One year ago, on 13 November 2023, my father Robert Pender passed away in Strathcarron Hospice from cancer. It was a long and difficult journey both for my dad, and for those who loved him: his children, his mother, and most of all his wonderful wife Libby. During that journey, my father put great effort into…
Believe it or not, it is exactly one year ago today that I contacted the GP surgery with my current condition. Believe it or not, I thought I had an infection. If you read my blog from the start of this series, you will find that it was just a wee bit more complicated. It…
I should have written this way back at the start of July, but things got in the way. In my last post I was saying that the CT scan had been delayed and that they had decided to extend my chemo a bit. I’m glad to say that they managed to fit me in for…
There are a lot of things happen when you get chemotherapy, but everyone is different and it all depends on the recipe of drugs which they put into you for your particular cancer. Most people tend to think that hair loss is going to happen, and most people are told that it will. With me,…
So, did I buy the turbo trainer, or didn’t I? Well, the answer to that is easy – it’s yes. Yes to both questions!
To buy or not to buy, that is the question. But before we get to the answer, it would be a good idea to let you now how I actually got to the question. The last few weeks have had a few problems laced through them. The first problem was just over three weeks ago…
I have only just this minute realised that it is exactly 7 months ago today that I first went to the doctor at the start of a journey that has taken me through the deepest valleys and the steepest mountains of my life. During these months, I have been told I am close to death…
If you have been following my blog you will know that in November last year I was diagnosed as having terminal cancer. In episode 8 of this series, I described how the oncologist told me that if I did not get chemotherapy I would have two or three months to live. If I had chemo,…
In my last post I was saying how things have changed quite dramatically for me. There would be no going back to certain bits of my life, like long walks, long cycle rides and going to the gym. I took comfort from the fact that I had actually had a time in my life where…
Libby and I had our second date in St Andrews over 24 years ago. It was a picnic in the sand dunes. It was wonderful – even though it was November! Since then, St Andrews has always been a special place for us and we have been so many times, walking along the wonderful beach,…
Christmas was, as I had expected, the best Christmas ever and it was so good to see everyone! We loved every minute of it, so I won’t mention a single one in case it takes precedence over any other! It was all wonderful. Unfortunately, it came to an end, and the family all started going…
Libby and I are looking forward to our best Christmas ever this year. Obviously, the way that things have changed in our lives has had a fairly major impact on the way we think about things and plan for them. These changes have also changed how we think about the future, the present and the…