Rally for Bally

Sadly cancer seems to be the common theme in my most recent blog posts, and it's exceptionally difficult to approach such a macabre illness with positivity rather than the morbidity one would normally associate with it.

But after seeing Jamie Murray's response to Elena Baltacha's tragic death from liver cancer last weekend, I felt compelled to write this. He said:

"It is very sad, but it kind of puts things into perspective a little bit. You've got to make the most of every day you have because you never know when your last one might be."

Indeed, just five months ago Elena had retired from professional tennis, was happily planning her wedding, looking forward to the rest of her life; oblivious to the fact that would be just a few months more.

So we should all 'rally for bally' and by that I don't just mean support the event and donate to Royal Marsden Cancer Charity and the Elena Baltacha Academy of Tennis - although we should certainly be doing that too. I mean we should be, as Jamie said, 'making the most of every day', or as I prefer, making the best of everyday. Life really is short and I think a good way to make the most of it is to live like you may have only four months left. For all we know we may.

 

Family, we all need one

Over the past few weeks, for many good reasons, I've been spending a lot of time with my family.

 

I've always been aware how much my family have done for me - over the years I've racked up some debt to them, and I don't just mean the couple of hundred I still owe my Mum from my travels! But going away, and events since I've returned, have brought in to sharp contrast how short I've fallen when it comes to showing my appreciation.

 

But I am beyond grateful for having this wonderful bunch of people I can always depend on, no matter what, and now I'm making the best of everyday by enjoying their company and investing my time in truly appreciating them for all that they are. They're not perfect - after all, who is? - but they're mine, and I love them.

 

So here comes my words of 'wisdom': whoever your family is, whatever you call them (relatives or not), make sure those who are most important to you realise that they are, and enjoy the time you have with them, because it may not last forever.

 

Small boobs, big smiles

This is a blog not about me, but about an inspirational woman I once had the pleasure of working with, Jackie Scully.

Jackie shares my mantra of making the best of everyday; but that alone is not why I felt the need to write this - although the help she gave me when I was starting out work is worthy of a mention in its own right. This post is dedicated to Jackie because in the latest phase of her life, which tragically involves having been diagnosed stage 2, invasive lobular breast cancer, Jackie has not just been 'making the best of everyday', she's completely redefined the concept.

You need only read one post from her blog 'Small boobs, big smiles' to see what an incredibly inspiring woman she is. As well as providing practical advice to anyone else who has, or ever will suffer from the disease, she gives a touching account of her experiences, which in spite of the numerous challenges she's facing somehow always manage to draw a smile.

Jackie's ability to maintain positive and find happiness in the most unusual of places - there's not many people I know that having just had major surgery would be smiling away simply at the idea of hospital mash! - provides inspiration to us all.

So next time a problem comes along I for one, will be thinking of Jackie and her amazing ability to remain positive in the face of cancer, and I know it will help me find the strength to keep smiling too. So thank you Jackie for sharing your experiences - it can't have been easy - and for inspiring me, and I'm sure many others too! :-)