Monday 16th March 2009

Not much to report except that SARAH WALKED TO HER FRIENDS HOUSE UP THE ROAD WITH NO CRUTCHES YESTERDAY!!!! OK, I held her hand, and she took loads of persuading, but she did it! She even managed to do proper walking steps, NOT big old limping steps, but PROPER steps.I was hoping this was the start of throwing thoses crutches away, but they have become so much part of her life, I think it will be as hard as giving up smoking! They are now more of a habit - she can walk without them, but doesn't want to-she feels safe with them, feels steady on them, and can move so much more quickly with them, that she just NEEDS them.........for now anyway.They are sort of welded to her hands!!When she walks, I have to remind her to walk slowly - then she actually steps as she should, and follows through with her other foot. Then its not a limp, but a step. When she rushes, she stomps and walks with a big jolt of the hip, which really isn't good. Still, it was a start, and it was great to see her walking up the road in the sunshine. As soon as she saw her friend from next door, she let go of my hand and pretended to do it by herself too - she obviously wants to show everyone she is almost back to normal!
Wednesday night is swimming gala, with Sarah in the butterfly race for the individual race and the medley relay - she's a bit embarassed that she won't be able to dive, and thinks everyone will be looking at her, but good for her she's even entered - and in the most difficult race of them all!!She's only doing it because no one else wanted to do butterfly! Not bad for a girl who only 14 weeks ago was till having chemotherapy!! I'm so proud of her I could burst!! I almost want to announce to everyone what she has been through before she starts, so they are as proud of her as I am, but that just wouldn't do!! Even if she comes last, I will give her the biggest cheer I can and wipe a small tear of pride away. This time last year she was swimming in the year 6 gala, with a sore leg, but still winning her race.How things have changed.Little did we know what was in store. It has come to the time, this time last year when things were being investigated. I find myself saying daily 'This time last year you were going for your first x-ray' and ' this time last year was when you fell over at the Middlesex Mini hockey tournament and screamed the place down'. Next week it will be the anniversary of her biopsy, and 7th April will be 1 year to the day when she was diagnosed with the 'BIG C'.I hope we have many, many more anniversaries like this, and all of then uneventful and not even worth talking about!.
On another note-God bless Jade Goody-not so lucky but just as brave. Sleep peacefully when its your time to go.xx