Food glorious food — Gladrags & Bags

Last week I had the pleasure of afternoon tea with an old school friend, it could be said that our catch up was long overdue. Some 29 years since we left school and last saw each other but it’s funny how life pans out.

Towards the end of last year Donna contacted me, she had been diagnosed with bowel cancer, my openness with my cancer means (hopefully) that people can feel free to ask me anything, I’m very open and very honest about what I went through. There will always be questions buzzing round your head after a shock diagnosis. Some I can answer, some sadly I can’t.

Donna had to have surgery very quickly, her protocol was different to mine.

I had chemotherapy, radiotherapy and then the AP resection.

Donna had bowel surgery, then lung surgery and is now (as of today) half way through Chemo.

There are a few different types of bowel cancer. You could say I got lucky with mine, mine was an older persons cancer, a slow growing one. Mine had been a tumour for about 5-7 years (yes, it did cause symptoms all that time, bleeding, excruciating pain, change in bowel habits and yes I was back and forth to the doctors for a long time but always told the same thing, piles and IBS. And as far as I’m aware Fybogel and Preparation H are not a known cure for cancer).

Donna’s Cancer was a faster pace grower, sadly that tends to be the case the younger you are. Donna’s surgeon was able to cut and shut her bowel without the need of a bag, even though she had a very large tumour by the time it was found she had enough spare bowel either side to reattach it. Well you know what they say it’s all about location, location, location.

While going through all this horrible experience she had enough space free in her heart and mind to think of others, while most of us (myself included) would be running round like headless chickens, she found time to have her beautiful long hair cut short and donated a large pony tail of hair to a charity that makes wigs for children with cancer.

People going through cancer hate being told they’re brave or a hero, because when you’re going through cancer you don’t feel brave or heroic, you just keep ploughing on through treatment with the hope it’ll all turn out for the best. But thinking of others while you’re going through such a traumatic time makes you pretty darn close to being a hero in my book.

It was lovely to catch up with Donna, I’m sure we’ll do it again sometime soon too, we’ll probably not leave it another 29 years! ;)

I hope and pray that doctors will stop taking notice of nonsensical statistics when dealing with people. I was told and Donna was told and countless other people I have spoken to were told those famous last words “oh, you’re far too young for cancer”

For starters babies can be born with cancer so that rather does blow that theory out the water, and although I absolutely appreciate it’s unusual for younger people to develop cancer it’s not impossible so let’s stop the pretence and run tests sooner rather than later. If it looks like a duck and quacks like a duck...

If the symptoms are present, and I for one know mine were extremely present for many years then please let’s stop this too young crap and start checking for nasties.

My advice now, is if you’re really not happy with what you are being told by your doctor, go back and insist on further investigation.

It was a really lovely afternoon and a very very nice afternoon tea.

It was rather a foodie week as it happens, Matt invited Chris and I up to London for a meal to surprise our friend Kim.

We got there early so we could be lying in wait hahahahaha, that made it sound a little more intense and creepy than it was, we just needed to be there to do the big reveal, I saw them approaching the restaurant so I suggested we hide behind our menus, and then we did the whole “Ta-daaa!”

From Kim’s point of view, not knowing we were there she saw two “weirdo’s” sitting, completely obscured by said menus, she was just about to tell the waiter she’d rather sit as far away from those two as possible when we revealed ourselves much to her delight. Not least because she didn’t have to sit near two such oddballs. Hahahahaha.

I think I have convinced Kim that this is how menus should be read.

I needed to wear a dress, although my afternoon tea earlier in the week had been delicious the carb loading and sheer gluttony on my part had caused a bit of a belly ache, so the thought of wearing trousers didn’t appeal to me.

Dress from Hobbs, Tights from Tesco, Boots from Hobbs, Bag from Christian Dior. Sunglasses from Jimmy Choo

Comfort comes first, this rule only applies to clothes as very few of my shoes are ever comfy, it’s not even something I look for in a shoe most of the time! Hahahahaha, aesthetics first, comfort’s a bonus ;)

The food in Hix was amazing. And with yet another heavy belly we headed off home.

On Saturday, kim’s actual birthday I arranged a big brunch at ours, as she’s mother to 9 month old twins day time parties are the way forward for the foreseeable future ;)