This week will begin where we left off last week, ‘Vespa-shaped’. The issue with the hands moved up a notch or two during the week. The bones were very sore and some of the pain and stiffness remains. On my right hand, second finger from the left, the joining between the distal and intermediate phalanges felt like it had become dislodged and was not ‘in the joint correctly’. A painful and inhibitive legacy of the scooter ride out, which I had to manage all week, with the only temporary fix being a stretching of the fingers in the opposite direction (being double-jointed helped there!). That affected the day job tasks, with difficulty in performing some of them. This effect is decreasing, but still in evidence; will see how this goes this coming week and beyond. As a result of the above, am having to consider the future for me on my scooter, but have not decided completely yet. If it comes to having to let it go, will be a sad milestone, but will see what comes.

The back pain remains and varied in intensity throughout the week, with some days being more manageable than others. The leg muscle pain also done the same, with that appearing to decrease towards the end of the week. The balance there, I am finding, is to try to be active, but that has to be placed against the back pain. By the end of the week, it was very notable and may be the effect of another ‘transport toy’, which is my Mini Cooper S, which I have owned since 2009. It is like driving a very fast and enjoyable go kart, but a drive that is ‘hard’, due to the factory set up and tyres in use, etc. Sandra stopped enjoying being in the car some years back (not just as a result of my lead boots when driving!), but mainly due to the impact on her hip and leg bone pain. I have started to also consider whether it is time to move the Mini on and let someone else have the fun, someone whose body can handle the pace.

Whilst considering the above realities, another one cropped up too, in the shape of a Disabled Badge. That is issued (for those outside of the UK) to qualifying individuals who have been assessed as immobile to a predefined degree; I am now in that category. I have used it twice since it arrived and it proved helpful in having to walk shorter distances. That benefit sits alongside the mental challenge of realising that I am now someone who no longer enjoys the mobility that I once had, pre-cancer. Connected to that, I also applied for, and received, a disabled person’s railcard, which can give discounts when taking rail journeys. Have not had the need to use that yet, but expect to may this side of Xmas.

Had my 3-weekly blood test mid-week and the nurse enquired as to which medication I was using to manage the pain. The reply was none, which she seemed surprised about. I have never been a person that turns to medication and prefer to let my body sort itself out and self-regulate. I will aim to do the same with this, up to the stage where I will have to resort to pain medication; I do not feel that is yet.

The last ‘medical’ aspect was the hormone tablet pick up on Friday, which was a wasted journey (1 hour round trip). The doctor had not prescribed me anything, so there was nothing to pick up. I am currently without meds, with the hope that they will be ready for pick up on Monday afternoon (will phone to check before I set off though!). I also have no new dates scheduled for my following blood tests and medication pick ups. Odd, but have been told it is just down to the various teams playing catch up. Hopefully all will be sorted at the start of the week.

Saturday was a real highlight and something that has been in planning for a number of months. Some of my former work colleagues devised the plan to have a sort of ‘HX reunion’ of former and current colleagues that I had worked with. As this evolved and the planning got under way, it was evident that we would need something a little bigger than a standard pub or restaurant. That led to gaining permission from the CEO (thanks Matthew!) to hold the event in the grounds of Holiday Extras. A superb campus layout in the Kent countryside always made for a very pleasant backdrop to the day job. It also made for a superb backdrop to this event. The set up allowed for an indoor or outdoor event, depending on weather, which thankfully was nice and dry.

I will take this opportunity to thank Ashley C for the concept, Emma J and Kim Sm for taking on the burden of the main organisation and ‘herding the cats’ online, into a workable result. Once we had raised the query of holding it at HX, they were ably joined by Kim Sk, with the 3 of them ensuring all key aspects were covered off. On the day, Tony T, his wife and Kim Sk’s husband made their presence felt very well, covering off essential tasks throughout the day. Each of the people mentioned above, ensured a very memorable event and one that many of the participants have asked to take place again!

Alongside those mentioned above, are the many attendees who took time out of their personal lives to come along and say hello, share memories and just have a good, enjoyable afternoon. They ranged from my former CEO Matthew, two of my former bosses Howard and Matt, whom have become trusted friends, alongside former peers and many, many former team members. A wide range of shared experiences and challenges that we collectively surmounted, whilst forming close bonds along the way. We all contributed to the food needs, which spread the burden and that is another aspect I would like to thank everyone for; the cost of living challenge affects us all. Seeing so many people was superb and there was simply not enough time to be able to talk to everyone, indepth, throughout the afternoon. Some partners and kids joined us, which added to the great atmosphere. I have always enjoyed watching children having safe fun, without any worries. Watching the kids make temporary friends and utilise the surroundings for their fun, was great; an office environment day to day, was turned into an adventure playground for those children and they made the most of it, helped along by Chrissie’s expert balloon animals.

I am sure that most, if not all, of you will have attended a funeral at one point in your lives. It is at commemorations like that, that we often hear kind  words and accolades about the recently departed individual, which is always nice to hear. However, a thought that has often went through my head has been, ‘why do we not do this when the person is alive?’. It would surely be nice to celebrate what someone means to close friends and family, but before they are no longer with us. Whilst many of us will do this at birthdays or key anniversaries, they are focused events, celebrating a particular milestone. What I am talking about is a life celebration, whilst the person is alive; kid of like a funeral without the coffin! That is exactly what took place yesterday, for no other reason than some good friends suggesting that it may be good to meet up, and they extended the concept to include many others.

The afternoon was emotional at times, pleasant and very enjoyable, but overall, very humbling. To see so many people come along to say hello, share their memories, laugh about shared experiences and talk about wanting to do this again, was heartwarming in its truest sense and meaning. One constant that people comment on, when reading this Blog, is how thought provoking it is and how it has made some of you really think about life, how precious is it and what you are doing with your remaining time. I am very pleased that my waffling in this text is having that effect. It has resulted in a number of side conversations with you, the readers, which I enjoy immensely.

I will leave you all with another thought / thought provoking suggestion. I recommend that each of us creates a ‘personal day / event’, where your closest family and friends meet up and do nothing but celebrate your life, shared memories and what you mean to others. Think of it as another birthday, just without the cake (although there was no shortage of that on Saturday). This is not about placing you on a pedestal, but it is about spending time with those closest to you; what a wonderful way to spend a day of your life. If we all take the time to do this, then we would all get to experience the genuine love and friendships that define our lives. Instead of a ‘birthday’, it could be a ‘Johnday’, ‘Maryday’, etc. Could we turn this into something and share the a photo of the day and some experiences; give increasing depth to this ‘community’ that has spring up out of a life defining change. Over to you peeps………………..

I have included a photo taken on the day, of Sandra and I, together with my children, their partners and some of the grandkids. A lovely image that captures us all enjoying the event that was excellently put together by others.

I am going so sign off this slightly longer update by once again thanking everyone who made Saturday the enjoyable and memorable event it was. The lift in my spirits was palpable and noted by many on the day. I will also thank all of you who continue to read this, take the interest you do and feed back in the manner you do. It continues to increase into a wider ‘community’ of people across the globe, defined by my close family, ‘work’ friends my ‘history’ friends; your time and input is appreciated.