ONLY NINE DAYS UNTIL MY BOOK LAUNCH

12th April 2010

Last night I woke with terrible knee and ankle pain it brought tears to my eyes and poor Mum had to make me a hot water bottle and rub my knee and ankle. Then Tinkerbelle thought it must be morning time and started to play and it was only 2am!

I think Autumn has hit us now because it was cold this morning, almost time to put our heating on in the house. My head was so cold because I am still waiting for my hair to grow in some places but there is just nothing coming through, I have three quite large bald patches. I wonder if people who are bald feel like I do, I wonder if they have to wear something on their head to bed to keep their heads warm. I think that tonight I will wear a beanie to bed because when your head is cold the rest of your body just can't seem to get warm.

We went grocery shopping this morning and I enjoyed that, I asked Mum to buy some ingredients so I could make little cup cakes and vanilla shortbread. After that we went to Jarrett's podiatrists appointment, I also wear orthotics but I have not had to see them because my feet have shrunk, I was a size 5 now I can wear size 3 and 4. The receptionist recognised me from the paper and she was telling me about her teenage daughter who had leukemia when she was 14 and she is now 17 and really enjoying life. Stories like hers are really uplifting and show you that people can beat their cancer.

Jarrett had to run today and I asked if we could go to school and run the Cross Country course. Mum pushed me around it, some parts of the course are really bumpy and I had to lift my feet off the footrests of my wheelchair as the vibration from the rough surface was making my legs hurt. There are some ditches as well which you have to be fairly professional at pushing a wheelchair to navigate, luckily Mum is a master at it. After we had done two laps which is roughly two kilometres I asked Mum if I could practise my walking on the oval which is where the finish line is and remember that a goal I have set myself is to try to walk the last one hundred metres of the Cross Country Course. The grass is thick and uneven and I was very unbalanced at first but Mum gave me support on my right side and helped me and then I could balance. I walked about eight metres but then I was in lots of pain and was very wobbly, even though I was wearing my brace so I decided not to push as I want to be able to do the actual Cross Country. I really think the weather affects any weak area on a persons body. I felt a little disappointed it was not further but I was still proud that I walked that little distance and next time I might be able to walk further and that would be a personal best.

I then continued with my paintings, which I have said previously I am very excited about because they are all so original. We also played a game of Upwords which as you know I really enjoy doing. I also did some more of my knitting, I am knitting a scarf now for Theodore his scarf is all faded and worn, it faded when he came and had radiotherapy with me, it only has ten stitches on it so it is much easier to do than mine with the forty stitches.

Luke sent us a few of the photographs that he took yesterday to have a look at, they all looked magnificent, I really liked one of me that was in black and white and close up. Guess what?, there was also one of Tinkerbelle and she looked so cute. I am really glad that we met Luke because now we can have some photographs to remind us of that special day.

Tess has been working so hard on sending out invitations and organising lots of other things for my book launch. I can't believe it is getting so close, I really hope that I can sell all two thousand copies and maybe have more printed. I so hope people will want to read my book and at the same time enjoy reading it.

Quite a few people from interstate let me know today that they watched the Stateline program online and were really moved by it and commented on how beautifully Chris had told the story, I am so grateful to him, he is a very special person. Lots of people have said that they cried, I cried too. When children have cancer it is so awful because they are only young and have not yet got to live very much of their lives. I hope to live for as long as I can so that I can keep helping and inspiring other people.