Life can change in a second!!

Lots of you close to me will know I haven't been myself in the past 2 weeks, and will know the reason behind it.

I want to share something with all of you which will explain the meaning of my thread title.

2 weeks ago today, my mum got diagnosed with bowel cancer. She is 62 and has had health problems in the past with her heart and major operations on her back due to a horse riding accident in her late 30's.

It was only found as my mum had been complaining of feeling weak and the doctor diagnosed her with "unknown cause of anemia" which is a major cause of concern. She was sent for a test to look further into it and it came back as bowel cancer.

She had kept this from us all until she found out she had it. She unexpectedly turned up at my house 2 weeks ago today (in the middle of the day) and told me the news - she then went onto my brother and sister to also tell them.

I was devastated - more so due to the fact that I lost my father 5 years ago to cancer (he was 56) I was gobsmacked, scared, worried and couldn't sleep or work.

I went with her to see the consultant and we were told she would be operated on Wednesday 2nd December, and she would have to go for another scan to see if the cancer had spread to any other organs, but wouldn't get the results until the day before the operation - so an agonising 7 day wait !

Tuesday came and we got the news that it hadn't spread anywhere ! To say we were all elated isn't the word - amazing news.

Wednesday came and they operated and removed the tumour and the operation was a complete success. There is only a slim chance of chemotherapy also as they caught the cancer in time. She isn't out of the woods yet, but her life is looking alot rosier than it did this time 2 weeks ago.

I am writing this just to remind you how important life is and how quickly it can change and affect others around you in the blink of an eye. They say xmas is a time for spending more time with loved ones, but I am now making 100x as much effort to spend as much time with my loved ones all the time and not just xmas time.

One life you get and it is at times like these you realise how importnant and fragile it really is, so instead of wasting that extra hour online procrastinating, go and spend it with your loved ones instead - trust me, it is much more rewarding.

Thanks to all of those who sent me kind messages and well wishes too - you know who you all are.

That's good that it's not spread. Best of luck to her and you all.


My neighbour's husband is having his first chemo tomorrow and they're terrified. He's got some agressive form of cancer that's skipped from bladder to liver in a way they've not seen before ... so he's a case study.


As I said the other day in a thread ... on your death bed are you going to wish you'd earnt a few more quid, or that you could have had more time with the people you love...?