It has been a challenging month for me. I had my 9th scan for the past 12 months, always on alert! I have had a headache for a few weeks that was relentless. I've had tummy pain for no apparent reason, lump in the throat, reflux, hip pain, foot pain and whatever else has been happening. I'm starting to sound like a hypochondriac arent I?!
2 of the ladies from Boob Club lost their lives to metastatic breast cancer, having spread to their bones, liver and brain. This always brings back scary thoughts for me, although I feel for their families and it's very sad for the children and husbands they leave behind. I'm always telling myself that I'm unique and not the same as them. This works for a little while.
So the last scan was a brain CT Scan - which was all clear!! The blood test showed no tumour markers and I've had my annual checkup with my breast surgeon and oncologist.
The weirdest thing was while I was in the waiting room for my turn for the scan, I was on my laptop doing some work, when I got this strange and overwhelming feeling that everything was going to be okay. I wasnt thinking about the scan at all as I was midway through a work email. It was like someone was telling me the scan was going to be clear. The moment of clarity was hard to miss. I've had this another time over the past few years, when the sky was bluer and the sun was shining and I bought a lotto ticket and won $1000.
I have decided to embark on a hike to raise funds for the OTIS Foundation. They provide free accommodation for ladies with breast cancer and their families for respite across Australia. They have their own properties that they have built as well as people donate their properties for the cause. OTIS Foundation cover the cost of preparing and cleaning the properties for the owners.
So in August, I head to Florence, Italy to prepare for my hike on the 1st of September to the 10th September finishing in Siena. We'll be covering 20 km per day and raising over $100,000 with my 19 team mates. If you could support me for women and their families, with 1 in 8 women being diagnosed in Australia, please feel free to help out this amazing charity.
You can donate here : http://www.otisfoundation.org.au/my-fundraising/49/otis-tuscan-adventure and I'll keep you up-to-date on my training and preparation activities as well as the trip itself here.
This is us at Merrileugh thanks to the OTIS Foundation:
