So Grateful That I Am Alive

Today, 1 March is CANSA Shavathon and today is the day that I am even more grateful to God that I am alive.  CANSA Shavathon is one of South Africa’s best-loved events in support of a very worthy cause, namely showing solidarity with those affected by cancer. Losing one’s hair is a common side-effect of cancer therapy – so shaving your head has become a symbolic gesture of support for cancer survivors.  Shavathon embraces volunteers. Their support is invaluable. I take my hat off and make a bow to my fellow cancer survivors and I say a prayer in honour of those who sadly were not strong enough to survive. I pray every day for those who have to face this health challenge.  Every morning when I open my eyes I thank God for giving me another beautiful day.  I truly am grateful every day that I open my eyes!!  When you go through the journey of fighting for another day you really and truly look at the world through different eyes. You notice and appreciate the things that you encounter on a daily basis very differently to other people. You also appreciate all the people in your life, even those that wronged you in some way or another.  You just feel so blessed to have so many people in your life.  The minor issues of everyday life do not affect you the way they did before. There really is no point in getting upset over the small things in life anymore. You find you are just so much stronger and you know beyond a shadow of a doubt that you are just so much more. I do not wish chemo on anyone!! The whole of 2013 was one helluve journey for me and many others that accompanied me on my journey. On my 4^th chemo I nearly gave up. They say that your 4^th is your worst one and if you can make it through that one then you will make it through all of them. My last chemo was on 20 August 2013.  I made many new friends who went through the same challenge and sadly, lost quite a few too who were just not strong enough to survive!  One also just goes through so many emotions. The treatment really does play havoc with your mind, body and soul never mind the fact that you lose your hair and eyelashes and some of my friends even lost their finger and toe nails! The operations were just as frightening.  It took three months after my final chemo before I had a full head of hair again as well as having eyelashes again. I am grateful to Dr Carol Benn and her team and I am grateful to the team at the Charlotte Maxeke Oncology Clinic.  I am grateful to Dr Dimitri Liakos and Dr Zinn – my plastic surgeons who were responsible for my breast implants and last, but not least, I am grateful to God for making me the woman I am today.....

In this pic I remember I had chemo the day before and still felt quite weak. I was also quite apprehensive about appearing with my new wig and my false eyelashes.

Here I felt a lot more confident with my wig and my false eyelashes.

This is where my hair really started growing again.

I have now already had my third haircut and I really have taken to preferring short hair. This is what my hair used to look like - before my treatment.