I am thrilled and slightly emotional (it was only Monday that my Dad and I went to the bingo in my Mum's memory). Mum died two years ago, and she would have laughed at our complete ineptitude and my Dad's embarrassingly loud phone that went off TWICE. The TV image of the glamorous young women having enormous fun at bingo was, in our case, completely inaccurate, and the clientele were deadly serious septuagenarians who were not impressed by my inability to check multiple cards at once, and my Dad's inability to switch off his phone.
I was also in a sentimental mood, having viewed a video of my Grandparents and Mum from 1992 (kindly shared with us by my lovely cousin), the year my sister died.
All in all, even a YouTube cat video would have sent me over the edge.
So, this news was incredible to receive. Clearly, it's by the grace of God that I am still here, three and a half years after my terminal diagnosis and nearly five years after my initial breast cancer diagnosis. I feel incredibly blessed and I am so, so grateful for the prayers and support I have received.
My friend Pippa made the gift below for me, as it's the name I was given by my palliative care nurse from our local hospice. It's hanging on my bedroom mirror as a reminder of the miracle of being alive and though I am painfully aware that many of my cancer contemporaries are still struggling with the disease, my heart is filled with gratitude.
Amanda
