A message from mum

Day 206- Sunday

Work today! Feel tired by the time I leave with upper back stiffness, so unfit!

Mum has written something for the blog as it is her last week…

I'm off home in a few days, back to boring England! It has been a hard seven months, a real rollercoaster of emotions. I've had some of the worst times of my life here. Hearing the Doctor say that your child has cancer is hard enough but watching her go through six months of grueling chemo with all the awful side effects is heartbreaking. But as a mum it was my job to keep her positive and upbeat, even when I felt like running and never stopping. What do you say when your much loved firstborn makes you promise that you won't let her die a slow painful death, if chemo doesn't work. You tell her she will be fine and promise that you will take her to that clinic in the Swiss village. I now fully understand how those families help their loved ones who choose that route.

I've also had some of the best times here. Dubai is something else. Like Venice it's a place that everyone should visit. The day Dr Salti told us the spots on her liver were not as bad as they all thought, that chemo was working and she could start it again. So in a few days her odds went from 10 to 70% of the cancer not coming back. Thank god Derek, Sue and the girls were here. I really needed them! Hope it hasn't put them off Dubai, Karama wants them back! Christmas was great, Tom and Holly were here and Laura was in great form. Xmas lunch at the Westin came complete with Santa on a camel!! We could even laugh at Tom's colonoscopy. He was so funny! We loved watching them swimming with the dolphins especially when the dolphin refused to kiss Tom! Looking back I think we have laughed more than we have cried. I know Laura did when I arrived back from a break in England sporting a new haircut. That got her through chemo that day!

Buddy has been a great distraction as has Holly moving here. They have at times driven me mad. Buddy thinks I'm a dog so he's either biting me or trying to hump me! Holly's life is full of drama, she has kept us all amused! We have even managed to laugh at Laura's hair loss! I now just blow dry it so she looks like a relic from the 60s! nice bouffant! Not forgetting poor Matt, he's had to put up with a Monster-in -law! One who has completely taken over. I would like to thank him for letting me take centre stage in Laura's care, I couldn't have watched from the sidelines.

So I cooked, ironed, painted, sewed and cleaned. God how I've hated the cooking! I'm terrible at it. And as Laura wouldn't eat red meat it was chicken every night! I'm never ever going to open a Jamie Oliver cookbook again. Even he ran out of ways to cook a bloody chicken!!! Funny thing is that whenever we ate out we all seemed to pick a chicken dish!

The best thing by far that Laura did was write her blog. From day one it has given her a reason to get up. We have spent many a day laughing about who will play who in the film of the blog. As long as George Clooney played my love interest and Rod Stewart sung the sound track I was happy! Even on her really low days she wrote a few lines or got Matt too, then she would moan at him that it wasn't up to scratch!

I can't believe how much love and support she has received. All your messages have kept her going. Every morning when she turns her laptop on there are messages .So I want to thank each and everyone of you. Her friends here in Dubai have been amazing and her patients have been unreal. Where else in the world would you have patients coming to visit you in your home, bringing flowers, cakes, shoes and even letting you use their driver on chemo days!! Everyone has been such a good friend to her. They have made me feel so welcome, letting me join them for nights out and brunches, even after I got hammered and disgraced myself at one of them! Everyone has gone the extra mile, literally in some cases with the run in Jan. I feel happier leaving her knowing that you will all keep an eye on her for me. Friends and family everywhere have been great. Cancer certainly shows you who your friends really are. Matt calls them chips down people!

Laura's cancer has shown us all what's important in life. Don't waste your life moaning about what you haven't got, be happy with what you have. Easy to say but you never know what's around the corner.

It's going to be really hard to leave here, especially now that Holly is living here. But I leave knowing Laura is once again well and can get on with living her life. She has been so brave, I'm so proud of her. It will be hard for her not to worry about every little pain but she's a strong girl so will cope ok. Holly is really happy living in the Marina, she has an amazing view to wake up to every day. Earning lots of Dirhams and living with a great flat mate.

So I'm going home fatter (bloody Dubai food!), looking and feeling 50 years older! (Oil of Ulay doesn't work, 9 out of 10 women are wrong!) The girls say I'm too brown, looking a bit like leather was their expression. Madge from Benidorm series another!! I'm looking forward to catching up with family and meeting my new great niece, Poppy. Not to mention seeing golden balls as matt calls Tom! Sadly I failed to meet a rich sheikh to whisk me away, so it's back home to join Match.com!!

 P.S Matt has told me they are moving soon and that he will post me their new address…but they don't have a postal service here.......

And mum's song choice for today…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WU8X4tgIBXw