In January 2020, I was about to have a lumpectomy. Although chemo had shrunk my lump considerably, it still needed to be removed. I was keen to see it go. Covid hadn’t yet reared its head and the hospital did not have a dark cloud of fear hanging over it. Of course, it is always a little scary facing the knife. But I had total faith in the legendary Dr Ndhluni and life was a lot simpler twelve months ago. To be honest, it feels as if we’ve been catapulted into a totally new world since then. And this is a different lifetime.
Back then, my days in hospital were taken up with Robert Galbraith’s Strike and Robyn, in between loads of visitors and pampering treats, (which included some sexy new pjs!) A selection of scarves were at hand for visiting hours. My hair had started to make an appearance again, but not enough to show off. I often woke to the smell of roses or freshly brewed coffee. And yes, I did have tubes attached all over my body and showering was a daily mission but yet, it felt like a breeze. The world was still in order and I just had to recover in order to step back into it.
It’s probably a good thing we don’t know what’s around the corner. I was all set for recovery and then radiation. The seroma detour was an unexpected glitch and my journey had to be recalculated. When the Corona Virus entered all our lives, a dual journey began and as with my fellow cancer travellers, things hotted up. Through it all, the Oncology unit at Vincent Pallotti remained and still remains a safe, reliable anchor. There was no question of skipping appointments or postponing treatments. All the staff were on board and ready to serve, as always. So who was I to try and sneak out of anything? I had no option but to step up to the plate!
A year ago, the world was a lot more carefree. Perhaps it was also more careless. We’ve had a sobering, serious journey and it isn’t over. Our new world is still evolving and many of us cannot make sense of it yet. We’re hurting too much right now. But eventually a new earth will emerge. And we’ll look back in disbelief, at this surreal time.
Bring on the future!
