A Mothers Memory.

A word from my Mum.

"As I drove along Rocks Road that day, rushing to meet Andrea at the Medical Centre after her tearful phone call asking me to come - I looked out to sea and thought to myself - today, our lives are going to change forever…

Not for one minute had I previously thought Andrea would have cancer, she had been having regular blood tests for years due to her Graves Disease and surely it would have shown up somewhere? 

But as I sat there listening to the GP with my arm around my fragile little girl I felt the same cold/numb feeling seep through my body that I had felt all those years ago when I was told the same bad news, that no-one wants to hear.

We clung to each other at the back of the medical centre, hugging and crying, trying to make sense of it all. Andrea said 
“I don’t want to die Mum” …

I told her as bravely as I could that she wasn’t going to die and said 
“You will cope with it the same way I did huney - you stare that cancer in the eye and tell it to FUCK OFF!”

The rest of that day and the next week were a blur … having to get Cam home from work to tell him, telling Karl, Kris, Grandma and Grandad … it was all so surreal and hard for us and Cam’s family to come to terms with. I was so glad to have Daryl in my life to comfort and look after me, Bless him but it was Kris who was ‘my rock’ that first week. He kept hugging me and telling me it was all going to be o.k. - I couldn’t have got through those early days without you boy.

Then the fun really began … our emotions were hastily packed into a bag and the cancer ‘journey’ was underway careering down a path where none of us knew where the final destination would be. 
(but this time I was watching my daughter go through it, the same as my mum had done with me.)

Doctors, Oncologists, Scans, Blood tests, Biopsies, IVF injections, Egg harvesting - and that was all before Andrea could even start chemo. It seemed to take forever, but with Cam at her side she took it all in her stride - the little ‘warrior princess’ that she is. 

Once word got out about Andrea’s illness it was truly a wonderful experience for us all to feel completely engulfed in love, friendship and support from SO many people. As our family friend Larry Rhodes put it “we are just circling the wagon and making sure you are all o.k” and that is exactly how it felt. Family, friends, work mates, judo mates, theatre buddies, old school friends, it felt like every single person who had played a part in our lives was sending their love, positive thoughts, or were praying for us - and believe me we felt it !! Thank you all from the bottom of our hearts, every txt, email, card, gift, phone call, bunch of flowers, hug, smile has helped us get through Andrea’s journey so far.

Im so proud of Andrea and Cam, they have had do deal with so much over the last couple of years, first 
the chch earthquakes, then this - a lot of couples would have struggled under the pressure, and Im sure there have been times when they have been ‘wobbly’ and ‘weary of it all’ - but to their credit they are blasting their way through any obstacle that comes their way and will come out the other side of it all stronger than ever.

Love you both heaps, and Andrea (alias: Basil, alias: Flossie) you keep walking straight down the middle of that ‘cancer path’ head held high and with the positive attitude you have I look forward to sharing with you the celebratory champagne when you too are cancer free!

Love you

Mum xo"




Take today to simply thank your Mum for all that she does. I hope all the Mummies reading this have a lovely day.
I love you Mummy.
A.x