December 21st

Today may have been the shortest day of the year but we managed to pack a lot of things into it.  We returned home to Midleton having stayed with Charis in Tramore after the long ferry trip over from England.

We then met up with two very special friends before their house is filled with family at Christmas time.  It was a very special time with Gordon & Ruth and we are so grateful for all their ongoing love and support.

We then journeyed over to see Ralph, Cherie, Christopher, Kalena & Noah and had a lovely meal together.  We were both amazed at how Noah especially has grown since we last saw him and is now very mobile.

December 18th

We were back in London today for my last bone treatment of the year. It's relatively quick and has no side affects so it's a much easier day though we still have to travel in to London. We had a very early start (5:30am) but we were finished early and left London just after 11.  Next treatment date is January 8th.

We're now packing up and getting ready to go back to Cork for Christmas!  We travel on the ferry from Fishguard to Rosslare tomorrow afternoon but we've just heard the forecast and it's due to be very wet and windy!!  Not what you need for a ferry trip :(

Really looking forward to catching up with family and friends over Christmas time :)

December 11th

Today we made it all the way to Land's End!! It was freezing and very windy but very well worth the trip.  Dave's last visit was 38 years ago and he doesn't remember too much of it :)

We've been in Cornwall for a few days and really loved it - so many pretty fishing villages, amazing coastline and really friendly people.  It was lovely to have Ashley & Nicky with us for a couple of days as well :)  We got to see so many great places we'd never been to like Newquay, St Micheal's Mount, Land's End, the Eden Project.  My highlight was the fabulous Victorian Christmas markets in Truro and Dave's was definitely Fish and Chips at Rick Stein's restaurant in Padstow! 

I did have a cold & sore throat for a week but feeling much better now and really enjoying the break from treatment :)

December 10th

Just walking past this house and all we could think of as a very familiar song.....

How much is that doggie in the window??

....looks like we were too late! 

November 30th

Yesterday was a very special day!  I went to work in Kettering and had a really lovely time catching up with so many friends there.  I am so touched by the genuine love and concern of everyone I work with and it was so good to be able to chat to people face to face.  It's very humbling to hear how many people think about me and read the blog on a regular basis - your support is overwhelming.  Thank you!! 

It was difficult to get around to see everyone and I apologise to those I didn't get to see or didn't get to chat to properly but hopefully, it won't be so long next time :) 

November 27th

Roger came over to see us for the weekend and it was so good to see him & spend time with him!  We got to meet up with our cousin & his family in Bristol, did some sightseeing and spent time in London on Monday.  We went to Winter Wonderland in Hyde Park which was a great experience and even got cheap last minute tickets to a show - Singing in the Rain (really worth seeing)!

I had my last chemo today and can look forward to a break in treatment now, at least until my next review in the New Year.  In the meanwhile, I do need to continue with my bone treatment every 3 to 4 weeks so I'm booked in for that on 18th Dec and 8th Jan.

November 21st

We were in Devon last week and really enjoyed getting out and about and having a slightly more active lifestyle. It's been great to have more energy back. We took walks along the amazing beaches, went swimming - in the pool, not the sea!! - and even hired bikes and went cycling for a day.  It's a beautiful place, the beaches are amazing, huge waves and great cliffs and the countryside is full of trees turning fabulous autumn colours :-)  

Back to London yesterday for chemo and a review with the consultant.  He was very happy with my progress and with the scan and blood results so he said he'll give be a break from chemo after next week.  I'll see him early in the new year to review my progress and determine what the next steps are.  In the meanwhile, I will still need to go in every 3 to 4 weeks to continue with my bone treatment and get the port flushed but I feel ok after yesterday's treatment (so far) so I'm very thankful for that :)

November 7th

More good news!  I got the results of my scan yesterday and the great news is that the chemotherapy is still working!  The nodules on my lung are still reducing and my tumour markers are looking good.  The blood results are improving too and my blood count is much better - I am still slightly anaemic but they are happy that I don't need a transfusion at the moment as I'm not feeling over tired or fatigued.  

I had the second part of the new treatment yesterday and was concerned that I would feel sick afterwards as they didn't give me the extra anti-sickness medication (apparently it interferes with one of the other drugs I'm taking) but I'm so thankful to say that I did well since my last treatment & I feel good so far this time.

Last week was a busy week with 2 trips to London for treatment & scan, meal out on Friday night & 2 days out to celebrate Marilyn's birthday so this week I'm going to take it a bit easier and rest up some more :)  I have 4 treatments in the space of 6 weeks - two done and the next two on November 20th & 27th - and then they've promised to give me a break!! 

October 31st

We're just back from a lovely few days away in time to start my next cycle of chemotherapy.  The oncologist decided to change the drug as my blood count was low as a result of the last drug and this new one doesn't have as much effect on the bone marrow.  The only down side is that it's meant to make you feel a lot sicker, so they administer it in 2 doses - a week apart.

We went to London yesterday for my first dose and I came back expecting to feel really sick for a few days.  Thankfully I haven't been sick at all and so far I feel much better than I did on the last drug!!  They did give me an extra anti-sickness drug beforehand so I think that's what made the difference :)  Part 2 is next Tuesday but in the meanwhile we need to go back tomorrow for a scan to see how the treatment is working to date...hoping and praying for the same good news we had the last time!

October 9th

Happy 40th Birthday to my amazing husband!! 

He has been such an incredible help and support to me, especially over the last 3 years and I really couldn't have done this without him. He's been with me at every single appointment, sat by my hospital bed for days on end, refuses to leave me while I'm going through treatments, puts up with all my highs and lows and has sacrificed so much to look after me in many, many ways.  Happy Birthday & Thank you from the bottom of my heart :) 

Although, it's hard to believe I'm now married to a 40 year old!!

October 2nd

Great news!! We've had lots of good news in the last 2 days and so much to be thankful for! 

• Yesterday I had my brain MRI and they found that the tumour has reduced by half again and there are no new tumours appearing.  The consultant was really pleased & doesn't want to see me for another 6 months!! 
• Today we met with the oncologist and indications are that chemo is still working well as the 'gorgeous tumour markers' in my blood are still coming down :) I will have another scan in 3 to 4 weeks time to give them a better picture.
• My blood count is still low but the white blood cells are starting to recover by themselves which means that I don't need to have a blood transfusion :) 
• He even nominated me patient of the week so far...although it is only Tuesday!!

Chemo was so much easier with the port fitted and no struggling to find a vein.  Next steps are to review the scan and then start me on another drug that has less impacts on the blood count. Apparently this does make people feel sicker and needs to me administered on a more regular basis.  But for now we're just going to be thankful & enjoy the good news!! 

September 30th

We're just back from a fabulous holiday in Portugal :) The weather was great most of the time - only 1 day of rain in 2 weeks! - and the accommodation was lovely!! Duncan & Andrea joined us for the first week and we explored some of the local towns and villages, had some lovely meals out and went to the most South Westerly point of Europe, which was only a few kilometers from where we were staying. We also got to see Lisbon for the day when we dropped them to the airport. Apart from that we just relaxed by the pool and had a really amazing, restful time in the sun :) 

We flew back on Thursday and then headed up to London on Friday afternoon for my operation yesterday. The surgery went well and I'm now fitted with a portacath in my chest to allow them to take blood and administer chemo much more easily. The nurses have been finding it difficult to access my veins and the anaesthatist told me I had the world's smallest veins so I think everyone will be happier from now on - especially me!! It was good to see some of the nurses who looked after me when I was in hospital last year - they are so lovely & caring and it was really nice to catch up with them. Back to London tomorrow for an MRI and then chemo on Tuesday.

September 12th

We have just booked a last minute holiday to Portugal! We decided to take the opportunity of 2 weeks free from appointments and managed to get an amazing deal in Portugal so we are heading off tomorrow morning (5am!) and back on the 27th.

Healthwise, I have been doing much better although I was quite tired over the weekend. The doctors decided to wait until the next chemo session to see whether I need a transfusion as they have delayed it by a week to see if the bloods will recover on their own. If not I'll have the transfusion the day after chemo so we'll be coming back to a week of appointments; surgery to have the portacath fitted on the 29th, MRI for my brain on the 1st, chemo on the 2nd and possibly a transusion on the 3rd!

In the meanwhile, so looking forward to resting and relaxing and enjoying some lovely sunshine :)

September 6th

I'm still recovering from my 5th chemo session on Tuesday but the great news is that it's definitely working and the tumour markers in the blood are continuing to go down :) Tuesday night was a rough night with sickness but I'm feeling better every day.

My blood count was quite low so the consultant wants me to have a blood transfusion before the next treatment. I also need to have a portacath re-fitted as its getting more and more difficult to find my veins. This involves surgery but I've been through it before so we know what to expect and we know we're in very good hands with the surgical team! They have pushed the date of the next treatment by one week to get all this done.

We've been sitting in watching the Paralympics over the last couple of days - every one of the athletes is so inspirational. It is incredible how they have overcome live long illness and disadvantages and worked so hard to become such amazing athletes. Some of the stories are heartbreaking but they don't allow anything to get in the way of achieving their incredible feats! What an example!

September 3rd

We travelled back to Swindon today after a good time back in Cork catching up with family and friends. We had great fun with the girls - we took them on their first camping trip and Dave was even brave enough to take 4 women on a shopping trip to Cork!!

I had a girls night away with Charis and Claire and we spent a lovely weekend in Rosscarbery with Andrew & Orla and Roger. We had a lovely day with Peta & Dave and the girls and also got to catch up with Linda & Alex, Bryce & Carolyn and the kids, the Scotts clan, Jessie and lots of others. Dave even managed to squeeze in some very well deserved time out to do some fishing :)

Back to reality now and chemo in London tomorrow :( But it makes such a difference knowing that it's working!

August 30th

Yesterday was a very special day! I called into the office in Cork to see everyone there as I hadn't been in since January - and the welcome I received just completely blew me away!! Blew both of us away actually (as everyone insisted that Dave came into work aswell)! They had organised the most impresive Tea Party I have ever seen! Fine bone china, scones, cakes, cucumber sandwiches, flowers.....and most importantly a very special afternoon with my friends :)

I was so overwhelmed I just burst into tears when I saw it and the whole afternoon touched both of us so much! What an incredible bunch of people at RCI!! My boss came over from Kettering especially and had also planned a video conference with the team in Kettering, although it didn't work out....probably just as well as I was so overcome already!! It was so good to spend time with everyone and catch up (although there's never enough time to see everyone properly).

Thank you all SO much! Especially Thank You to Mafer and Nellie for the incredible effort you put into organising this. Thank You to Paul and Ciara for arranging the afternoon and for all your continued support to Dave and myself. And Thank You to everyone who came along. We can't tell you how much yesterday meant to both of us :)

August 16th

I've been feeling a little sick over the last couple of days as a result of the treatment but I know that it only lasts a few days and then I should feel back to normal again!

We're travelling back to Cork tomorrow for a couple of weeks and really looking forward to spending more time there & seeing everyone again :) Apologies in advance if I don't get to update my blog as often.

August 14th

Back to London today for my 4th cycle of chemotherapy - I've got to say it's so much easier to go in there knowing that the treatment is working!! It was lovely to see the reaction of the doctors and nurses as they had seen the scans and were really pleased with the positive results. Altogether a very encouraging day :)

August 8th

Everyone here is talking about Super Saturday but yesterday was Tremendous Tuesday!!

We went to London to see the consultant & get the results of the CT scan I had on Friday and the great news is that the chemotherapy is working!! He said that the nodules on my lung are reducing and also that the tumour markers in my blood are starting to come down. It was such amazing news to get as we had no guarantees that the treatment would be successful but they have recently linked it to the type of cancer that I have and have seen increasingly positive results.

We believe it is due in no small part to the many people that have been praying for us and we are very grateful to all of you! The next plan is to continue the chemotherapy for another 3 cycles and then assess how it's progressing.

To top it all off, Dave somehow managed to get us last minute tickets to the athletics yesterday evening and we got to celebrate in style in the Olympic stadium! What a fantastic atmosphere....the swimming last week was good but this was incredible! We saw high jump, long jump, discus, mens 1500m final, 200m womens heats & got to support Dervla O'Rourke in the womens 100m hurdles! The best bit was when the German guy won the discus, ripped off his shirt, did a lap of honour and then jumped the 100m hurdle course! It was such a privilege to be there and experience the Olympics first hand and we are amazed at how it all worked out.

We even got to meet up with Mark & Lynne who were in at the athletics in the morning and we spent a lovely afternoon with them in the Olympic Park :)

July 31st

What a fantastic day at the Olympics yesterday!! We got to see some amazing swimming finals and semi-finals last night and the atmosphere was incredible, especially when the Team GB swimmers got in the pool! Unfortunately I couldn't find any Irish swimmers to support but we brought the flag anyway!!

We were at the evening session but went in to the Olympic Park early and spent the day wandering around and taking it all in. It's a massive place and we did a lot of walking to get around & see everything - all the arenas were huge and the whole site was so well laid out with gardens, meadows, canals, eating areas, sitting areas etc...extremely impressive!

July 29th

The last few days have mainly been spent recovering from my chemo on Tuesday - I felt a bit sick on Wednesday and it took a couple of days to start feeling back to normal again but thankfully I'm doing much better now.

The weather has been amazing all week so it's been great to sit and relax in the garden and once again I'm very thankful for my kindle to help pass the time....as well as being glued to the Olympics on TV for the last 2 days!!

Tomorrow evening we have tickets to the Olympic Swimming - we're SO excited about going and hope to make a full day of it and enjoy the Olympic park!!

July 23rd

I came back to an amazing card from all my friends at RCI - they made a card with a collage of photos and messages from so many of my friends and colleagues in Cork, Kettering and even the US. It was such a special gift and brought tears to my eyes reading all the thoughts and messages they sent. It makes me realise even more how much I miss work and especially all my friends there. I truly am blessed to work for such a great company :)

We had a visit from Charis & Sandra this afternoon - it was SO good to see them both, especially after all the hassle they had getting through the traffic on the the way here! We had a great time together & got to have a BBQ and enjoy the fabulous weather over here! Thank you SO much for coming to see us :)

Tomorrow we travel to London for my next chemotherapy - this is the third of the new regime & it's amazing how quickly it seems to come around..

July 22nd

We're just back from a very busy 2 weeks in Cork - we were able to catch up with lots of family and friends but as always there were so many people we didn't get to see...we always seem to run out of time!

We had lots of fun with the girls & had lovely days out - watching the yachts at Cork week, swimming, going to the beach (in the rain!), fishing, picnics and a really special 'Come Dine with Me' evening! We also got to visit my Aunt & Uncle in Youghal and in Bantry & had some lovely meals out...

It was our 3rd Wedding Anniversary on the 18th and it was really nice to get some time away together :) Looking back it's been such a tough 3 years and definitely not what we would have planned or hoped for during the first 3 years of marriage but I am truly thankful to have such an incredible husband by my side through all the ups and downs. He has sacrificed so much for me and does so much for me every single day - Thank you Dave :)

July 6th

Back to London again yesterday to see the oncologist as he was away last Tuesday. He is confident that the brain tumor is now under control and doesn't expect any further issues with it, which was very reassuring to hear :)

I felt a little sick after this weeks chemo, especially the night after but I'm on anti-sickness tablets which seem to be helping. The consultant wants to wait until after my next chemotherapy session and then send me for a CT scan to see whether it is having any affect on my lungs. So the next hospital appointment (all going well) is for chemo on the 24th July!

In the meanwhile, we are planning to go to Cork to see friends and family and spend some time looking after the girls while they are on holiday. This means more driving for poor Dave as we are travelling over on the ferry - he's in need of a good rest!

Hoping to get to see some of you while we're there....

July 3rd

Great news!! My MRI scan on the brain showed that the tumor has reduced by 2 thirds!! I had the scan this afternoon and the consultant reviewed it and gave us the results straight away. He said it is very positive news and they were pleased with how it has reacted so far. He was able to show us the images of the initial scan and compare them to todays scan and the changes were very obvious.

Although it has come down it is still quite large - he expects it to continue to reduce and will do another follow up MRI in 3 months time and assess whether we need to radiotherapy or remove the remaining mass by surgery. The swelling has improved dramatically but there is still a little bit there so he has recommended continuing with steriods for a few weeks.

We are absolutely thrilled with the news and it's so good to hear something positive. It's also amazing the way it happened - we weren't expecting to get any feedback so soon but we bumped into the consultant's PA in the lift and she arranged for us to see him this afternoon. It turned out that my consultant was away but his colleague wanted to review the scans as soon as they were done and let us know immediately. They are an amazing team and so caring :)

July 2nd

Heather, Tommy and the girls came over to see us this weekend - they had booked it a while back as a surprise and I only found out about a week ago!! :)

It was so lovely to have them here - they stayed with Tommy's brother in Reading and we met up and did lots with them... Windsor Castle, Windsor wheel, Legoland, shopping, BBQ! The girls were SO excited to be here and especially loved their trip to Legoland!

It's been a busy 10 days and tiring from all the travelling (especially for Dave doing all the driving) but it's been really lovely!!

I go to London for my second chemotherapy tomorrow and also for a follow up MRI scan on my brain to see the effects of the Gamma Knife radiotherapy.

June 29th

We had a fabulous week in Scotland! It was a long drive and we got back to Swindon very late last night but it was great to get away and spend time with Steve and Ruth and see some more of Scotland.

The scenery there is amazing and we saw some stunning lakes, mountains, valleys & rivers... We walked around lakes, walked along Glen Nevis (Ben Nevis valley), went to Balmoral, had a trip on a steam train and had lots of time to relax and enjoy the time away.

We also got to catch up with some friends we don't get to see very often. We travelled via Edinburgh and spent Friday afternoon & evening with Mez & Miriam and the girls which was a real bonus :) We also got to spend a very special afternoon with Alasdair, Irene and their family in Lossiemouth on Sunday.

June 21st

It feels like we've done nothing but eat for the last few days!! We had a BBQ with Ashley, lunch with Ann & Alan, dinner with Betty & Maurice and dinner with George & Jasmine :) It has been such a lovely time catching up with everybody and we've really enjoyed it... Only problem is I'm already bloated from all the steroids so all this eating means I'll have to go on a diet just to fit into my clothes!!

We're really looking forward to going away to Scotland with friends this weekend - we had planned a holiday quite a while ago but weren't sure if we could go (or how I'd feel after treatment) but I spoke to the consultant yesterday and he was happy for me to travel :)

So we're heading off first thing tomorrow morning for a 6 -7 hour drive to Edingburgh, planning to see Mez & Miriam & the girls tomorrow and then go on to Aviemore on Saturday (2-3 hours further) to meet up with Steve & Ruth and spend the week with them. We LOVE Scotland nad can't wait to go...Dave will have to do all the driving though so I really feel for him :(

June 19th

We had a fabulous weekend and it's been so good to get away and forget about everything for a few days :)

We went down to Windsor on Friday evening and had a great time with my Aunt & Uncle - we went for walks along the Thames, walked in Windsor Great Park & Virginia Waters, enjoyed the lovely weather, enjoyed catching up with them - and tasting my Aunt's amazing cooking :)

Weeks ago we had booked to stay in Reading in a lovely hotel by the lake so we went from Windsor to Reading on Sunday and then spent the day in Henley on Thames yesterday. The weather was beautiful and we spent the day walking along the river, enjoying the sunshine and watching people train and set up for the Regatta next week.

Healthwise, I've been feeling much better the last few days. I have been tired from the chemotherapy but that means that I've been sleeping much better too.

June 15th

Once again I am blown away by the kindness & generosity of friends. Thank you SO much to the amazing IT team at work in Cork for the Amazon voucher you sent me....it was so kind and thoughtful of you and will keep me going in kindle books for months :) Thank you!!

I have been feeling ok since Monday's chemo - not 100% but I have been eating well and haven't needed any sickness medications. We've been trying to recover from the events of last week - it was such a shock for everyone there and it's still hard having confidence that it won't happen again but it gets easier as time goes on and as each day passes. We have a meeting with the local health care nurse this afternoon to double check all the medications and then we're looking forward to getting away for the weekend and trying to forget all about it!!

My Aunt & Uncle are over from Cork for a few days so we're going down to Windsor to see them for a couple of days and we're really looking forward to seeing them and spending some time with them!!

June 12th

Sharon back on duty tonight at last after quite a frightening few days :(

Thankfully I don't remember that much of what went on but I am so sorry for everyone else who had to go through it. It's been so amazing to have so much support and we're so thankful that Ashley & Nicky were with us on Thursday night. The hospital staff in Swindon were fantastic and the staff at the Cromwell in London were on the phone to Dave in the evenings, weekend and anytime we needed them. Thank You so much to Ashley, Nicky, Marilyn, Andrea and especially Dave who has been a huge support and hasn't left my side since then :)

I'm feeling much better now but it has knocked my confidence a little and, although I am on two types of medication now, I still wonder if it will happen again. They are planning to reduce the steroids a lot more slowly this time to make sure the swelling has gone down.

The chemotherapy went well yesterday and I haven't had an side effects so far, which is really good news. They say it may hit in the first few days or about 7 days later but it shouldn't be as severe as the last chemo I went through.

Thank you SO much to everyone who has been sending blog messages, texts, emails, calling and praying for us....we are so encouraged by all your love and support and apologies that we haven't got to reply to everyone yet.

Thank you SO much to Munster Christian Camps who sent a fabulous fruit hamper today - it was SO thoughtful of you and we truly appreciate all your prayers :)

June 11th

Very quick update before we both fall asleep.

Chemo went ahead today as the medical staff were satisfied it was safe to go ahead despite all of the recent activities. Sharon is coping really well and no side effects so far.

Thank You to my sister, Andrea, who willingly left Swindon at 5.30am this morning to come with us.

June 10th

Dave again....

Sharon had a decent sleep by her standards last night but really started to notice the fact that all her muscles are now really aching following the seizures. However, in the grand scheme of things, this is a minor issue and we are just so thankful that there have been no further incidents since Thursday evening.

She continues to remember more things about the past few days (obviously not Thursday night).

Our plan right now is (pending how she feels), to head to the Royal Marsden hospital in London tomorrow morning as she is due to start another chemo treatment. However, whether this will happen given the events of the past 72 hours, we are unsure but hopefully can discuss.

Sounding like a broken record, thanks again for all the messages of love and especially for all the praying that has been going on. We have no doubt that God has had His arms around us.

June 9th

Blog writing has been delegated again tonight :-)

Latest news is that Sharon was released from hospital late this afternoon and is now home. She looks much better today and continues to improve in the right direction.

Both really tired right now, so signing off to head for an early night.

June 8th

Dave here standing in for Sharon.

Unfortunately, Sharon was admitted to the local hospital in Swindon last night after suffering a number of fits. This is widely accepted as a side effect of the swelling in the brain after the gamma knife procedure last week. The plan now is to increase the dosage of steroids to target a reduction in swelling and thus reduce pressure on the brain.

Thankfully Sharon has been clear of further fits since around midnight last night but is still getting back up to full speed in terms of normal functionality. She is however dealing with this in an amazing way. It was quite a scare for all of us.

We have lots of people to thank, but one person we are indebted to. Nicky (& Ash) were with us last night when Sharon was taken ill. Nicky was absolutely amazing in controlling the situation of someone having a fit, and cared for Sharon in the most incredible way. If she had not been with us, I shudder to think how we would have dealt with it. Thank You so much Nicky!

Thank You too especially for all the messages of love we have received today. In the midst of a rough situation, we have been subjected to an amazing display of love from family and friends across the world.

June 3rd

We spent the day today at a Diamond Jubilee street party! The whole street was closed off for the day and all the neighbors came out, brought their tables and chairs out, baked food for each other to share and had an amazing day out on the streets. Our Indian friends next door brought out 300 samosas for the whole street to share!!

They had bands playing all day until 11pm and was so well organised. It did rain quite a bit after lunch so people were running in and out from the rain but it was an amazing atmosphere and so good to see everyone in the street coming together for the day :)

June 1st

We were back to London again yesterday - this time to see the oncologist.  As the oral chemotherapy I have been having over the last 3 months hasn't had an effect on my lungs, he is planning to start me on a new course of chemotherapy but he is very hopeful that this will be more effective, given the type of cancer that I have.  I'll start my first session on the 11th & go in  every 3 weeks.  Hopefully we have 10 days off from travelling to London now so we can enjoy the next week off!  


I'm still continuing to feel well after the Gamma Knife - they are working on reducing the steroids I'm taking day by day over the next few weeks and thankfully my headaches have stayed away.  All going well, I'll go back to see the consultant at the start of July for a MRI & check up to see the affects of the radiotherapy.  Can't wait to finish steroids so I can sleep again!  I wake any time from 2:30am and could be awake for the rest of the night!  I would never survive without my trusty kindle!! 

May 30th

I was discharged from hospital yesterday but we stayed in London for an extra night to be close to the hospital, just in case. I have been feeling really well since the procedure and have been feeling up to getting out and doing things.


It was really nice to be able to spend some time in London with Dave and especially to meet up with Andy on Tuesday afternoon and evening - thank you so much Andy for taking the time to come all the way over from Midleton to see us - it has meant so much to us :)

May 28th

This is Dave here updating the blog on what has been a busy day.

Sharon was in London today for treatment on the tumour found on her brain.  She has been taking medication for over a week now to reduce the swelling around the tumour to make it possible to treat.

The good news is that a more detailed MRI scan on her head today showed that the swelling had reduced and confirmed that this tumour (although quite large) was the only one.  She underwent a treatment called Gamma Knife this afternoon which entailed lying in a scanner type machine with a metal frame "attached" to her head. This enabled very precise targetting of the affected area with a large, single shot of radiotherapy.

We are grateful to Professor Lindquist and his amazing team for the way they looked after her today and also to all the nursing staff at the hospital who have been caring for her.

Sharon is staying on the ward overnight as a precaution and God-willing will be discharged in the morning once she has seen the Professor again.  She is doing really well and in no additional discomfort right now.

Looking back on the day, although very tiring we can honestly say that things have gone as well as we could have hoped and give God the glory for that.  Both Sharon and I are indebted to everyone who has been praying, sending texts, calls and thinking of her today.  We are again blown away by the love shown by our amazing friends and family.  Thank You too especially to Andrew & Orla who have stayed on in London to be with us.

May 27th

We have had an amazing weekend in London with Andrew & Orla :) We spent the weekend sightseeing around London, cruised down the Thames, did an open top bus tour, went to a show, walked around so many places in London & had a really fantastic time with them :) It has been so nice to spend time with them and to have a huge distraction from hospital tomorrow....thank you SO much guys for being here & especially for staying on an extra day :)

May 24th

The good news is that I have been feeling much better this week - thankfully my headaches have stayed away so far and the medication seems to be working.  I do have trouble sleeping at night with the steroids but the most important thing is that hopefully it's reducing the swelling.  

I was back in London on Tuesday for my monthly treatment which went fine and the plan is now to go into hospital on Monday morning for gamma knife radiotherapy and stay overnight for at least one night.  I'm not fully sure what it all entails but will see the specialist first thing on Monday to go through it with us.

In the meanwhile, we are SO looking forward to seeing Andrew & Orla over the weekend. They booked a trip over here a couple of months ago & we are really looking forward to spending the weekend looking around London, seeing the sights & taking our minds off Monday :) Can't wait!!  We are planning to go down to London tomorrow and staying until Wednesday afternoon. 

May 19th

We are at the end of a very tough and difficult week this week!  We are at the end of a full week of trips to London - on Tuesday for an MRI scan of my brain and a CT scan of my body.  They called us back in on Wednesday for a consultation and said that they had found a number of things;

- Firstly, the oral chemotherapy that they have been giving me for the last 2 months hasn't helped with controlling the disease in my lungs. While it is continuing to grow, it hasn't grown dramatically and they have other drugs that they know know should be much more effective in combating it so they hope to start that in a few weeks time.


- Secondly, they discovered that the breast cancer tumour has now spread to my brain. Obviously, this was quite an alarming message to get but they said that it is treatable.  The have referred me to the Cromwell Hospital in London where I will see a specialist in Gamma Knife Radiotherapy.  In the meanwhile, they have taken me off the horrible painkillers the GP gave me and put me on steroids to reduce the inflammation around the brain.


- On Thursday morning we got a call to ask us to be in London for 1pm to see the consultant. I am amazed by how quickly they all work together here and how quickly they saw us!  The consultant is a specialist from Sweden and works in the UK every 2nd week.  He went through the options of surgery, Gamma Knife radiotherapy and also doing Gamma Knife followed by surgery.  Their plan at the moments is to reduce the swelling over the next 10 days and bring me in for radiotherapy on the 28th May, and stay in for 1 or 2 nights.  


In the midst of the difficulty there are a number of good points coming through, sometimes there are a number of spots on the brain but this one seems to be quite localised. They have checked my optic nerve and it looks like there's no issues with this so assuming the headaches are controlled and the swelling stays down, we will go ahead on the 28th. And also they said that the inflammation was quite large but the tumour itself isn't that big. When we were back in Cork at Easter we sat down with my brother & his wife and planned a weekend in London for the 25th to the 28th - we are just amazed by the timing of this and how it's all worked out!! 


While this is such a difficult time, we are continually surrounded by love and care from so many people and we appreciate it all so much. Thank you! 

May 11th

 

We had a lovely time away in amazing Switzerland and a very special time with our friends - thank you Paul & Pami & the girls!  


While I was away, I started to get some bad headaches - especially in the mornings. We thought maybe it was pressure headaches or migraines but once we came back on Wednesday they still kept going. 


By Friday I called the hospital and they arranged some tests and scans for next week to see if they can get to the bottom of it.  In the meanwhile, the GP has put me on some painkillers and they are really wiping me out - I feel like I've just been completely spaced out! Hopefully I don't need to stay on them too long :) 

May 1st

We have been back in London for my monthly treatment today, staying overnight and then heading to Switzerland for a week with Paul & Pami and the girls - really looking forward to catching up with them, following up on our ski trip and enjoying Switzerland :) 

April 25th

Having come back from holiday and read through all the posts and prayers that have been going on around the world, we are even more amazed as it has become so real to us how many people are loving us and caring for us.  We thank you all so much and sit here amazed by how many people are supporting us in such an amazing and practical way.  We feel incredibly blessed to be surrounded by people who care for us so much and sit here in tears at the comments & thoughts from so many people. We know that the Lord has heard you all and know that despite what's happening we are still surrounded by His love - once again Thank You is far too inadequate a word but it is very heartfelt.

April 22nd

Wow!  What an amazing day it has been!  We have been SO encouraged by the Prayer Day that Charis has set up for us and are totally overwhelmed & humbled by everyone's love and care for us.  How amazing to see comments from churches, friends, family and people we don't even know from all over the world!  We are very encouraged right now to know how many peoples are with us right now and as we sit at the pool in Gran Canaria we are surrounded by love and peace from all corners of the world.  We are truly blessed - Thank you to everyone!!

April 15th

Apologies I have been so poor at updating my blog over the past few months. We so appreciate everyone's concern for us and know what a good mechanism this is to let everyone know, in our own words what is going on. I haven't felt up to keeping this up to date but promise to continue to let you know how we are and what's going on in our lives.

I have published my blogs for the last few months now so that anyone who wants to can read through them and see what has been going on.

Thank you SO much to everyone who cares so much for us and takes the time to read this & for all the support you give us in so many ways.

April 14th

We are just back from Cork and had a lovely time with friends and family. We spent a lot of time with the Lauren, Isabel & Leah and had lots of fun - bike shopping, playgrounds, shopping, playing games, baking etc It was a really lovely time.

We spent Easter with Andrew & Orla in Rosscarbery and had lots of evenings out - thank you to everyone who invited us over for coffees, dinners etc It was so good to see so many people and catch up.

We have a quick turn around as we're away to the sunshine - Gran Canaria tomorrow for a week. I know it sounds like we are always away but wherever we have been over the last few months we have spent a lot of time with other people and haven't spent that much time alone together. We are looking forward to spending time together, enjoying the sunshine, taking stock of things and thinking through what we do next re work, home etc etc

March 30th

We went back to London to see the consultant today and he was generally happy with my progress and tolerance of the chemotherapy. I haven't had any real side effects apart from mild mouth ulsers. The biggest issue is having to get up before 8am to take my tablets and then eat late so I can have them at 8pm as they need to be 12 hours apart! We had a good chat with him and see him again in 4 weeks to see how I'm doing.

We are going to Cork on the ferry tomorrow to spend some time with family and hopefully help look after the girls while they are off school on their Easter break.

March 27th

An amazing thing happened today - I was back in London for my Zometa treatment today. On the way to London, I called the insurance company to see whether they had made a decision regarding covering the genetic testing. I have been chasing them for 3 weeks now and haven't had a response as they have been going back an forth with the consultant.

When I called this morning they amazingly said that they would cover the test. The most amazing thing is that our company is switching health insurance providers on April 1st - only 4 days time! I phoned the gentic consultant's PA immediately and she was just about to call me with the good news but she said it would be very difficult to get an appointment with the consultant. Then I mentioned I was on the way to the hospital and somehow she managed to fit me in straight this afternoon! I had the test this afternoon...after about 5 attempts to get blood from me! and will get the results in 3 weeks.

We were so amazed as it all happened so quickly, especially as the insurance is only valid for 4 more days! It was a real answer to prayer :)

March 13th

We had a lovely time in Cork and the highlight was to get to see Peta and baby Shannyn (she's beautiful!) and also to go for lunch with Dad and all the family for Dad's birthday. The good news is that my back pain has been much better this week and I haven't needed to take any morphine for the last 2 weeks. I am still taking 8 paracetamol & 2 anti-inflamatories per day but these are quite mild.

We had a follow up appointment with the consultant today to get the results of the scans. He said that my back is showing up much better but unfortunately the spots on my lungs are worse. They are still minute but he wants to start me on oral chemotherapy to stop this progressing.

This consists of 5 tablets morning and evening for 2 weeks, then 1 week off and start the cycle again. I'm not sure how long this course of chemotherapy is but the pharmacist suggested 6 to 8 months. The good news is that the side effects are very mild and nothing like the chemo I have been through in the past.

March 6th

We went to Kettering today to see everyone at work - I have been out of work since January 13th but have had incredible support from everyone there. I am amazed by the support that they have given me over the last few months and years and am so grateful to everyone at RCI. Thank you for everything you have done for me - it means so much :)

We went straight to the airport to fly to Cork for a week to see friends and family and be there for Dad's birthday on the 12th.

March 5th

We were in London again today for CT and MRI scans and to see the genetic consultant. The consultant was such a lovely lady and couldn't have done more for us. She took so much time to sit down with us and explain what that results would mean. In the type of cancer I have (tripple negative) it is 26% likely that this could be a genetic abnormality. The insurance companies don't normally cover this test and the cost is about £1000 to have it done but in this case, if it is genetic there are new drugs on the market which are very effective in treating it. She wrote a hand written letter to the insurance company to request coverage and let us contact them and fax it straight through. We are once again amazed by the treatment we get at the Marsden and the speed with which everything is done.

February 28th

We were back in London today for my third treatment of Zometa (to strengthen my bones) and to see the consultant. I will have this treatment every 4 weeks through IV but thankfully I haven't had any side effects so far. He has asked for another CT scan and MRI next week and will get the results in 2 weeks time.

My back is still painful and I have been taking oral morphine at night but only once a day now so I'm sure it is improving.

February 26th

We had an amazing week in Switzerland! The mountains were incredible, the views from the Alpentower were amazing and we had lots of fun! The weather was amazing and the sun came out nearly every day so I spend a lot of time sitting in deck chairs and drinking hot chocolates! I managed to ski towards the end of the week although I took things very easy.... I wish the same could be said for my husband who managed to fall over a crater and hurt his knee. He still skied for the rest of the week but was really hobbling by the time we got home. Still trying to convince him to see a doctor!

Thank you SO much to Paul, Pami, Alesha, Luana & Celina for making this time so special! Can't wait for our return trip to see you all really soon :)

February 17th

Tomorrow we are off to Switzerland for a week - friends of ours have invited us to join us in the Swiss mountains for their ski trip. We are SO looking forward to getting away and spending time with them. I'm not sure if I will ski but may do some gentle skiing if I feel up to it. Regardless it will be amazing to get away to the Swiss mountains and enjoy the snow and amazing scenery over there!

My back pain is much better than it was and I've now stopped taking morphine tablets. I still need to take oral morphine now and then but it's great not to need to really strong ones anymore.

February 12th

We had a lovely day yesterday - Dave & I went to London for a day out (not a hospital appointment this time!) and used a voucher we had received for our wedding for a lunch cruise on the Thames and a trip on the London Eye. It was a lovely day together and the weather was great.

Then we came back and went out to Jon & Bex's 30th birthday party! It was a great night and so good to see everyone there :) Happy Birthday Jon & Bex!!

February 7th

Charis and Claire came to visit this weekend! We had a fabulous few days together and really had fun and took my mind off things - we went to the Cotswolds, Stonehenge (in the snow), Avebury and they even took me decorating cup cakes one day!! Dave took the opportunity to go to Scotland and visit Mez and catch up with him.

Thank you so much Claire & Charis for brightening things up and making me laugh!! And to Mez for all your support and encouragement to Dave. We are truly blessed with lots of very good friends :)

February 1st

We had a tough visit to the consultant yesterday. He explained that they hope to contain the tumour as long as possible but they can't tell what will happen. As well as the spine, he mentioned on the last visit that there were some spots showing up on the lining of my lung. They aren't very concerned about this as they are very small but they need to keep a close eye on me and continue to do regular scans and blood tests to monitor the progress and he discussed the possibility of further medical treatment or chemotherapy in the future, which was difficult to take.

He also put me forward for genetic testing as there different drugs that can be used and are more effective if this is a genetic condition. He also mentioned that there are new drugs being developed and trialled all the time. This is one of the best places in the world to be treated as any new drugs are generally tested here as one of the first places.

But for some good news!! Peta had a beautiful baby girl yesterday - Shannyn Joyce :) Congratulations Peta & Dave and I can't wait to meet her!!

January 30th

We are just back from 10 days in Cork and it was really good to spend time with family and friends but also tough talking through everything that's going on and the uncertainty about what this all means for us.

One of the main side effects of radiotherapy is tiredness and I was completely wiped out for the first 3 or 4 days. I had no energy and slept a lot but I also had a lot of sleep to catch up on seeing as I haven't been able to sleep at night for a while. The painkillers are a huge help and I'm able to cope with this much better now.

Once I got over being wiped out it was really lovely to catch up with friends and see family, especially as we had to cut our New Year trip short.

We see the consultant again tomorrow morning so will have a chance to ask a lot more questions.

January 20th

Radiotherapy has finished now and we spent all of this week in London. Although the treatment only takes a few minutes, it's almost 2 hours travel each way to get to London so we decided to stay there for the week, especially as I find travelling uncomfortable.

I felt really well all week and the painkillers are really helping. I also have some additional morphine to take at night if & when I need it. But we really enjoyed our time in London and decided to use the time to do lots of touristy things. We went to museums, walked along the banks of the Thames, Leicester square, covent garden, had lunches / dinners and even went to 2 shows! We saw the Wizard of OZ on Tuesday and Wicked on Wednesday and both were amazing but I think the Wizard was our favourite!!

We saw the radiotherapist again on Thursday and she said that the pain is likely to get worse for a few weeks but then better after 6-8 weeks. If I still have pain after that, they can repeat the radiotherapy in a few weeks or months. She explained that the reason I have been having so much pain in my side is probably a trapped nerve and that this should be relieved by the treatment.

We are flying to Cork on Sunday to spend some time with family and friends and have some rest and recuperation.

January 16th

I worked in Kettering for 2 days last week and Dave was so good to drive me up as I find it really difficult driving & the pain starts to kick in when I'm sitting in one position for 2 hours.

I started radiotherapy on Friday. All went well but my pain has got increasingly worse over the last week - I haven't been able to sleep much at night and have had to sleep sitting up a lot of the time as it's too difficult to lie down. Friday night was the worst and I had to call the hospital on Saturday morning to see if they could prescribe some stronger pain killers. They were fantastic as always and I picked up some morphine tablets from the GP on Saturday afternoon.

January 9th

We were back in London today to see the consultant radiotherapist to plan radiotherapy treatment to my back. I will have 5 days of radiotherapy to the vertebrae that is effected as well as the vertebrae above and below it. It will start on the 13th and end on the 19th January, again an amazingly quick response time for getting things moving.

They will start with 5 days and expect the pain to get worse for the first few weeks and then better in 6 weeks time. In the meanwhile I started taking anti-inflammatories and other mild pain killers last Friday to help with the pain.

January 7th

I was due to see the surgeon on the 11th to get my scan results but he phoned me yesterday morning to say that they had already reviewed then and had confirmed the devastating news that the cancer has spread to my spine. It was a complete shock and he asked me to go directly to London to meet with the oncologist and discuss treatment.

We got straight into the car at 10am and made it to London for just after12 and have had an incredibly difficult day. The MRI scan showed that there is a tumour in one of my vertebrae that has spread from the original breast cancer. Although nothing showed up in my lymph nodes all along, this can also spread through the blood stream and they did a blood test which shows that shows that this is probably the case as there are tumour markers in the blood which are slightly elevated.

The good news is that it is confined to one vertebrae and they are confident that they are able to contain this through radiotherapy and a drug called Zometa, which is an IV that I will need to get once a month to strengthen the bones in my spine and ensure that they don't collapse.

In true Marsden style, not only did I see the oncologist, I also saw the radiotherapist, breast care nurse and actually started treatment that afternoon! They are incredibly responsive and everything happened immediately.

It's a lot to take on board to understand all of this and we have lots of questions and concerns - it's such a hard knock to take just when we thought that things were finally getting back to normal this year & we could start planning ahead.

January 3rd

Happy New Year!! Hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year and enjoyed time with family & friends.

My MRI and CT scans have been booked for the 13th January but I contacted the hospital today to see if we could come back from Cork early to arrange to have the scans sooner - we just don't want to have this hanging over us for too long. I'm so amazed with the way they work around things and they have managed to get both of the scans booked for this Thursday (5th January) so we've changed our ferry ticket and we're heading back to the UK tomorrow morning.

I was planning to work in Cork all this week but they have been so good in allowing me to take the time off for this. My back pain seems to be getting worse over the last couple of weeks, especially over Christmas, and worst at night or when I'm sitting in one place for long periods.

December 29th

We finally arrived in Cork yesterday evening after a long and pretty rough ferry ride from Fishguard to Rosslare!! It's good to be here and see everyone and looking forward to the next 2 weeks.

However, on the journey to Fishguard yesterday, I got a call from the consultant who said that something had shown up on the bone scan. There is a shadowy area around one of my vertebrae and they need to investigate further to see what it is. The concern is that some of the breast cancer may have spread to my bone but they will arrange for a CT scan and an MRI in the next few weeks. The mammogram is clear though which is good news.

December 26th

Happy Christmas everyone!!

We had a lovely Christmas day with Sue & Christian, Marilyn, Andrea and Andrew. Sue cooked an amazing Christmas dinner and we had a great day together.

It was the first Christmas away from my family which was tough but Looking forward to going to Cork for New Year and we had a lovely time with Dave's family....if only both families were in the same country!!

December 23rd

Today was a long day at the hospital. I went for the bone scan but it took a very long time. They initially gave me a radioactive dye and I had to wait for 2 hours and drink as much as possible to allow the dye to circulate. They I went back for a scan which took 40 minutes. They also took 2 scans of my ribs (as that's where the pain has been worst) which took another 20 minutes each.

The doctors looked at the scans and asked for some more images but I had to wait for another patient to go first. Eventually got in and had a PET scan lasting another 40 minutes. It was a difficult time as I didn't get a lot of information from the staff who seemed to be trying to figure out their new machines....and especially for poor Dave who wasn't allowed in with me and had no idea what was going on. We just hope and pray that there is nothing to worry about.

The traffic around London has been really bad as well with the Christmas rush and everyone going home for the weekend. Wishing you all a very Happy Christmas and New Year!

December 20th

I went to London for my back scan and annual mammogram today. We turned up at the hospital to find that the scanner had broken down that morning and they weren't able to do the scan.

I did have the mammogram so it wasn't a totally wasted trip but we need to go back again on Friday for the scan.

November 16th

Dave finished work today! He's been contracting at Motorola / NSN for 4 years now so it will be really strange for him to leave there.

He's been searching for jobs for the last few weeks and there does seem to be work available but he's looking to find something closer to Cambridge / Kettering so that we can be in the same place and hopefully get a bit more settled at last :)

I have holidays due before the end of the year so we hope to go on holiday next month and then plan to look for work after Christmas.

December 18th

We had a fabulous time in Thailand!! We just sat on a beach for most of the 2 weeks - reading our kindles (my early Christmas present) and enjoying the sunshine! We had some amazing Thai meals in the evenings, - the food is SO good and had lots of fun bargaining in the markets.

My back pain did get worse while we were away but I've started taking painkillers to help.

We came straight back, got changed and went to the Harris Family Reunion at the Four Pillars hotel in South Cerney. It was such a lovely time and really good to see everyone again....just need to catch up on Jet lag now before heading back to work!!

November 30th

Apologies I haven't been online for a while - I haven't been doing much except for working over the last month - it's been really busy and tiring with all the travelling but I'm definitely enjoying being back.

I had my 6 month check up with the surgeon today. He examined me and said that everything looks good but I mentioned to him that I have been having pains in my back over the last 3 weeks, especially at night. I wasn't sure if this was something to do with the muscle they removed from my back for the reconstruction surgery in March or if it's the other muscles over compensating but he said that he wants to check it out.

He's going to send me for a bone scan to see if anything comes up but we are off to Thailand on holiday on Friday for 2 weeks so will arrange it for when we get back.

November 6th

Happy Birthday Marilyn!! Yesterday was Dave's Mums 70th Birthday and we arranged a surprise party for her....she was very surprised!! It took a lot of planning behind the scenes but thankfully nobody let the secret out!!

It was such a lovely evening and it was so good to see so many family and friends together to celebrate the occasion....especially people who travelled from far away. We had an amazing time - although I think it will take Marilyn quite a while to get over the shock!!

October 26th

What an amazing day!!!

I can't believe I'm saying this but I've just walked down a catwalk!! The Women on their Way team at RCI have arranged an amazing fashion show at work in aid of Action Breast Cancer. I was extremely privileged to be asked to be patron and to talk at the end of the evening. I didn't sign up for modelling but didn't have a lot of choice :)

The whole evening just blew me away - the amount of work that the girls work all put into arranging it and the incredible support they received on the night. It was extremely professional and well organised and all the big shops from Opera Lane in Cork were there - Next, New Look, Tommy Hilfiger, Gap , CCViyella......

It was such a fantastic night and amazing to see how so many people at work came together to pull off an incredible achievement! Well done to everyone involved!

On a personal note, thank you so much to Heather and the girls, Claire, Charis, Peta, Karen, Miriam & Claire for coming to support the event.