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Well, it’s been an interesting time this end of the woods since I last wrote.
I’ve continued researching for the novel in what spare time I had and progressing an ambition of mine in songwriting.
With the family coming to terms with a new arrival in March 2008 (Kayleigh) taking us to three children, life couldn’t of been rosier to be honest.
Yes… sleepless nights were hard and the routine of family life exhausting at times with work around that, we were getting there.
Paula had struggled with a blocked milk duct for about a 3-4 weeks at the time, and with the discovery of the lump under the arm on a Sunday, we were at the Doctors door early on the Monday morning hoping it wasn’t anything serious. To be honest, it was thought to be a cyst because of a blocked milk duct and the fact we’d just removed a blockage from the other breast not 2 months earlier, it seemed probable (and yes, they feel exactly the same).
An ultrasound was done and with something not quite right, a Mammogram was done followed by a biopsy all on the same day. Doctors had said they were pretty sure it was Breast Cancer and expect the biopsy's to come back positive.
So come the 5th January 2009 after test were done, it was confirmed Paula had Breast Cancer and it was not good in terms of how advanced it was. Risks were very high. It was potentially a 8+ centimetre tumour (by physical examination), multiple Lymph nodes infected under the left arm and potentially cancer across the collarbone as there was a 1 centimetre Lymph node at the base of the neck that could be felt.
With that news, we went into shock and felt utter devastation as you would imagine. To be honest, that started way before when the tests were done and the were 99.9% sure (given they have the experience, 100%) is was cancer.
For those in the wilderness of the Internet who take the time to read these entries, I hope you gain an understanding of what Breast Cancer does to a family and what journey through the NHS process is like. I hope you gain an appreciation from a Husbands point of view who has two very different roles as a Father and devoted Husband.
I’ll be attempting to recall this journey up to the present day in the next few updates and will continue blogging as our fate lays itself down before us.
