I am a 50 something woman who a few years ago, had her world change forever. My husband of over 20 years was diagnosed with leukaemia. After 5 rounds of chemo and a bone marrow transplant John’s body just could not cope any more and on Boxing Day 2006 the machines were turned off. Life as we knew it would never be the same again.
I have always been quiet and slightly afraid to take on the world but that took away any confidence of who I was as a person.
Recently I have come to the realisation that no one except me can do anything about how I feel so this blog is a place to document and be accountable for the journey of discovery – or perhaps the re-discovery – of the person who is me! It will eventuallybe a place to share my story in a book appropriately called ‘One Woman’s Journey’, but until then it is a place to share what I have learnt and what I am still learning, in the hope that it will help even just one person to know there is a life after the loss of a loved one and that no matter how they chose to deal with that loss there is no wrong way to grieve.
And a little bit more ...
I was born in New Zealand, my parents were farmers but when I was 6 we moved to the beach and that began my life long affinity to water - I LOVE the beach.
My parents split when I was 7 but my childhood, looking back, was pretty darn good. I lived in a small town which convieniently had a training hospital as the only thing I ever wanted to be was a nurse.
After I registered I worked in Texas for a year, living with 2 other kiwis and and Aussie girl, then 2 of us moved onto London which is where I met my Australian husband John.
After living and working in London for a couple of years, we went back to New Zealand, (much to his parent's horror!), got married, had 2 gorgeous sons and when Brendan was 5 weeks old and Ian 27 months we moved to Australia spending the first 4 months living in a tiny 2 bed-roomed semi with my in-laws. Post natal depression anyone?
We had a fairly stressful few years with health issues for the 2 boys, John's parents and my mother and in the middle had another baby but we survived and life was pretty good until July 2006 when John was diagnosed with leukaemia. After 5 rounds of chemo and a bone marrow transplant John's body just could not cope any more and on Boxing Day 2006 the machines were turned off and our family changed forever.
The next 3 years were the most difficult of my life, and I still have moments, but it is time to become the person I was meant to be and the journey has begun .....
a terrible copy - but us early 2006
John - September 2006
The boys - November 2009
