2nd Birthday post MOAS and the Bristol 1/2 Marathon

Last week saw my second birthday post MOAS. It was mid week and turned out to be a very busy day. I went to work and slogged away at my desk putting together an official tender document so it was all a bit heavy really! Then on the evening we did the family weekly shop and it was getting fairly late before I was able to finally sit down and eat my evening meal and relax! I spent what was left of the day with Tracey and the girls and my sister in law popped in to say hi and pass on birthday greetings. Before I knew it the day was gone.....

Part of me thinks I should be making more of the day having been through so much but part of me is also happy to see our old life returning with barely having two minutes to stop and think! It’s a sign of us recovering as a family.

I also met up with my good friend and fellow PMP survivor Steve Treweeks. I walked the Snowdon Horseshoe with Steve in August last year as our main fundraising event for Basingstoke and North Hampshire Hospital and The Christie and we had agreed to run the Bristol half marathon together this year and my fundraiser. Unfortunately I have suffered an Achilles tendon injury which I am awaiting a referral on and have been told I can’t run for at least three months.

Steve still came to Bristol to do the run and we were lucky enough to meet him and his wife Tracey and son William the evening before for a meal and then I met them in Bristol at the start of the race to cheer Steve on. The weather forecast was awful but on the day it turned out perfect and the sun shined. Jon also joined us and knew Steve from the walk as he was also part of the team. We saw Steve at several points around the course and he finished the race in 1hour and 51 minutes.

Spectating on the day was great but also just rubbed salt into the wound as I really wished I was taking part with Steve......maybe next year.

I have also been busy in the last few weeks trying to raise the PMP profile a bit on some of the major cancer charities sites in the UK. MacMillan have just re-vamped their site and have a number of groups that people can join to hold discussion including a Pseudomyxoma group-

http://community.macmillan.org.uk/cancer_types/pseudomyxoma_peritonei/default.aspx

There are very few entries on this group thread the last one being some five months ago. I remember when I first was diagnosed this was one of the sites that I first looked at and found not a great deal to be going on. I’m sure newly diagnosed sufferers would also do the same so it’s my intention to try and get things moving a little so that any new patient might be able to make contact and get some support. Come join the community and let’s get some conversation going on a site that newly diagnosed sufferers may turn to first looking for information.....
Similarly I have tried to do the same on the Cancer Research site and am trying to get some threads going. Again I feel this is a site that a newly diagnosed sufferer may go to first....


http://cancerchat.cancerresearchuk.org/thread/5499
Dave