When people hear that someone has cancer they are often unsure what to do and say. I wasn’t expecting to hear from anyone except for my family but even in my short time in hospital I had an unexpected visit from a friend who brought some mandarins and lots of good cheer.
It wasn’t long before friends from the General Bewilderment Lane (that’s what we originally called our Aqua Fit group when we were Aqua Joggers) were calling to see when they could visit. I was very aware of my low immunity so we agreed on no hugs and even masks on the first few occasions. A knock at my front door one day revealed flowers and soaps from the thoughtful Aqua Joggers.
They arrived in pairs with coffee from Mo at Praha, the coffee shop at the uni pool. He had made it just how I like it. They helped us put the cover on the caravan and move it to its parking space in the back yard. After all, it wasn’t going to be used for a while.
More Aqua Joggers arrived, armed with take away coffee and muffins, but when I worked out my good days I started making coffee for them with my new coffee machine. It is a Breville Barista Pro, replacing my old one which was due for retirement. Another “Why Not?” purchase.
One couple brought us a chicken pie to save on cooking. This was most welcome as my main motivation when cooking is hunger and my appetite had gone.
Out of the blue another group, my daughter’s Book Club, donated Dinner Ladies’ meals to save on cooking.
My daughter had also arranged for John to order some Light and Easy meals. My Hello Fresh subscription supplied three meals a week which still had to be prepared and cooked but required very little thinking. It looked like we weren’t going to starve and I found once the food was in front of me, I could eat it and maintain my weight.
One friend remained quiet for a few weeks. Then I received a message from her asking when we were going out for lunch. It seems she deleted her emails and missed my message about my health crisis. As soon as she found out I had cancer she came over to our house, laden with flowers and rich little cakes from Massimos.
Emails, phonecalls and texts kept me in touch with the outside world. One friend wanted to know all the details of my diagnosis and treatment which gave me free reign to vent.
When I finally returned to Aqua Fit four weeks after my final chemo it was wonderful to catch up with people who had been so kind during my self-imposed isolation. As John and I were having birthdays in April one lovely Aqua Jogger made us a cake which we shared over coffee.
Christmas occurred in the middle of my treatment. My children and grandchildren arrived with promises that I was to sit and watch and do nothing. It was the easiest Christmas I have ever had although I did manage to prepare a trifle in advance and a “do it yourself” prawn cocktail where everyone peeled their own prawns and added lettuce, avocado, mango and homemade sauce. Best of all, the cleaning up was not my responsibility. Instead, I spent a blissful afternoon resting on my bed underneath the fan.
As someone who values independence above all things and is a bit of a loner, it was strange and touching to have so much attention from others. It shows the importance of belonging to groups and has motivated me to help others in a similar situation when and where I can.
The Curry Apple Orchard 