PODCAST INTERVIEW
Podcast Interview
I recently had the pleasure of being interviewed by a wonderful guy in the states called Lee Silverstein who is a fellow Wilms and bowel cancer survivor. Lee is the first person i’ve ever spoken to who has been through the same experiences with cancer as I have.
Lee now interviews people from all over the world who have experienced bowel cancer, as a way of helping and inspiring others through this all too common and awful disease.
His podcast, the Colon Cancer Podcast has helped thousands of people so far so please check it out when you get a chance. It’s a lot more fun than the name suggests!:) It can be found on iTunes and android.
I hope you enjoy this interview and it helps you in some small way. It pretty much covers everything i’ve learned throughout my experiences with illness and 101 Things To Do When You Survive.
Interview starts 10 minutes and 15 seconds in.
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PURPLE BALL TICKETS ARE ON SALE
Purple Ball tickets are now on sale! Join us for a night of live music, auctions, west end stars and fun fun fun!
I am a proud trustee of this wonderful charity which raises money for research into ground breaking immunotherapy and also provides much needed emotional support for those affected by cancer.
For £65 you’ll get a three course meal, a glass of bubbles, half a bottle of wine, west end star Colin Roy wowing everyone with his beautiful voice and much much more.
I would love to see some of your smiling faces there on the 24th September! See flyer on how to buy tickets.
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SUN, SKIN CANCER AND THE SECRET TO THE PERFECT TAN
Summer is here and I can’t even begin to tell you how happy this makes me. When the sun is shining I feel like I’m on top of the world. Much like Superman, the sun is my life force.
If I’m honest I also love having a bit of a tan…not for vanity reasons, but simply because when I have a tan people tell me I look well, which means a lot more to me these days. But a tan is definitely not a sign of good health. It’s a sign that you’ve damaged your skin – UV rays can destroy cells, accelerate the ageing process and cause skin cancer.
Skin cancer is the most common type of cancer in Britain. Cases of malignant melanoma have increased by 360% since the 1970’s. That’s a scary statistic!
For my trip I pretty much followed the summer for two years, dodging either side of the equator and avoiding winter like the plague.
The first photo was taken was taken in the San Blas Islands on my way to Colombia and this was probably the most tanned I’ve ever been in my life. I’ll tell you my non-deliberate tanning secret in a mo.
I recently visited the Mole Clinic in London for a skin cancer check up as I had a couple of dodgy looking moles and wondered what damage I may have done to my skin whilst showing off my scars on beaches around the world.
The nurse did a full body scan and, for some unknown reason, I decided to wear the smallest and loosest underpants I own so had to wrap my jumper around my nether regions, lest she be scarred for life (see pic).
It seems I have one potentially dodgy looking mole which the nurse photographed and sent for analysis. She believes that there is nothing to worry about but I was told to come back in three months to see if the mole had changed at all.
Athough the sun is amazing it is also pretty dangerous and contributes to 75% of the ageing process! Yikes! Ever wondered why your butt cheeks are so smooth? It’s because they rarely see the sun.
The sun is also the main cause of skin cancer. Brits especially love nothing more than to bake ourselves in the sun, trying to get as brown as we possibly can. We go on holiday for a week and believe that the only way to get a tan is to not use suncream.
This is not the case! I am the master of accidental tanning and I can tell you now that the best way to get the perfect tan is…….. high factor suncream! No less the 30 SPF. Anything less than this is a waste of time. I have found that high factor suncream helps protect your skin and from my experience allows for a deeper more long lasting tan!
The sun is of course very important for our necessary intake of vitamin D but research shows that just 10 minutes in the early morning sun without sun cream is enough to get our recommended dosage.
So gang, ideally cover up when you’re in the sun but if you’re not going to do that…get your high factor suncream on, get regular checks and enjoy this beautiful sunshine.
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AND THE NAME OF MY BIKE IS……
Firstly, a huge thank you to everyone who sent in suggestions for the name of my new bike. I absolutely loved hearing the reasons for the names you put forward.
At the weekend I took my lovely new bike out for a spin in the beautiful Richmond Park (one of my favourite places) and I thought about what to call it throughout the entire ride. The name ‘Flash’ was immediately eliminated after a little girl overtook me on a trike! Chris Froome I was not!
It had been a couple of years since I’d been on a bike but I absolutely loved it. The sun was shining, the deer were out in force and I didn’t get a puncture! Result!
On Tuesday I plucked up the courage to cycle on the busy roads of Hampton to Bushy Park the so i’m slowly getting over my fear of cars…kind of… I’ll have to keep working on that one.
So without further a do…..
There was one name in particular that popped up a few times in your suggestions that made total sense. ‘Angel’, the name of the event (Angelride) that inspired me to buy this bike and also one of the greatest experiences of my life.
A lovely woman called Sandra Holland then came up with the name ‘Gabriel’ and I thought YES! The archangel Gabriel and also the name of one my favourite songs ‘Gabriel’ by Lamb. If you haven’t heard that song then please do check it out. One of the most beautiful songs you’ll ever hear with lyrics that will make your heart melt.
So gang there we have it. The bike that I will use to cycle both the length of Britain and across the USA is called ‘Gabriel’ or ‘Gabe’ for short.
Thank you so much for the inspiration. Fingers crossed Gabe will also miraculously sprout a couple of wings to help me up those hills. Judging by this weeks performance, I think I’m going to need it!
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TRAVEL INSURANCE FOR THOSE WITH PRE-EXISTING MEDICAL CONDITIONS
If you have any type of pre-existing medical condition including cancer and need travel insurance then these guys are the people to see.
Because of insurancewith I was able to travel the world at an affordable price with all my ‘conditions’ covered!
Check them out and if you can, please share and take a moment to vote for them for the British Travel Awards. CLICK TO VOTE
They deserve all the publicity and recognition they can get for enabling those with disabilities to travel at an affordable rate.
Visit their website here – insurancewith
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NEW BIKE, NEW CHALLENGE
Ladies and gents, please meet the newest member of the 101 gang…..my brand spanking new bike!
I need some ideas of what to call it so please let me know of any suggestions you have? A good bike should have a name!
Those of you who have followed my adventure for the past few years will know that in 2014 I took part in a charity bike ride in the states called AngelRide. It was the first and, up to now, the only time I had ever been on a road bike.
I fell in love with cycling and Angelride turned out to be the most incredible experience of my life.
I have sworn ever since that I would get my own bike and also added a couple of cycling challenges to my list, one being to cycle from John O’Groats to Lands End, which I hope to complete next year. The other is to cycle across the USA….date still to be announced for that puppy!
I had hoped to complete John O’Groats to Lands End (the length of Britain) this year but my fitness and motivation took a bit of a knock this so I decided against it until I had adequate time to train for it. Especially when Andy, the team leader for Team 101 in the USA presents me with a map of what he thinks we should do! Yikes! We may have to modify those timings a wee bit Andy……or a lot!;). My haematology doctor may have a fit if she saw that!
Anyone who watched my interview on the BBC this week will know there are a couple of little physical issues caused by my life saving treatment as a child that make my idea of normal slightly different to that of others.
The main ones are the blood clot I have in the vein that takes blood back to my heart and the others are scarred lungs from radiotherapy and a bit of an aged heart caused by the chemo.
The good news is…. I visited Bristol Royal Infirmary last week and had myself a little MOT to see how the old lung and heart are doing.
An Echocardiogram and a lung function test showed that they are a wee bit under the normal scale but that there was nothing to worry about. It also seems that these little issues can be massively be improved upon with regular exercise! I also met my vascular surgeon on Tuesday who pretty much said go for it and then suggested doing a triathlon! 🙂 Love it!
So gang, I am going to be on an adventure of fitness and cycling for the next 9 months which I plan on sharing with you as a bit of a rehabilitation research. This will also include info on nutrition, rest and coping with fatigue…something I struggle with after exercise.
Due to my messed up circulation system I struggle to run as blood can’t get back to my heart quick enough so my leg swells up and I get dizzy, but cycling is low impact which means it’s perfect for someone with a deep blood clot like mine. I wont lie -i’m super scared of riding on roads but hopefully I’ll get over this with a bit of practice.
So hear goes, I’ll be taking her out and about for the first time this weekend so i’ll let you know how I get on.
A huge thank you to Sales Filter, insurancewith and Snow and Rock for becoming sponsors of Team 101. I can’t thank you guys enough.
The plan is to achieve something incredible, raise a lot of awareness for all things cancer and mental health related, inspire lots of people and hopefully raise a bit of cash for charity.
Let the riding and fitness extravaganza begin!
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LONG TERM EFFECTS OF CANCER TREATMENTS – RADIO 4 TODAY INTERVIEW
The effects of my life saving treatment in 1987 have unfortunately led to a few heath issues in later life. On Monday 1st August I chatted to the BBC World Service and 6 o’clock news about these issues. Please see my interview with the Radio 4 Today show to hear more:-
A recent Macmillan report highlights the need for greater support for those surviving cancer:-
BBC News – Macmillan Report – Long term effects of cancer treatments
LUNCH WITH CHILDHOOD CANCER FIGHTERS
When I was a child, the cancer treatments I had were harsh. They saved my life, and I am truly grateful for that. But they’ve caused me a lot of medical issues since – deep vein thrombosis, bowel cancer, a weakened heart , scoliosis….
I’m still here living life to the full though!
Thankfully treatments for childhood cancer have come a long way since then, and they are getting better all the time. That’s why I was so honoured to be invited to speak at a luncheon for The Petal Childhood Cancer Research Group in the beautiful Yorkshire Dales.
This amazing group of women have raised more than £1.2 million pounds for research into childhood cancer – which has helped Cancer Research UK launch several life changing clinical trials.
Founder Karen Weaving, and her husband Malcolm, own a beautiful hotel in Skipton, so I had the chance to stay and see some of the area’s incredible sites. Yorkshire Dales is definitely one for your lists gang! And while you’re there don’t forget to pop into the Rendezvous Hotel room and say hi. You’ll meet, without a doubt, two of the loveliest people on the planet.
Thankyou to all the ladies at Petal for their warm welcome and I’m sure I speak for every family who has been affected by childhood cancer when I say thankyou for all the work you do. We need more effective and kinder treatments for children with cancer and you are making it happen.
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THE HEALTH BENEFITS OF FIRE
A fire pit, a cuppa and my best friend in the whole the world, my big brother.
DID YOU KNOW?
Research has shown that open fires can be extremely beneficial for your mental well being.
The sound, smell, appearance of a fire can induce feelings of relaxation and help lower blood pressure.
Back in the day, a fire was a way of keeping warm, cooking food and a meeting point for chatting with friends so it’s no wonder it gives us humans that feel good feeling.
So get those camp fires started gang, turn off the sound of the world and get lost in the wonderment of a good old camp fire. Relaxation guaranteed!
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TEAM 101 AND RELAY FOR LIFE ASCOT
I think it’s fair to say that Team 101 took Ascot by storm this weekend and what an amazing weekend it was.
I first fell in love with Relay for Life when I was in Sydney in 2014 and then again at the Shetland Relay in May this year. Being part of my own team at Ascot however, has without doubt totally captured my heart.
There were a few sceptics in my team who were pretty unsure what kind of time they were going to have this weekend (24 hours of walking round a track does sound like a complete nightmare after all) but I’m pretty sure we all left on Sunday fully in love with relay and everything it stands for.
During the 24 hours, we got our groove on to Zumba, yoga, live bands, singers, performers, pipe bands, midnight quizzes, emotional speeches and best of all hanging out with good and inspiring people.
Team 101 were also joined by Team Trout (my family) for a short time which made the day even more special. Especially as I got the chance to meet my baby cousins for the first time.
I was first introduced to the Ascot Relay by an incredible 101er called Ali who invited me to join her team last year. After receiving so many inspiring messages from her as she lived with terminal lung cancer there was no way I could refuse.
My mum and I went along and got to spend the day with Ali and her family.
Sadly Ali was too unwell to be there this year but Team 101 were privileged to have their pitch right next to Ali’s family, who were ordered by Ali to come to Relay and keep up the family tradition of raising money for CRUK in the event they’ve taken part in since Ali’s diagnosis 6 years ago. They are truly an amazing and brave family and it was so lovely to see them all again.
Myself, Libby, Jo, Julie, Neil, Natasha, Theo, Jaime and Nicola all took it turns to walk round the track for the entire 24 hours whilst also having the most wonderful time chatting and having a laugh.
A huge thankyou has to go to Jo and Libby who led the way in organising our teams theme with the ‘Where’s Greig’ challenge, fruit and veg hats and outfits for Miss Relay (for which I came last:).
I couldn’t have asked for a better group of people to share this experience with. I think it takes such courage for people to take a chance and come to something like this when they don’t know anyone.
I also had the immense honour of giving a speech at the incredibly moving Candle of Hope ceremony which for me is the highlight of Relay. You cannot help but be moved by this beautiful and poignant ceremony.
Seeing the messages on the candle bags spread around the track is incredible and humbling. Ali, Row and Claire were all in our thoughts.
Thankyou so much to everyone who has sponsored us so far. CRUK fund over half of the research into cancer in the UK so your money has gone to a wonderful place. You can still sponsor us using the below link if you fancy!!:) If you could see how tired we were on Sunday afternoon when the 24 hours was up then you’d know that we’d earned your sponsorship. 🙂
http://relay.cancerresearchuk.org/site/TR/RelayForLife/General?team_id=9035&pg=team&fr_id=1563
Huge congratulations to the Ascot Relay committee for putting on such an amazing event and for recently winning the Queens award for voluntary service. Relay is totally volunteer led so everyone involved makes it happen in their own time. Ascot are on course to raise well over £100,000 this year.
The biggest thank you goes to my amazing team for their support and their wonderful company. It was such a pleasure spending time with you all. I loved every second.
