The wonderful Vicki Connerty
The next time I see this amazing girl she will be a cancer survivor.
As I said goodbye to Vix at the airport we gave each other a big hug and as I stood to wave her off expecting a longing stare and maybe a tear.. she immediately turned round waving her (one) arm furiously in the air and promptly told me to “go away and leave now”. It may well have even been something slightly stronger than that. ha! She’s clearly not one for long goodbyes.
It was so lovely to spend the past four days with Vix. Vix hired a little apartment on AirBNB right in amongst some vineyards in a place called Bannockburn near Queenstown. It was so beautiful. The only downside was that I had to go through Vicki’s room to get to the toilet so she was awoken by my midnight wees on a nightly basis. It was pretty cold when we arrived and it had recently snowed on the mountains. I had heard how beautiful the mountains were with snow on them so this was an absolute treat to see.
We went for walks, we chatted…a lot, drank hot chocolate and I forced Vix to go to a place called puzzle world which I heard was awesome and a super geeks dream! Shortly after I took the photo of Vix with the big tap she dropped her phone when trying to take a photo of me with her left hand and broke it. Despite her frustration with not being able to move her right arm she handled this really well. Puzzle world may have been a mistake after all though. On the plus side I did get to show Vix the super powers you get as a cancer survivor by lifting up an entire building from the ground….I actually did that!:)
Vix thinks she’s not handling this whole cancer malarkey very well but oh my goodness she really is. Far better than I ever did. We laughed a lot and she didn’t cry once. That to me is someone who is handling this horrificness very well indeed. When you can smile and find the good in a bad situation then you are beyond amazing! Even the phone thing turned out to be funny but I’m sure she will think twice before taking a photo of a big tap tho!
We talked about things we want to do after she finishes her treatment which she will be starting soon. She has agreed to work ‘FOR’ me at the 101 charity. We have both want to get a dog and apparently I will be earning my money by looking after hers. Although she claims not to have heeded my advice and written a list yet, she did talk a lot about the things she wants to do in the future. I’m no genius but doesn’t that constitute a list!:)
She is an amazing girl and one I hope you all get a chance to meet in the future. Those of you attending the Richmond Hill gathering in September will definitely get to meet her. She radiates positive energy and after 5 minutes of meeting her you feel like you’ve known her all your life. Just make sure you never write to her though. I know as she reads this and will be critiquing my grammar as she does. I’m sure if you look in the comments box she will have already produced her red pen and noted them all down.
In my opinion Vix is doing the exact right thing at the moment by keeping busy and doing things she enjoys. It’s important to not to just put life on hold until this illness is all over and done with. After all you are still alive when you are unwell no?! Your body and your mind should always be reminded of that fact!
So if I were to suggest just one thing to add to your list it would be this:- ‘meet Vicki Connerty’. You would not regret it!
I will keep you all updated with the progress of the lovely Vicki Connerty but if you fancy reading the best blog ever then check her out on facebook at ‘Fellowship of the Ringlets’. Despite all she is going through this is a joy to read. It’s honest, it’s funny and most of all it’s positive. Vix thinks that she might be a bit inappropriate writing the way does. She’s very funny and witty and if you don’t laugh during the bad times then you will cry. I know which one I’d rather do.
Keep going Vix! We all love and support you and we can’t wait to join you for hot choccie on Richmond Hill in September!
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