BOWEL CANCER AWARENESS MONTH
April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month so what better way to make people aware of bowel cancer than by showing off a big white bum that used to have a tumour living up it.
Bowel cancer rates in people aged between 20-30 years old are set to rise by 90% in the next 15 years with junk food and inactiveness believed to be two of the main causes. This is a very scary statistic!
The good news is that Bowel Cancer survival rates are also increasing! With early diagnosis Bowel Cancer is one of the more curable forms of cancer.
Sadly, many just don’t like talking about their toilet habits or simply don’t know the symptoms to realise that something is wrong.
I was diagnosed with bowel cancer at the age of 30. My only symptom was tiredness. I couldn’t walk up the stairs without feeling tired. Someone told me it was because I was now 30 and that’s just how you feel. That was total nonsense. Blood tests showed that I had an iron deficiency which led my doctor to order a colonoscopy which discovered a 10cm tumour in my transverse colon. There were no other symptoms. I just knew something wasn’t right.
An operation and some chemo later and I am still here to tell the tale.
SYMPTOMS OF BOWEL CANCER
– blood in your poo
– blood in your back passage
– tiredness
– feeling bloated
– iron deficiency
– change in bowel habits – diarrhoea or looser than normal stools and constipation
– pain in abdomen or bum
– weight loss
– sickness
If you have any of these symptoms then see a doctor. If you are over 50 then see your doctor for a routine stool sample.
These guys have seen it all so don’t even worry about it. The only difference between a doctor and your pals is that they use the word stool instead of poo!;)
Early diagnosis can save your life and this is no longer an older persons disease so listen to your body and talk about your bum!
X
101 GUEST BLOG # 2 – BUMBLEBEE GIRL ON MISSION POSSIBLE
Foreword by Greig –
I’ve met some pretty incredible people on this little journey of mine and Christina is no exception.
When she first messaged me I was in absolute awe of her challenging and inspiring life story.
She asked to meet me whilst she was visiting London from her home in Norway last summer and we had a great afternoon together. I was immediately captivated by her warm smile and her passionate and optimistic outlook on life. She also came over to the UK for our 101 gathering on Richmond hill which was such an honour.
She is one of the most inspiring and beautiful people I have ever met and I am so honoured she has shared her amazing story with us.
Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Bumblebee Girl.
X
BUMBLEBEE GIRL ON MISSION POSSIBLE
My story started when I was born underweight, hardly any vision and suffering with dyspraxia. Through my childhood I’ve kept physically active to gain body control. I have motor/sensory dyspraxia and i’m therefore hypersensitive to all chemicals which often will trigger a toxic reaction in some degree. It also has caused major food intolerances and allergies.
Dyspraxia is a name covering for a lot of different things all connected to an underdeveloped nerve system – in short nerve signals are disrupted between the brain and the body. For each person it’s a different experience. F.ex.: the actor playing Harry Potter can’t tie shoelaces. I need to concentrate when I eat or else the food ends up in the air pipe but I can run, jump etc. and look like a “normal” person.
On the plus side I live healthily, exercise and get enough sleep. Besides that I’m used to working hard for what I want and if I fall I get up and try again. I don’t listen to people and experts telling me what is impossible, instead I find ways to make it possible. I’ve done so much stuff now that the experts told me was impossible, sometimes it just take a little longer. It’s all in the mind – if you believe there is always a solution. Like I want to learn to surf but I need to become stronger and get a better balance. Since I returned from Australia (feb 2015) I have worked every week with a personal trainer to help me achieve this.
I didn’t have many problems with the dyspraxia until April 2011 when I woke up and lost the ability to sit, walk etc. A flue virus had damaged large parts of my nervesystem and I had to go through rehab.
I was lucky though because I didn’t end up in a wheel chair like others. What happened to me was that I got my fighter instinct going because nobody should tell me that I wouldn’t be able to do what I want to, so to create the best healing environment I quit watching the news and in general programs and film with a negative focus. My husband ordered a load of feel-good movies and I watched Bondi Rescue over and over again because their work inspires me so much. We created a happy bubble around me with positive people etc.
I had my own business where I worked with self-development so things like laws of attraction, vision-boards, positive thinking, gratitude etc. was a integrated as part of my life. I even made a happy-list – yes a happy-list – it contains things that makes me happy when I have the blues, all from taking a hot bath, dancing around in my PJ singing loudly to feel-good music, drink a cup of cacao to the expensive stuff.
August 2011 I walked 4 km to raise money for research in heart diseases – major victory and also a big thank you to my very unconventional physiotherapist. All this was only the start on a major life change. Sadly, I had to close my business because of the EU crises, move to another country where I feel so misplaced, close to homeless, divorced, lost the rest of my close relatives etc. The weirdest part is that I’m so grateful for every thing I’ve been through because it has made me who I’m today. For the first time in my life I’m free and it’s so scary but I’m following my dreams now and that keeps me going too. Like in January 2015 where I took my first real vacation since 1993 and I went to Australia and had a blast.
Every day is and will always be a challenge for me because after 2011 my dyspraxia has become more severe but I can work, I exercise and live an almost normal life. The most important thing for me is to keep a positive attitude and here I use my inspirations like Greig and the Bondi Lifeguards. Beside that I’ve now got an amazing network of supporters who accept me for who I am, like my step father, a few of my school mates and mates from life, my personal trainer Niklas Wintherbo, my surftrainer Dean Gladstone and the 101-gang. People from the 101- gang have become a very important part of my life because for the first time in my life I’ve met people that understand my way of thinking.
Greig came into my life in October 2014 when I had the shingles in my hip and wasn’t allowed to move. I was so fascinated and inspired from day one and Greig gave me new hope. I don’t believe in coincidences and I know that he came into my life for a reason. His story inspired me to quit my job and just take a major leap of faith.
I am now heading for Denmark to visit my stepfather and my best friend (haven’t seen her since 2011) and then I’ll visit England (hope to see you guys) and then I head for Australia and New Zealand.
My hope is to be allowed to make 2 type of speeches about “living with dyspraxia” and “following my dreams and creating the life I want to live”. Beside that I would love to find ways to do voluntary work/charity on the way.
In June I hope to honour my parents who both died of cancer. I want to take the same road-trip as my father did in the late 60es from San Fransisco to New York but I’ll like to do it on an ATV at the same time I would like to make it a charity event somehow so I can collect money for research in immunology treatment for cancer patients since my mother died from side effects of the chemo. How to do that is a mystery I’ve just started to look into.
After that I hope to be allowed to study english in Sydney or I will try to get a job in England.
The whole trip is named Bumblebeegirl On Mission Possible because bumblebees aren’t actually designed to fly, they just don’t know they can’t! ????
X
You can follow Christina’s inspiring journey around the world via her Facebook page and her website:-
Facebook site: Bumblebeegirl on mission possible (https://www.facebook.com/bumblebeemission/)
Website: www.oceanofhappiness.org
#inspiration #dyspraxia
A ‘WEE’ HEALTH UPDATE
I thought I would just write wee update for you guys after posting that unglamorous photo of me in hospital the other week.
After two ultra sounds, one CT scan, numerous blood and urine tests and a procedure involving putting a camera down something where no camera should ever go, it turns out this machine like battered body of mine is still fighting fit and ready for action.
Feeling unwell and being told you have blood in your urine doesn’t bring out the most relaxing emotions in the world, especially since the last time I found blood my urine it turned out I had stage 4 cancer so you can imagine just how relieved I was to find out that all these tests were ok.
The docs think I may have had an allergic reaction to some cold and flu mediation which caused damage to my stomach and bowel and as result the mixture of dehydration and the blood thinning medication I take led to a bit of internal bleeding.
I usually go to my hospital appointments on my own but I wasn’t too sure what my last procedure would show up so I took my number one girl with me for support, my wonderful mum.
Despite my nether regions stinging like a swarm of angry wasps just had a party in my pants, I still maintained my tradition of treating myself after any such hospital appointment and took mum out to celebrate.
After being told that my blood, kidney, wee, bladder and liver were all looking ‘normal’ (I love that word), we headed to Harvey Nichols in Bristol for a cheeky scone and a cuppa and had a good old natter about everything under the sun.
I always wonder if people think I need to do big exciting things to treat myself after a 2 year world trip around the world but I can assure you tea with my mum out trumps all of those things on my list on my list.
On my return to my mum and dad’s house I was greeted by my wonderful smiling dad who was so happy and relieved to hear my news. I’m not entirely sure how they’ve coped with having me as a son all these years but they are without doubt the strongest people I know. I certainly don’t think I’ve helped their blood pressure though!:).
After my grilling of the A+E doctor who saw me at the hospital I think it only right that I commend the care I’ve had since then.
My specialist nurse, Jacquie, upon hearing news of my wee, immediately arranged a CT scan for me and I was seen in double quick time. My GP, Dr Paxton was calling me at 8:30pm to give me updates on tests and results he’d arranged and couldn’t have been more helpful and as ever my cousin was on hand (a specialist cancer nurse) to reassure me and answer all of my questions, like she always does.
I’ve been seeing health professionals since I was 7 years old and I can safely say that we are so very lucky to have the national care that we do here in the UK. A huge thank you to all of the NHS doctors and nurses who have helped me out this year (excluding the a+e doctor who I still think was rubbish).
I just want to say a huge thank you to you guys for the wonderful support you’ve shown me since both starting this blog and since I mentioned I was in hospital. I was inundated with lovely messages of support and I can’t thank you enough.
There is not a day that goes by where I don’t consider myself to be the most fortunate person on the planet and if I could transfer some of this good fortune onto to those of you who are unwell then I would do so in heartbeat.
Love and well wishes to you all.
X
PREACHY CORNER
If you think somethings not right with your body, don’t wait to find out what it is. Go and see your doctor immediately. Early diagnosis helped save my life last time.
GUEST BLOG – SCOTLAND AND TICKING OFF THING NO. 64
Guest Blog – The very first guest blog for 101 and one I had the honour of being part of.
Gang, I give you the inspirational Vicki Connerty and our road trip through the awe inspiring Scottish Highlands. Definitely one for your lists! Enjoy! x
TICKING OFF THING NO. 64
So when Greig asked me to write about our recent trip to the Scottish Highlands, I was honoured. “Yes!” I said. “I will be your first guest blogger! I will probably be given the keys to Scotland! And maybe a castle! And my own Connerty tartan! And some bagpipes!”. Fingers crossed.
Greig has wanted to start introducing guest posts to 101 for a while now so his initiative can evolve from being just about him. As he’s said before, his vision for 101 in the future is that people will write their own 101 survival lists, get out there, tick ‘em off and importantly, share their dreams, lists and experiences with others.
So I guess this is the first and veritable guinea pig of these aforementioned guest blogs. Though if it gets zero likes and several emails to Trouty from Disappointed of Devon and Angry-Faced of Argentina, it may also be the last.
For those of you that are wondering who the devil I am, Greig and I first met a year or so ago when he hit Sydney as part of his 101 trip. I knew his big brother Barry and so offered the travelling Trout the run of my place while I was back in the UK for a couple of weeks. I returned to Oz, a couple of weeks turned into a couple of months and eventually, Trout the Younger left the comfort of my couch and pushed off to New Zealand to visit Middle Earth.
Four days before he left however, my GP found a suspicious lump during a random breast check and referred me for an ultrasound and subsequent biopsy. Greig was the first person I told when I got back to my apartment that day with a somewhat bemused expression on my face and three weeks later, he was as speechless as I to discover that I’d been diagnosed with Stage 3 invasive breast cancer. Yikes.
Fast-forward through eight months of cancer treatment madness to August this year and we’re on Skype discussing my plans to return home to the UK for 10 weeks. We wanted to take a trip to celebrate the end of my treatment and all we knew was that we wanted it to be a road trip in the UK somewhere. Both of us agreed that we’d neglected our own fair British Isle over the years in favour of foreign climes and now was the perfect time to right that wrong!
As loyal 101’ers, you will of course be familiar with Greig’s famous 101 list – thing no.64 is ‘Explore my home country of Scotland’. As soon as we chucked ‘Scotland & the Highlands’ into the road trippin’ mix, I think we both knew. Thing no. 64 was ours for the taking!
With the help of Mum and Dad Trout, (our in-house Scottish travel consultants) and a massive old-school road map of bonny Scotland, we plotted a 10-day route up north and around the Highlands that would have made dear old William Wallace and his blue and white painted face very proud indeed.
So, in the spirit of list-writing, I’m going to share our top 5 tips to making the most of the Scottish Highlands and hope that they inspire you to take a trip up North…
1. Dip your toes in Lakes and Lochs.
Not technically Scotland, I know but I insisted we stopped off at Lake Windermere on the drive up, a decision partly driven by childhood nostalgia and partly by the knowledge that being trapped in a car for over 8 hours with Trouty’s dubious musical taste might not be the ideal start to the trip.
Instead, we found an awesome place called Cragwood House right on the lake. We wandered around the grounds and lounged about for hours on their private jetty like 2 kids, mesmerised by the stunning views and peaceful water.
As lakes go, Cumbria’s Lake District sets the bar pretty high but the lochs of Scotland are something else. Loch Ness, the 2nd biggest after Loch Lomond and arguably the most famous of Scotland’s lochs, is a massive 23 (37km) miles long. We drove alongside a bit of it, eyes wide and mouths agape which was pretty much our go-to expression every time we drove past or around a Scottish loch.
Marvel at the lochs. Dip your toes in them. Close your mouths. Bow down to their watery brilliance.
2. Go for a walk. Pack Kendal Mint Cake.
I will concede that Greig is slightly more of a seasoned walker than me. He has walking boots that have definitely seen better days and a little geeky raincoat just for his rucksack. By contrast, it’s fair to say that ‘all the gear, no idea’ was a phrase invented just for me.
Inevitably, our invigorating walks were not without incident – a casual stroll around Lake Grasmere ended 4 thirsty hours later with us stumbling into Grasmere village like 2 wild-eyed Polar explorers, desperate for water and their world-famous ginger biscuits.
On Skye, we wandered around the beautiful Quiraing, took about 400 ‘look at us, we’re two cancer survivors climbing over a stile’ photos before I tested he waterproof qualities of my new boots and trousers by firstly plunging knee-deep into an unseen bog before skidding inelegantly down a hill on my Gore-tex’d backside. Sigh.
In Fort William, we walked about 200 miles (or thereabouts) to see Scotland’s 2nd highest waterfall, Steall Falls. Shamefully, we never actually made it as we realised that seeing it up-close would mean missing the start of Scotland’s Rugby World Cup match. We prioritised, took a waterfall selfie from a distance and ran all the way back to our B&B in time for kick-off.
Walking. Harder than it looks. Especially when you have no sense of direction. Or clue. Buy waterproofs. Take a map. You’ve been warned.
3. Catch a train, board a plane.
When in Fort William, it is practically Scottish law that all tourists must take the Jacobite Steam train over the Glenfinnan Viaduct to Mallaig. This is the scenic steam train trip made famous by Harry Potter and his wizarding chums. Greig and I were not immune to this touristy peer pressure but being the great forward-thinking planners that we are, we thought it would be fine to just book our tickets the night before. Hmm.
If, unlike us, you don’t want to go skidding down to the train station at 8am and elbow American pensioners out of the way so you can grab the last two available ‘on the day’ tickets, then it’s probably best to book more than 12 hours in advance. And we definitely recommend flinging cash at a first class cabin with afternoon tea. I’m not sure who was more excited – Greig, at the sight of a working steam train or me, at the sight of free scones.
Once we’d ticked the steam train box, it seemed only reasonable that we add a seaplane to our ‘Scottish modes of transport’ list. My lovely Scottish pal Zoe, who we’d caught up with in Edinburgh, generously surprised us by organising a seaplane ride over Loch Lomond on our last day.
Seeing the beautiful coast of Scotland from the air in a tiny seaplane is not for the faint-hearted but it’s a proper ‘put it on your list’ directive from both of us. We were lucky to have perfect conditions on the day, Loch Lomond was magnificent and I’m pretty sure we spent most of the flight with our faces pressed up to the window, grinning like loons. Big thanks to Zo for such a perfect gift!
4. Go roaming around castles. Pretend you can afford one.
Much like the Harry Potter train, it is considered extremely rude to go to Scotland and not visit their castles with fixed expressions of wonderment and awe. Everyone knows that the Scottish know how to make the best-looking castles in pretty much the whole world so we were keen to pop in on some of them. We ticked a fair few off but here’s our top 3:
Blair Castle, Pitlochry – it’s where Greig’s big brother Barry and his lovely wife Helene got married so there is some family bias here, but it’s a truly beautiful castle with spectacular grounds. Also had a Scotsman playing bagpipes wearing a kilt as we arrived. Tourist tick.
Eilean Donan Castle, Kyle of Lochalsh – apparently holds the title of the most beautiful castle in Scotland and it’s pretty special. Also does a very good bowl of soup though I’m not sure it’s won any awards for that so far…
Edinburgh Castle – we, through absolutely no planning whatsoever, managed to arrive just in time to see and hear the famous 1pm cannon being fired so our touristy faces were pretty smug. We even let the officer who fired it have his photo taken with us.
5. Do Skye & the coastal road to Ullapool. No Instagram filter needed.
On Skye, we found a great little place called Mint Croft, near Dunvegan in the north-west of the island owned by Ali and his wife Shaz. Ali is English, moved up from Manchester and has the look of man profoundly content with his lot in life. He and Shaz bought the old croft and they then spent two years transforming two dilapidated out-buildings into two gorgeous stone lodges.
The views are breathtaking and seeing the spectacular orange and pink sunrises over the water from our lodge turned us, albeit briefly, into the kind of people that willingly get up and go for a brisk stroll while everyone else is still asleep.
If tranquility, relaxation, long walks, limited mobile reception, awesome locals, the best smoked kippers in Britain and a breathtaking backdrop is what you seek, then look no further than the Isle of Skye. It’s just perfect.
Leaving Skye, we headed to Ullapool via the coastal road, taking in Applecross, Plockton and Torridan. We’d been warned this route would take us a bit longer but that it would be worth it. We weren’t disappointed – it’s right up there with New Zealand for awe-inspiring lake, mountain and sunset money shots.
So there it is – Thing.64. Two cancer survivors took a little 10 day trip around the Scottish Highlands and it was genuinely one of the most beautiful, peaceful, soul-soothing places we have ever experienced. A region also inhabited by some of the world’s loveliest people. The perfect tonic for anyone who’s ever been smashed about a bit by illness or indeed for anyone who just needs a well-applied brake to the speed at which we all seem to travel nowadays.
My apologies for the length of this – Trouty will be horrified at my inability to keep it short – but I wanted to try and do Scotland and the Highlands justice without writing an actual guidebook. I hope I succeeded. We know that there is so much that we didn’t get to see this time and so many places up in Scotland and the Highlands still left to explore so let us know what we missed and we’ll try and get there next time!
Love,
VC x
To see more posts from Vicki then please follow her inspirational and hilarious blog The Fellowship of the Ringlets – https://www.facebook.com/groups/fellowshipoftheringlets/ or at www.fellowshipoftheringlets.com
Our 10 Day Itinerary
Lake Windemere & Grasmere (1 night)
Edinburgh (1 night)
Fort William (3 nights)
Isle of Skye (2 nights)
Ullapool (1 night)
Pitlochry (1 night)
Grange-over-Sands (1 night)
Places we visited
The Lakes – Windermere, Grasmere and Rydal Water
Edinburgh
Loch Ness
Fort William
Jacobite steam train over the Glenfinnan Viaduct to Mallaig
Walk to Steal Falls
Eilean Donan Castle
Isle of Skye
The Quiraing Walk & Old Man of Storr.
Plockton
Applecross
Torridan
Lochinver Loop
Blair Castle, Pitlochry
Seaplane over Loch Lomond
Where we stayed
Lake Windermere – Cragwood House
Edinburgh – 23 Mayfield
Fort William – Huntingtower Lodge
Isle of Skye – Mint Croft
Ullapool – The Ceilidh Place
Pitlochry – Dalshian House
Grange-over-Sands – Netherwood Grange
WHAT’S ON YOUR LIST?
WHAT’S ON YOUR LIST?
Firstly gang, a huge thank you to everyone who has bought a 101 T-Shirt or Hoodie so far. Thanks to you, we raised a remarkable £1820 for the Cure Brain Cancer Foundation in memory of a beautiful little girl called Claire who sadly lost her life to this awful disease. I was absolutely overwhelmed with the response and can’t thank you enough.
As wonderful as it was raising this money for such a wonderful cause, that was the not main objective of getting the 101 T-Shirts out there.
The grand plan is to use the 101 T-Shirts as a very much unneeded excuse to get you guys out there ticking off your own ‘to do’ lists, taking cool photos with your 101 tops on and perhaps sharing your stories to help inspire others.
I have received a good few blogs and photos from some of you, which I’ll be sharing very soon, starting with the amazing Vicki Connerty who I had the pleasure of accompanying on a 10 day road trip of the mighty Scotland. As you’ll read, this is a place that should be on everyone’s lists.
Some of you sent in photos of yourselves wearing your T-Shirts which was wonderful, however the plan is to get you out there doing the things you love – it might be something on your to do list or might just be something you love doing and that makes you happy.
I, like so many, only decided to follow my dreams after recovering from cancer for the SECOND time no less. I was so fortunate to have been given a third chance at life which allowed me to really go out there and do the things I’ve always wanted to do.
We shouldn’t need any excuse to do the things that make us happy so get out there and have some fun and share your experience with us.
A new 101 T-Shirt campaign will be starting very shortly for those who haven’t got one yet but for those who have got them, please stop wearing them to sleep in and get out there and use them to have some fun!
If you’d like to share your experiences, suggestions and 101 photos then drop me a line at greig@whenyousurvive.com
Can’t wait to hear for you! Have a great weekend everyone.
X
Photo sent courtesy of the beautiful Sean, Lisa, Annabelle and Holly who took this whilst enjoying the beautiful view at Princess Bay in Wellington, New Zealand.
Annabelle is off to University this week so the gang have spent some valuable family time together before she goes.
I had the immense honour of spending Christmas with this beautiful family when I was in New Zealand and they made it one of the most special christmas’ ever. New friends and family were made for life.
Love this photo so much. Thank you so much guys. Good luck Annabelle! X
A SLIGHT BLIP AND SOME VALUABLE LESSONS
A SLIGHT BLIP AND SOME VALUABLE LESSONS
This looks a lot worse than it is gang so please fear not. I thought I would just write this post and relay some of the things I’ve learned in the past few weeks. I’ve had a wee break from blogging but i’m now back to hopefully bring some 101 joy to what will be a beautiful British springtime. I’ll also be announcing my latest 101 venture soon which I hope will involve coming to visit some of you.
I would first like to apologise for not arranging the 101 February meet up as promised. I’ve been here, there and everywhere lately and suddenly we seem to be approaching March. I’m still trying to figure out how that happened.
A meet up is still very much on the cards and once I have sorted a date and venue I will let you guys know. I really hope you can come along.
HEALTH
I wasn’t going to mention any of this latest health blip but there are parts of it I thought might be beneficial for others to know.
Before I crack on I would first like to say that I think the NHS (National Health Service) is absolutely amazing so this isn’t directed at them as a whole.
However, every now and then you get a doctor who’s a little bit of….an….idiot!
Some of you may remember I wasn’t very well over christmas time. I thought I had some kind of stomach bug and suffered from severe cramps, vomiting and diarrhoea etc etc.
Unfortunately, the same thing happened a couple of weeks ago but a lot worse. After three days of pain and getting rid of every ounce of fluid in my body I decided to go to A+E. The doctor who saw me didn’t listen to much of what I said and he couldn’t wait to get me out of there. He asked the same questions over and over again which made me start clarifying that he’d heard me.
A couple of hours later he then told me I could go. Bearing in mind I have a history of cancer, one kidney, half of my large bowel missing and hadn’t eaten or drunk anything in 3 days, you’d think he would have at least given me more than a half a bag of fluid.
When I asked him about my blood and urine results, he simply said “all fine. You’re fine”.
Three hours later, I get a phone call from him telling me there was blood in my urine and I should see my GP immediately.
My point in telling you this is that I should have been more assertive in what I needed. We all should be. I knew I needed more fluids and was severely dehydrated but I left without a word. Something told me that he hadn’t checked my results properly and should have asked to them. I would understand if they were busy but they weren’t. I’ve had lots of tests and scans since then gang (in a different hospital) and all is looking good. Fingers crossed this is just some kind of annoying bug. Needless to say though that my mind has been working overtime ever since and that alone is exhausting.
HYDRATION
Another thing I’ve learnt is just how important hydration is. That sounds ridiculous I know but I must confess I’ve always given more importance to what I eat than to how much I drink.
Despite giving lots of talks and talking about my medical history all he time I sometimes forget that I’m missing some key water absorbing organs. I don’t drink nearly enough and I don’t think I ever have.
The body is mainly made up of water therefore good hydration benefits a whole host of things including brain functioning, digestion, cell health, heart functioning, muscles and joints and the quality of our skin.
After this little blip I am now drinking more filtered and coconut water than ever before. I have also decided to give up alcohol. I haven’t felt right after drinking for a while now and get really dehydrated even after one glass of wine.
Giving up alcohol is something I’ve toyed with for years but have never taken action on. I perhaps should have given up when I started taking blood thinning medication in 2001 but I never did. I don’t drink much at all anyway so this won’t be a big change to me.
I must confess I have panicked in recent weeks and the thought of being ill again made me realise that I haven’t been as good to my body as I could have been. I’ve had cancer twice and I really don’t want it again. I believe my body is trying to tell me something and it’s time to start listening and be a bit healthier.
If anyone needs a designated driver, i’m your guy!;)
Right gang, big announcement coming soon, 101 gathering is on the cards and also the first guest blog is coming your way next week which I know you are going to love!.
Much love gang and be good to your body
X
SCARS AND BODY DYSMORPHIA
SCARS AND BODY DYSMORPHIA
I had the absolute honour of speaking to 300 amazing students at St Thomas More Catholic Collage in Stoke-on-Trent on Thursday and was able to share a few of the things I have learnt over the past few years.
One of the things I am very passionate about and is something i’ve struggled with throughout most of my life is Body Dysmorphia.
Body Dysmorphic disorder is an anxiety disorder that causes a person to have a distorted view of how they look.
It is incredibly common and at a time when we are bombarded with photos of people who we are told we should look like it can be something that can lead to a whole host of confidence, anxiety and other mental health issues.
I have had scars and other physical issues caused by operations and treatment ever since I was 7 years old.
For years I criticised my body for weak and ugly when in fact I should have been praising it for getting me through everything that I’ve ever been through.
I made this video in 2013 and in it I discuss why we should all love and take pride in our scars and our incredible bodies. (Watch the video here)
I hope this goes someway to helping you overcome your own issues with Body Dysmorphia and always remember…Scars are super sexy! 😉
X
BEFORE I KICK THE BUCKET
BEFORE I KICK THE BUCKET
Some of you may remember that about this time last year I did an interview with BBC Radio 5 Live with an amazing girl called Rowena Kincaid who has terminal breast cancer.
Rowena was diagnosed with terminal secondary breast cancer in 2013 and given just 3-6 months to live.
During this time a friend asked what she had on her bucket list to which Rowena replied “I don’t have a bucket list, do I need one?”. With that she set off to make a programme called Before I kick the Bucket for the BBC exploring whether or not having a bucket list was something she needed to have.
When we spoke on the radio it really got me thinking about the whole idea of needing a list and I thought about it for a long time afterwards. Writing and working towards achieving things on my list really got me through my struggle with PTSD. Just visualising myself succeeding in achieving these things was a big part of snapping me out of the dark hole I was in and helped me start enjoying life again. I therefore concluded that having a to do list was a good thing indeed.
But in the current age of mindfulness I am also aware that we should be happy in the present moment and perhaps not think too much about past or future events. After all the present moment really is all that matters.
Since returning home Row and I have become such great friends. She has to be one of the funniest and most full of life people I have ever met. When chatting to Row it’s hard to believe she has a terminal illness. She is always smiling, always cracking a joke and always ensuring that everyone else is ok.
She told me that she struggled to sleep at night and when I asked if it was because she was anxious she said “no, its because i’m so excited for the following day to start”. Amazing!
On the 3rd December Rowena celebrated her 40th birthday. She has survived over a year longer than doctors had predicted. Cutting edge treatment is of course a major factor in Row still being here but I firmly believe it is also because of her incredible positive mental attitude. She just loves life and has continued to live it to the fullest. Those who have met Row or saw her show will know she is so full of love and energy thats it’s hard not to be in awe in her presence. She is such an inspiration to so many and it is an honour to have her as a friend.
To celebrate her 40th birthday Rowena went all out and hired Cardiff Castle where all the guests turned up in medieval fancy dress. It was an amazing night resulting in Row getting home after 2am! That girl knows how to party! I can’t wait to see what she does for her 41st!
A few days later I celebrated my 36th birthday and it’s safe to say we were a couple of very grateful souls that week. We are definitely the kind of people who will never complain about getting older.
The second part of Row’s show will be shown in the New Year. I have seen clips of it and it is guaranteed to leave a lasting and humbling impression on you. I’ll update you all once we know when it’s on but until then you can keep up with Row’s whereabouts on her Facebook page here:-
https://www.facebook.com/lilmissbucketlist/
Much love everyone and loads of love and healing wishes to Rowena.
X
HAPPY NEW YEAR AND THANK YOU
HAPPY NEW YEAR AND THANK YOU
Yikes! The end of another year! Where is the time going?!
This time last year I was jumping out of a plane at 15,000 feet over New Zealand! What a start to another life changing year!
I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support over this past year.
I always wonder what people take away with them after reading this blog.
Is it ideas for travel, inspiring stories of the people I’ve met or is it just nice to know that there is someone else out there who gets it?
Whatever it might be I just want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for all your help and support. It means the absolute world to me.
2015 was a pretty momentous year. I celebrated my 5 year all clear, finished off my two year trip around the world and the hot chocolate gathering on Richmond Hill turned one of the highlights of not just my year but of my entire life.
All of these things have been absolutely amazing but it has to be the people I have met along the way which has been without doubt the best thing about 2015. There are so many kind and inspiring people out there. Thank you to everyone who made last year so special.
Thanks to you guys we also raised money and awareness for several amazing charities which was just incredible.
I wrote most of this whilst laying in bed feeling rather rubbish which has been the overriding theme of my welcome home Christmas this year. Even though I missed most of Christmas and it didn’t turn out quite how I had envisioned, I am extremely grateful to be back home with my lovely family.
Thankfully my amazing friends and family foresaw this horribleness and saw fit to equip me with the tools to sort myself out for 2016 with things like the campest Nutri Bullet ever, protein and superfood supplements, books on mindfulness, Oddball underpants that show you how to search for (unwanted) lumps (genius) and a hand written book of inspirational quotes to keep me pumped through the dark times. I’m all set for the roller coaster ride that 2016 may bring.
Being home again has brought more challenges than I expected and as I’ve said before it has taken a while to settle back into a ‘normal’ life. I’m still finding my feet but I’m confident 2016 will be the year I find them.
A friend pointed out recently that a lot has happened over the past 5 years; illness, break up, moving house, leaving job, 2 years of travel and now home. These things could explain why I still feel a bit unsettled at the moment. Ha!
Change can be a scary thing but it can also be the best thing that will ever happen to you. Even if it doesn’t seem like it at the time.
I’ve got some exciting things planned for 101 which I hope will help even more people. Thank you so much in advance for being part of it gang and I hope to see some of you at our next meet up.
NEW YEAR, NEW START
I firmly believe that every single second is a chance to start turning it all around but I also like the idea of having a fresh new year as a starting point for change too.
I hope all of your hopes and wishes come true for 2016 and beyond.
If you do decide to write a list of things you’d like to do then make sure you also start making them happen.
Lists don’t get fulfilled on their own and it’s easy to forget that life is not a rehearsal. We only get one shot at this and it’s up to us to make it as amazing and happy as can be.
Wishing you all loads and loads of fun, joy, love, health and happiness for 2016 and beyond. I can’t wait to see what you all get up to.
Thank you for everything lovely people.
Much love
X
MERRY CHRISTMAS 101 AND ALL
MERRY CHRISTMAS 101 AND ALL
Just a wee message to wish all you lovely people a very merry and happy Christmas.
Christmas can be a bit of a rough time for many people so this post is dedicated to all the people out there who are unwell, depressed, lonely, scared, caring for someone and those who will spend Christmas in hospital this year.
My family and I had to spend Christmas in hospital when I was 8 years old. I don’t remember very much but I do remember my amazing doctors and nurses making it so special for us all. They dressed up, sang for us and made sure we all had the best time.
Merry Christmas to all the doctors, nurses and hospital workers out there who ensure that those in hospital are not only looked after but also have the most wonderful Christmas as possible. You guys are amazing!
In 2010 I spent Christmas recovering from an operation to remove part of my bowel. My family made it wonderful as usual but with chemo about to begin I remember feeling extremely scared of what the future might look like.
Little did I know of the wondrous adventures that would follow over the next few years.
I like to think that sometimes the bad experiences only exist so they can help open up the doors to the good stuff in life.
I very much hope for the same joy filled experiences for you in 2016 and beyond.
Wishing you all a very merry Christmas and the healthiest and happiest of New Years.
Much love everyone
Greig
X