Celebratory Lunch

I had a celebratory lunch today. I was celebrating the fact I didn't have any sickness or nausea for the third day running. And also my lovely friends birthday.

My friend is so lovely that on her birthday last week she sent me a new top in the post. I only managed to send her a card, thinking I was seeing her today so I would pass on my gift to her then. I felt rather bad about the fact that I was the one with the gift last week.

We have been friends for about 5 years now. In fact, the circumstances of my initial diagnosis led to us becoming good friends. I didn't know her that well then, more a friend of friends. She had just qualified as a reflexologist having left a very successful career as a solicitor. Law just wasn't for her. And in her thirties she found herself able to retrain. So when she heard I wasn't well she offered to give me some reflexology to help get me through my first, and back then we thought it would be my only, course of chemotherapy. I didn't even know what reflexology was. But she gave me the wonderful gift of visiting me at home a couple of times a week, giving me treatments, and chatting and encouraging me.

Since then we have remained good friends. I have had lots more reflexology since then from her. I have no idea why rubbing certain points on your feet can have the impact that it does. I believe we are fearfully and wonderfully made and all I can say is I have left with migraines cleared, slept better, and also found it particularly helpful at alleviating the side effects of various hormone treatments I been prescribed.

But more than that we have shared our laughter and tears. Ups and downs of each others lives. And although I would never of chosen the circumstances of us becoming friends, I am really grateful to have her in my life.

She has just had a little boy so it is limited how much reflexology I can have from her right now. But she was offering me to turn up to her home in my PJ's and use out in her spare room, her bath, anything really and be in chemo land in her beautiful home and she would look after me any time. I will have to see whether I take her up on it but I promised I would think about it.

Life may have dealt me some really tough cards but I know I do have some really lovely friends. I know I didn't need to get cancer to tell me that, but to feel the strength of their support is something really quite wonderful.