingcyril@gmail.com if you would like to do this. These small donations add up and will contribute to the on-going care the Marsden offers people living with cancer. So go on…lighten your wallets, rid yourself of noisy loose change and donate to a great cause this Christmas.
As we approach the Christmas holiday and end of the year I’ve been reflecting on my year and all that has happened in it. I think about just how special the Marsden is to me, not just the doctors and nurses, but everyone there who works tirelessly to make a difference to people living with cancer. It is because of them that I’ve got to the point where I can do ‘normal’ things again and even new things. It means that as I bring in the New Year I can look ahead to getting back to being ‘Laura Moses.’ Because whilst ‘Cyril’ is a part of my journey and identity, it is definitely not all of it. So thank you and Merry Christmas to the Royal Marsden.
Finding Cyril 