The Year So Far

The year of 2010 has not been good to me and my family so far. My dreams of being a successful Stampin' Up Rep have been put on hold along with my etsy store. I have however taken the time to re-organise my studio which has been a massive blessing and hide out in itself.

You may be asking yourself what has been happening. Well in a nut shell, life has. In this case though it starts with s and ends in t and is a four letter word that I really need to learn to stop saying.

As some of you know my Aunt D. was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease December last year. Since then she has gone downhill big time. She can no longer speak, eat, or do anything for herself. She had originally said no to the food peg but when it came to the crunch she said yes. I don't know why, she lays there in pain all day, if the morphine hasn't kicked in and she is asleep then she is constantly moaning. Consequently all the looking after, and emotional strain is taking it's toll on a lot of my family.

We then found out last week that Aunt F. (who is hearing and speech impaired) is in hospital with bad Pulmonary Odema. Her stomach is also so bloated they think there may be something else like cancer. Aunt F. doesn't look after herself very well. She has bad asthma, diabetes, and a hacking cough which causes the staff at her hostel to send her outside to do. It's no wonder she was sick for 3 days before they realised. Once tests were done it was confirmed that the stomach was clear and that she had pneumonia in both lungs, and then they sent her back to the hostel. Can anyone see something wrong with this picture!

Great Aunt J. (same age as my oldest Aunt) had a breast cancer scare in January but was cleared. She went for and osteoporosis test last week and found out that her bones are riddled with cancer. The is now in hospital and not likely to leave.

To top this all off I was speaking to a friend yesterday who is in New Zealand. I new she had had cancer and gone into remission 3 times and I also new that last year she started some chemo again. I found out yesterday that the cancer is that aggressive this time that she has a 5% chance going into remission. Without chemo they gave her 5-6 months so she is having chemo. She has two beautiful daughters who at this stage only know that mum is sick.

They say it happens in 3s but this is 4 and I could mention more but I won't. It's time for some good news. I have lost 4 kg in 4 weeks. I am so proud of myself. I have been exercising every day. Starting to really enjoy the exercise again. I force myself to do it even when I am tired and flat and it does give me a boost.

Well I am about to head out to the studio and do some craft stuff. The studio is not finished yet but will be soon. I may give you a sneak peak later this weekend.