Photos: The birthday cake; our family just before Christmas; Hugo & me; my mom & me.
So 2010 started with a big bang - new year's eve party next to the River Thames, dealing with cold and icy weather, saying good buy to my mom and our big boy turning four on the third of January.
Hugo ordered a space ship birthday cake and between my mom, Andries and myself we managed a ship that even Ivan could recognise as one that can go to space - a South African one!
The start of a new year also symbolises the start of many new things. I felt so overwhelmed with Hugo's birthday and realised that every birthday of the ones I love most is also going to be a celebration of me being in remission. I rejoice and thank the Lord every day for His grace and miracle of healing - it was the biggest and best Christmas present ever!
I also had my first haircut after the chemo. The hair is growing nicely, but the top halve was all fluffy and looked 'burnt' from the chemo medicine. Now that the damaged parts are off, we can start a new mop of hair in this new year.
I also saw my breast specialist today. He is very pleased at how the wounds are healing and is very satisfied with how the new breast is 'shaping' into place. I still have a few aces and pains now and again and struggle to get a comfortable position to sleep in, but everyday I feel better and every day I can move the left arm a little bit more. I have a very mild case of lymphedema, very natural only a few weeks after the operation. This is the swelling of the arm after the lymph nodes have been removed. The body's lymphatic system needs to 'search' for new pathways to do drainage now that those 18 nodes have been removed. But the swelling is so mild, I can for example wear my watch and wedding ring, but it sits very tight. And if all goes well, this condition will be over in a few months. We've also decided that I will start with the drug Tamoxifen after seeing my oncologist in February. If the side-effects are very bad and not manageable, I'll just go off the drug. If however there are only little side-effects, this drug can be of great benefit.
I am very excited about this new year in my life. Andries and I are planning a lot of stuff to do and see. Some of it was on the list at the beginning of 2009 which turned out very differently than we planned. But that is life and we can only do one day at a time. Both of us said "no regrets to anything in 2010". I hope you also have a great, prosperous, blessed 2010. I hope that you will do wonderful and eventful things. I hope that in 2010 you will also have no regrets!
Our family is (almost!) on our way to South Africa for a visit and work for Andries. We are super-excited about this! Can't wait to see all the family and friends.
