How long have I got?

The proofreader has died. May he rest in peas.

Joke

After my diagnosis in July, I did not Google the life expectancy for my type of cancer; stage 4 metastatic breast cancer spread to the spine; as I would rather not know. Anyway, everyone is different and I am praying and hoping for miraculous healing.

But, I have been told that some people live 10 years of good quality life after diagnosis. I have also heard that 3 years is the average life expectancy.

Macmillan’s website confirms that some people live for several years, while the average is only 2 years! Two years… my daughter will only be 12 then. Which teenage girl can succeed without a mother? My son will probably be at uni. Will he be able to finish his course? Will my husband Mike be isolated after the kids have left home?

But, my oncologist said that I should be able to survive for ‘several’ years; that is dependent on my being able to stick to my (previously horrific) initial treatment plan, which now includes a newly discovered ‘wonder’ drug that shows good outcomes.

However, if I get half the side effects that I had on the drugs after my primary diagnosis, then I will not be able to cope with the treatment for more than a few months.

I have always believed that quality of life (incl. peace, some joy and being able to make happy memories with my kids) is more important than dragging my years out in some shadowy existence where I try desperately to not be consumed by extreme anxiety, anger and all-encompasing misery. It’s not a lot of fun.

In a (rather pathetic) act of hope, I have bought myself a 5 year journal. If I write in it every day, then I need to live for at least 5 years, right?

Having struggled to write a journal since my son’s death 4 years ago, this is a big step for me. Before that, I was fairly prolific since childhood. But only having a tiny amount of space to write in each day is so freeing, and sometimes I wish there was more space. 🙂

It feels good to carry out this tiny act of faith. And also my kids will be able to read it after my death, and find out what a boring person I really am. I know that I should write them both letters and diary entries about memories with them too, but at the moment that feels like too much pressure.

Although I am not afraid of dying, I am worried about abandoning my kids when they are so young, and my husband, who is so disabled by long covid. Who will remember to buy the milk when we run out and send birthday cards and gifts when I am gone?

There is a long list of things that I want to do while I am still physically able. But having limited money and energy makes it hard. I am not sure what I want to prioritise. I want to be selfish and buy books and art supplies, but also spend time with my family and give the kids some treats and happy memories before they become bereaved for a second time.

I want to go back to work soon, partly for normality and because I love the job, and partly because we need the money. But I can imagine how exhausted I will be then, so art and fun will be pushed to the side while I fight to keep going with work, housework, parenting, caring, life admin, treatment side-effects and becoming more poorly over time. It’s like a complicated puzzle, trying to fit all of the pieces together.

I hate puzzles: no matter how much you struggle to solve them, the outcome has already decided by someone else. And you probably lose a vital piece along the way.

“It is not death that a man should fear, but rather he should fear never beginning to live.”

Marcus Aurelius

Hope when it’s hopeless

I am going to come right out with it,  something that’s been bothering me for a while: Christians are not always that helpful. Christians are not always great when you are having a terrible time. Sometimes they say stupid, ignorant things. Sometimes they ignore you because that’s easier for them. Sometimes they throw inappropriate and out-of-context Bible passages at you like so many bricks, then walk away smugly, thinking that they have helped, when in fact all they do is make you want to stop going to church, simply to avoid people like them.

Yes, it’s harsh but it’s true. Thank goodness that I put my hope in Christ, and not people. That’s the problem with putting all of your faith in someone human, no matter how much they love you, one day they are going to let you down.

Before I get lots of defensive replies, let me also add that sometimes Christians are literally a God-send. Sometimes they are the perfect friend at the right time, and even though they don’t know what to say; even though they may have never been through trauma, they are still kind. They still give you a little bit of joy or peace.

And, of course, non-Christian friends are wonderful too. If you haven’t got any friends who are not believers, you are missing out. People don’t need to have faith to be kind, honest or generous.

I am in the club with the most expensive membership fee, the club that nobody wants to join: people whose child has died.

Meeting other people who have lost a child can be helpful, tiring and sometimes really sad. I found myself recently in a bereaved parents’ group, and honestly I felt so sad for them. A bit sad for myself certainly, but mostly for them. I was thinking about why I felt this way, amd I think that it’s because even in the most hopeless of circumstances, I have hope.

People who don’t believe in God think that they will never see their child again. If you haven’t had a child die, you have no idea what this is like, but try to imagine it for a second. Most people won’t, because our brains try to protect us from harm. And the death of a beloved child is the most harmful thing that our bodies, minds and spirits will ever have to face. I have had life-threatening cancer at a fairly young age, and I can confirm that this is a walk in the park compared with holding your baby as he breathes his last.

The thought of never seeing your beautiful child ever again for me is the definition of hopelessness. It is sadness, dismay, emptiness, fear and pretty much all of the bad things, rolled into one.

But I do believe that I will see my Samuel again. I did not want him to be ill, I did not want him to die. I get cross with God for putting us through this. It is completely unfair. Please do not tell me that this will work together for our good. But I do know, as much as I know anything, that one day I will see him in Heaven. I will hug him, I will be overjoyed. I have to, probably, want a long time for this meeting. But I look forward to it.

I have hope in the hopless situation, because I know God.

If I did not believe that God loves me and gave up his only son to die on the cross for me, and that he is looking after Samuel for me, I would be inconsolable. I would fall into the depths of despair. Nobody’s kind words or saying that he is a star or a butterfly or an angel now, would help. Superstition and traditions ring hollow. The only person that I put all of my hope into is Jesus. The only thing that shouts truth to me, is what is written in the Bible.

I have faced my own mortality head-on, and it does not scare me. I know where I am going. I know where my baby is. No popular culture or secular academic argument will ever sway me. I must either be completely deluded, or right.

How do I have hope? Even though I am traumatised, harrassed, been physically and mentally ill, grieving, incredibly sad and sometimes very angry? Because I know that God loves me. I don’t know why life has to be so flipping  hard, but I know that he will never let me down.

 

 

 

 

Autumn returns

The leaves are turning yellow and orange again. The air feels cooler, and night falls more swiftly. I love Autumn because it is beautiful, but also because it reminds me about the briefness of life.

Summer seemed never-ending, and was it really that hot? But here we are at the start of a new season. And soon it will be winter, with its icy dark days and bleak trees. What could be good about winter, besides the first few hours of snow, and hot chocolate?

I think that without the reminder of our own mortality, life is all too easily taken for granted. Knowing that one day we will die, reminds us to enjoy what little time we have; to make the most of what we’ve been given; to hug our loved ones more tightly.

And after the emptiness of winter, we know that a new life awaits us. We look forward to it. Death and life are opposites, yet like two sides of the same coin. There is no need to fear winter, because one day spring will arrive.

For now, I will breathe in the scent of woodsmoke, delight in the colours, and be grateful that I am here to enjoy another Autumn.