Flirty Thirty
When you are fighting cancer, you are constantly faced with the prospect of being sick, disfigurement, amputation and even death. It’s funny because it is only then that you start to appreciate the little things and the actual things that matter in life. I don’t take life too seriously and the main aim is to have fun and grab every opportunity you can. If you let things bother you then you will wear yourself down and become old before you know it!
Another thing is, you start to appreciate milestones – it was my 30th two weeks ago so we decided to celebrate in luxury on the gorgeous island of Antigua.
So what challenges did I face whilst taking a long haul holiday? Whilst the holiday was a success I did have a few issues;
1- Gatwick, the BA check in staff was lovely and asked if I wanted assistance to take me to the gate. Pride got in the way and I said no – I wrongly assumed we would be going from gate 101 as we had on previous previous trips to the Caribbean…. When gate111 announced, again, we thought it wouldn’t be too far….! wrong! It was a long trek and in future I will accept assistance where it is needed
2 – I can’t swim properly – I look like a frog with one leg 🙂 my right leg doesn’t function well enough for me to swim properly. What does John suggest? “lets have a race”…. 🙂
3 – people stare. I wore my bikini all week and didn’t hide my leg away. If people stared, tough! I didn’t care!
4 – pre planning is essential. We had a suite in the hotel and John had requested a low floor prior to our arrival. I didn’t think that this was necessary as there we only two floors of suites but when I got the I know that I would have struggled with the stairs on a regular basis.
5 – try new things. We hired a car and explored the island, even going to local bars and a lovely restaurant for both of birthdays. Before we went I was nervous about driving abroad but I’ve done it loads before and realised I was being silly. I’m so glad I over that as we had an amazing time.
We have got over the hurdle and there is now stopping me, we are already planning our next trip. New York, SanFran, Las Vegas? We’ll see…..
It was also John’s birthday when was there so it wasn’t all just about me (although it was really!!) 😉
When we returned home, we went out with family and friends to celebrate in true ‘McTickle Style’
Here’s me holding John up….

I’m now thinking of how to top that with my 40th – that will be a double celebration as it’s the same time as my 10 year all clear! Although how can we top this view???

Raising Awareness
I am keen to support in raising awareness of sarcoma in any way that I can and Liverpool Royal have asked if I will take part in a campaign to raise awareness next week. I am really pleased that I can support on this campaign and even if only one person seeks help on the back of it, then it’s time well spent! Watch this space…..!!
Next steps
Well I have my next check up in four weeks. Here Dr Chandrasekar will check my leg and conduct a lung scan. Prior to the last two I was anxious but now, I realise that they are par for the purse and they now feel part of life. This helps my mental state and I’m sure I will get through this one easier.
My leg is extremely painful at the moment and the knee joint is getting worse. Whilst I was fully aware that this is long term side effect of radiotherapy, I wast expecting it to be an issue so soon, especially as it has been better than this previously! I will speak to Dr Chandrasekar and Sarah to see what the best treatment for me now is.
Anyway, I have babbled on enough for one night 🙂 have a great weekend and enjoy the sun!
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