Breast cancer month

October month is breast cancer awareness month. So, all ladies, sit up and listen! As so many of you, I didn't do regular self breast examinations. Purely because I told myself that I wouldn't know what a lump would feel like. Now I do and believe me you'll know as well if you feel one. Please be aware of any changes, in any shape, form or colour of the breast or nipple - INVESTIGATE! You'll never be able to stop the cancer but you will be able to detect it early, if you are a candidate. And the earlier the detection, the more can be done.

I urge you to do a self examination at least once a month and here is how to (so no more excuses!):

Step 1: Begin by looking at your breasts in the mirror with your shoulders straight and your arms on your hips.

Here's what you should look for:

• Breasts that are their usual size, shape, and color
• Breasts that are evenly shaped without visible distortion or swelling

If you see any of the following changes, bring them to your doctor's attention:

• Dimpling, puckering, or bulging of the skin
• A nipple that has changed position or an inverted nipple (pushed inward instead of sticking out)
• Redness, soreness, rash, or swelling

Breast Self-Exam - Step 1

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Step 2: Now, raise your arms and look for the same changes.

Breast Self-Exam - Steps 2 and 3

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Step 3: While you're at the mirror, look for any signs of fluid coming out of one or both nipples (this could be a watery, milky, or yellow fluid or blood).

Step 4: Next, feel your breasts while lying down, using your right hand to feel your left breast and then your left hand to feel your right breast. Use a firm, smooth touch with the first few finger pads of your hand, keeping the fingers flat and together. Use a circular motion, about the size of a quarter.Cover the entire breast from top to bottom, side to side — from your collarbone to the top of your abdomen, and from your armpit to your cleavage.

Follow a pattern to be sure that you cover the whole breast. You can begin at the nipple, moving in larger and larger circles until you reach the outer edge of the breast. You can also move your fingers up and down vertically, in rows, as if you were mowing a lawn. This up-and-down approach seems to work best for most women. Be sure to feel all the tissue from the front to the back of your breasts: for the skin and tissue just beneath, use light pressure; use medium pressure for tissue in the middle of your breasts; use firm pressure for the deep tissue in the back. When you've reached the deep tissue, you should be able to feel down to your ribcage.

Breast Self-Exam - Step 4

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Step 5: Finally, feel your breasts while you are standing or sitting. Many women find that the easiest way to feel their breasts is when their skin is wet and slippery, so they like to do this step in the shower. Cover your entire breast, using the same hand movements described in Step 4.

I hope the explanation and pictures will help. If you are worried, feel a lump or see any changes, make an appointment with your doctor immediately. But rest assured that 90% of lumps are benign - lots of times only fluid sacks that can be drained. Remember that one in every nine woman would be diagnosed with breast cancer in her lifetime.

Good luck to all my wonderful family members and their friends that's going to do the breastathon walk this Sunday. I know that this walk is so much more that just the completion of 5km of walking....

Have a wonderful weekend and let’s support all those great causes that help with breast cancer research and treatment.

Breast Self-Exam - Step 5

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A quiet Sunday

(Pictures: Elmarie at the Tower Of London, Bekenscot and its mini stuff, the three of us at Jamie's Italian - GREAT food!)

Today my sister-in-law, Elmarie, had to return home. I almost hid her airfare ticket to keep her here! She was so wonderful with the kids, cooking and doing heaps of washing. We are really going to miss her presence. This morning on our way to church our three year old said that she is on the plane going home and that she is "'n mooi ou dingetjie!" (She is a pretty little thing). We had a good laugh and agreed! We had great fun going to the Tower of London, Jamie Oliver's Jamie's Italian in Canary Wharf, The SA Congregation's bazaar and to Bekonscot (a place with a mini town, mini trains and a wonderful play ground).

It is so amazing how quickly human beings can adapt. Getting used to certain noises, movements and then missing it so much the moment it is gone. Elmarie, thank you so much for everything, we are already missing you!

My recovery after the last chemo is going well and hubby spoiled me again with a dinner and a show on Friday night. We went to see Chicago - the musical. Not bad at all, but not as impressive as Les Mis or Wicked! But we still had a great night out and had coffee at a coffee shop "voted best in London" (don't know according to who? But the cappuccinos were fantastic!)

I am getting ready to try and live life as normal as possible in the next five weeks before the big operation. Although I have to admit that I am going to make a lot of changes with regard to lifestyle - going to give my best at eating well and getting fitter. I realised that I need to take proper responsibility for my illness. I also think that recovery after any type of setback will be quicker if fitness levels are up. So, we'll start with our 'five-a-day' and getting the bodies to move a little more!

Again Andries is spoiling us rotten, taking us on an Egypt beach holiday. We are going to a place called Sharm el Sheikh near the Red Sea. Heaps to do for the kids and lots more for adults. I am so excited I can barely wait!

I hope you all have a great week and remember to spoil yourself also a little bit! God bless!

Last chemo!

Finally the day arrived for the last chemo session. I feel immensely blessed that I was able to get every treatment on schedule as planned. This made it so much easier with everyone coming out from SA to help with the kids and the household. And me being an organizing-freak that suited me well.

The traveling to the clinic this morning (by bus and tube) took forever. But I finally arrived, taking my place in my favorite chair, took the first anti-nausea drugs and got hooked up. So, after about 30 needle pricks and lots of litres of saline, steroids and chemo medicine the last 14 weeks, I AM DONE!!!!!!

As I promised, I took cake. No I didn't bake it myself. My friend Hannelie introduced me to the Thorntons brand of sweets, toffees, fudge and cake - delicious! So, needles to say I got Thorntons fudge / choc / thingemegee cakes. Everyone loved it (myself included).

I would also like to formally thank all the nurses at the daycare centre. They are all so lovely, gentle and professional. I know for them it is only just a job, but if you are traveling the detour road of cancer, their approach can make this journey so much easier. They were all great, but I would not mind mentioning two ladies in particular - Jocelyn and Lyndie. They took turns to administer the drugs and draw blood every week. The two of them are amazing! Thus, I salute all nurses who are doing a great job! Thanks!

Thank you for all your prayers, and messages - as I said before. I would not have been able to travel this road without it. My wonderful husband Andries has been amazing - I love him so much and feel so blessed to have him in my life. Together with our beautiful sons and family and friends - more valuable than all the diamonds Africa can produce!

All the glory goes to our Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit - for smothering me with blessings, love and safety. I am at peace with my situation, has been from the start. I felt save and cared for by Him. Thank you for that Father!

And now, I am going to take a nice, long, hot bath, eat delicious veggie soup and go to bed.

Tower of London and more

The last few days just flew by! I am feeling very good and ready for the last chemo session. Again, there is one blood count that is a bit low, but nothing to stop the bus altogether - I actually feel excited about Wednesday, taking cake to celebrate.

Saturday we went to the Tower of London. Fantastic place with so much history and great stories of heroes and the not so much heroes. We got in for the massive amount of one pound per person. Hugo's teacher and a friend explained that if you live in Tower Hamlets (the municipal area where we live) you only pay one pound. The Tower is also in this area. The weather however didn't play along - windy and cold (at least not windy and wet like most babies...).

On Sunday we went to the Quaystone Christian Church. We are very excited about this congregation. We felt so at home and warm during the service. They also run a bunch of activities and Hugo enjoyed the kiddies part very much. Ivan, well, he snoozed away....

After church we went for a real SA braai with new friends from the new church. It was very nice to chat about SA things and to compare UK notes. Sunday also being our one year anniversary living in London.

At church on Sunday I was again reminded of God's love and grace to each and every person. There was a little baby boy, Nathan, born at only 24 weeks and one day gestation - and he made it! He is such a little fighter and a huge blessing to everyone who prayed for him. If I look at him and his miracle story I know we serve a mighty, great, loving and wonderful God. He is the answer to everything - no matter how big or small the situation. I hope that you will also be able to find peace in Him. XXX

I am going to make it

My recovery after the last chemo has taken a bit longer. The blood counts were low to start off with on Wednesday, so it predicted that I would feel ill a bit longer. I spent most of last week and the weekend in bed just resting. I was really just feeling dizzy and out of energy. I can't wait for this whole regime to be over. To have my energy back again and be a proper mommy, wife and caretaker of the home.

When feeling this lousy the emotional tank also runs low. I like to take long, warm baths and think about a lot of things. Usually this is also the time I miss home, family and friends the most. Also the time when I wonder what the future will hold for me and my beautiful family. The time when I'll cry if I need to. It is not always tears of sorrow. A lot of times it is tears of happiness, joy and because I feel so blessed. This last weekend was no different.

A student I used to teach at Cornwall Hill College sent me the following a few weeks ago:

"May you, when you're soaking wet, lost, hurting and confused, may you cry out and may the creator of the universe take you, may He hold you tight up against His chest, may He wrap His eternal loving arms around you, and may you hear Him whisper...

'I love you buddy. We're gonna make it. Dad knows the way home. We're gonna make it. I love you."

So when I feel a little blue, I hold on to the above - I know I am going to make it. XXX

Who moved my chair?

So, the second last chemo-session is something of the past - jippee!! As usual I made myself comfortable on my favourite chair, the one I told you about in the previous blog-entry. Ready for the session with my Game in my sports bottle and my water. Naturally with my two pieces of buttermilk beskuit. And then it happened! As I came back from a visit to the loo all my things were moved to the opposite chair. The nurse said that she was sure I wouldn't mind and they needed the chair for another patient as it was closest to the ice-cap machine. I shouted - no, no, it is not fine, I feel cool and confident in that chair, no way I am moving. Yes, I only shouted this in my head. My mouth made the movement and sounds that said "it is no problem at all".

In the end it wasn't bad. I felt my usual grey, tired and flushed by the time I got home. It was very nice to be greeted by my all-smiles sister-in-law, Elmarie. It is very good to have her here. She already jumped in and entertained the little ones and made us a superb dinner. I'll have to go for cooking classes after all the spoiling by everyone who's coming out from SA to help us out. I don't know when last I had to cook anything!

I met a very nice lady in the local ASDA shop. Her little girl also goes to Rainbow Playschool with Hugo. We started to chat and a lot of people look at the bandannas on my head with a big question mark on their faces. This is my que to tell them about the breast cancer treatment. She replied by saying that she will pray for me. There were tears in my eyes - not often that you meet a complete stranger in London that's also a christian. I feel so blessed, experiencing all over again that we are serving an amazing God. I truly hope that we will become friends - we can never have enough of those!

I hope that everyone in SA will have a wonderful public holiday and that the weather will also play along!! XXXX

Learning from life

(Photos from the top: Hugo in his Sportacus outfit, Ivan and I at the Museum of Natural History, Ivan sleeping in the toy box, family pic at our house, Hugo and I at the museum, our last lunch before my parents went home)

Forgive me for not spending time on the blog recently. We had such a great time with my parents visiting us, that there simply wasn't time.

As you can predict, it was absolutely wonderful to have my parents in our home for two full weeks. It was a huge blessing. My mom cooked and cleaned. Oupa helping all the way. Together they did a lot of babysitting and played with the children from dawn till dusk. Thank you so much! Andries and I also had lots of free time and used it well to our advantage. It was lovely to show London and all the main touristy things - Big Ben, Parliament buildings, Westminster Abbey, The London Eye, Oxford street. But also the not so big things like our local groceries shop, Hugo's school, the toy shop, the day clinic I go to, the park near the hospital and our big shopping centre. Words can not even begin to describe how much their presence meant to us - this was truly a special two weeks!

Speaking of children, Hugo and Ivan are at an age where they are great entertainers, although they don't really know it. Life can be very hard when you are still small - play, eat, play, sleep, play, annoy your brother, play. Hugo loves to dress up in his Superman suit or his Sportacus outfit (a local hero on the TV in the UK). He is all strong and filled with courage when he dresses up in these clothes. That is until the moment he comes to mommy to wipe his runny nose.Fills my heart to to know that I am still good for some things.....

One evening Andries took Hugo to bed and couldn't find Ivan in his. (He has been sleeping in a normal bed since we moved to the new house and can therefore get on and off as he pleases). That evening, after being put down and thought to have fallen asleep, he decided otherwise. Probably switched on the little touch-light by himself, played with some soft toys and ended up falling asleep inside the toy box. We had a very good laugh!

Andries once read a Financial Times' article, All I Really Need To Know I Learned In Kindergarten by Robert Fulghum. These are the things he learned:

• Share everything.
• Play fair.
• Don't hit people.
• Put things back where you found them.
• Clean up your own mess.
• Don't take things that aren't yours.
• Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
• Wash your hands before you eat.
• Flush.
• Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you.
• Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
• Take a nap every afternoon.
• When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
• Be aware of wonder.
• Remember the little seed in the styrofoam cup: The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that.
• Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the Styrofoam cup - they all die. So do we.
• And then remember the Dick-and-Jane books and the first word you learned - the biggest word of all - LOOK.

Most of the time we are so busy teaching our children the above forgetting to apply it to our own lives. I am reading a wonderful series of books from the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (DSTV is currently running a TV series on this as far as I know). The main character shows a lot of the above qualities and it makes me think so much of my everyday doings. We should really get back to basics when it comes to life. We run around like mad rats to pay and work and play. Missing a lot of wonder, splendour and miracles along our busy routes.

We are very exited about our next visitor. Andries' sister Elmarie is coming to help out from this coming Wednesday. She always spoils us with nice SA goodies - either delivering herself or sending with friends and family.

Wednesday will also be my second last chemo session. I feel so relieved and blessed that everything is going so well. It's a journey filled with miracles. As a family we are learning a lot and is inspired to do more, feel more, think more of the things that are really important in life. We've learned to take one day at a time and not worry about tomorrow. Because one day at a time is all we can cope with. And now every day is lived to the fullest.