Well it’s all about anniversaries, my last blog celebrated a year since being diagnosed, this blog celebrates 12 weeks since my voice box was removed and I became a Laryngectomee. Wow how time flys when you’ve had your throat cut and lose your voice, and two of your senses(taste and smell)😀 and it continues to be an ever changing, life affirming series of events.
Over the last month I have been pushing the boundaries, sometimes to far and have had to pause but it is the only way I know, the quote above sums up the recent weeks very succinctly (just ask my long suffering wife of 24 years – shit now that is an anniversary 👰🏼🎊).
The last month has also shown me the true value of friendship, the support we have received has been truly inspiring – I always said social media was a waste of time – well the comments I have received over the last 12 months have blown me away and have fuelled my recovery.
Cancer in whatever form it takes is debilitating, whether physically or mentally and what I have learned over the last twelve months is to value and fight for every minute we have. Also try and face the illness with an attitude of hope and look for the positives – since surgery I no longer have a double chin; I can no longer get out of breath; free prescriptions for life, I mean come on what could be better👌 People find this attitude to be a little flippant, I am sorry but positivity is the only weapon we have to fight this terrible illness.
I have also in the last week had my first official follow-up with my surgeon, and everything is looking good and will be revisiting my friends on the head and neck ward in November to have another operation to fit my speech valve. Basically it is a non return valve fitted between my food pipe and wind pipe, this should allow me to direct breath so as to be able to speak again👏🏻. I had a test run at the hospital where they shoved a rubber tube up my nose and connected the other end to my stoma and bugger me I could talk. To say it surprised Ann and I would be an understatement, and just to annoy her one of my first words was ‘fuck’, after 18 months I could here my proper voice with an accent.
I am also in the last week of training for the Cardiff Half Marathon, and have received the invaluable support and help of Rory Coleman in preparing. I met Rory at RunfestRun in May just after the Cancer had returned when Gabby and I sat in on a talk by someone who had run over 1,000 marathons, it blew me away as he told of his battles with serious illness and his single mindedness to return stronger. I went up after the talk to pass on my thoughts and ask advice – the response was contact me after the surgery and we will get together. The rest as they say is history, I am proud to say I am being coached by someone who has completed 15 Marathon des Sables – check out his website http://www.colemancoaching.co.uk truly inspirational.
This the first of many goals over the coming months that I am planning to achieve, Cardiff is for me, but over the next 12 months I am aiming to raise money for a variety of cancer charities through completing various events on a monthly basis. Confirmed to date are an Ultra Marathon, several duathlons, hopefully the London Marathon and many more – I will be setting up a just giving page any help would be appreciated.
Hopefully my next blog will be about how wonderful the Cardiff Half was, but if nothing else I will be seeing friends I haven’t seen for a long time and proving to myself that I can still do stuff. Anyway I need to go as Wheeler Dealers is about to start and this repeat is about a Ford Escort – I know how to live 👌👌
Cheers Rich
My Battle with Cancer 