Member of the Month!

Oh what a feeling!! I am very excited to report that I got 'member of the month for July' with Pink Hope - www.pinkhope.org.au

I cannot tell you how exciting this is. I love that website - it is an AMAZING forum for women and or men who have been affected either directly or through a love one to get together electronically and discuss/give advice etc on our own experiences with either Breast Cancer or Ovarian Cancer.

It feels so good to actually help other women through the same journey - of course everyone is completely different but we all still have some common ground.

It is so liberating to hear of other womens triumphs through the disease. It just makes me wanna scream with joy from the top of my lungs!

I feel so happy today - work was GREAT! I love being surrounded by women who are doing what they can to improve their health. I love motivating them to get through their circuits I love motivating them and given them advice on better nutrition options. It is such a rewarding job!

Tonight I leave you on a very HIGH note - I'm off to spend a nice quiet evening watching a movie with Brad.

x

Make the effort!

What a great weekend I had with Louise! We started our Saturday morning with a double workout of strength/cardio - always a great way to start the day .. we were feeling fit healthy and pumped ... ofcourse nothing is better to then head down to the mall and give your partners credit card a good workout too lol ... Retail Therapy is such bliss!

Last night we decided to head to the cinemas to watch 'the proposal' ooooohhhh how I LOVED this movie! It was such a great light hearted romance comedy ~ yet it also had me thinking .. that buzz you get when you watch two people fall in love on screen .. thats the buzz that I want from so many things in my life ..that really warm fuzzy feeling of happiness, peace and content.

Its so easy to let every day take over and we can tend to lose focus on making the effort with family, friends and loved ones. I know I tend to do it - This movie was a good reliasation that I need to remain concious to not let my days get away from me, to always remain in control and ALWAYS make time with people that matter ... and of course less time on the crap that really doesnt.

My son is so adorable. He always reminds me of an old soul .... he is so caring. Even till today (4 months after my surgery) he will still say, Mama are your boobs ok? Is the sticky tape still holding them mama? Oh my heart melts every time he voices concern! Mama - did you have to go to the Doctors house today? It really does amaze me at how intelligent little people can be. My son is only 4 1/2 and even when he sits on my lap he is always cautious of not leaning back on my chest ..even if I say its ok Mama doesnt hurt anymore he will look at me and say ..just in case Mama I wont I will sit here (on the edge of my knee) ...

Its moments like the above that matter .. not things that we get carried away about like my partner forgetting to take the bins out and the rubbish collector has been and gone - yes ok its annoying but at the end of the day .. who cares .. who cares about things that just plain and simple arent important.

I think we all need to make the time in our lives to often reassess what we have .. what makes our lives rich and obviously not in the sense of $$ .. what we find ourselves wasting time and energy on that makes no difference in the end.

Classic example - I use to before always get in the shits when Brad wouldnt say put his dishes in the dishwasher .. then I would spend the next hour being grumpy and moody .. now I tend to 'remind' him that he needs to put his plate in the dishwasher but I no longer waste my hours harping on about it ... I would rather let him know and move on and enjoy my afternoon with him ... Its little tiny simple things like this that end up making a HUGE difference - not only in the way we spend our time but our stress levels!

So my focus for this coming week is to concetrate on my stress levels - weeding out anything in my life that hinders it and embraces that in which is calming!

On Wednesday I have my 3 month review from my oncologist for my 'SOFT TRIAL" treatment - so far I feel fantastic - side effects are few and far between - I just pray every night that it is infact working. I love and cherish my life so much more now then I ever have and all I want is for my treatment to be working!

Im off to do my groceries for the week - preperation is the key to ensure that all my meals are healthy - its too easy to eat crap if you havent got yourself organised!

x

No more DRAMA!

FUCK ME! I am so cranky tonight! Argghh I cant even begin to type the frustration I am feeling.

I HATE more than anything in this world when people create DRAMA out of nothing - worse still when people turn someones words into their own little dramatised fiasco that is completley and utterly off the topic or track of what the person was saying ...

Anyways the situation above was a case that happend earlier tonight and it just grinds away at me .. What is the point of having free speech if you have to CORRECT people because they 'missunderstood' what was being said - GRRR why cant people stop being so god damn self obsessed and realise that NOT everything that is said is about them!

Im not even going to waste my fingertips on the details of the situation but I am on here to vent as otherwise I would be lying in bed with an abosolute ball of stress in my belly that would probably eat right through my core by sunrise!

This journey is teaching me so many things .. even still till this day - it teaches me the importance of surrounding myself with likeminded people - why waste your time on people who literally suck the engery right from you!

Over the next week I am going to write a list of things that are important for me to have in my life ... everything from work ..friends ... love ... interests ..etc and for what doesnt stack up against my list well ... its time for me to find my inner strength and rid myself from that in which is sucking me dry!

Why is it that when something new in your life is going great other things turn to shit? Why cant there be a moment when just everything ... aboslutely everything is the way its meant to be? Or maybe thats just it .. maybe things are never ever meant to be perfect?

Tomorrow I recieve yet another monthly injection - Joy! However I am looking foward to hitting the gym twice tomorrow with my pal Louise .. ohh more than ever now I am looking forward to it, what a stress relief it will be!

I love spending time with Louise, she really truly gets me. It is funny, we had a big falling out 2 years ago but ever since then we have been inseperable and we now totally get eachother. Nothing is ever taken out of context. Were brutally honest with eachother which is healthy! Sure she shits me at times, Im sure I shit her at times but that is what makes us such good friends - we can let eachother know and there is no hard feelings - we deal with it, or give eachother time and we move on!

I seriously dont know how I would cope throughout my journey if I didnt have her. She has really helped me out when I have needed to vent but most importantly she has really made me feel normal. She doesnt treat me any different at any time, even if Im lying in hospital she wont treat me with the 'poor Sali' technique - she just keeps things normal and for that I love her to death! She knows if I need to talk about it I can bring it up, she doesnt hammer me with questions which I respect!

It is so important to find good friends - nobody is ever perfect but if you can find someone you can really lean on in the hard times, well then I can assure you they are the ones worth holding on to through thick or thin!

So now that I have finished my post on a good note I think Ill be feel good enough to go to bed stressfree .. Ill just think about what a fun girls day I will have tomorrow!

x

A Moment

So Im due to head out the door soon to get a wriggle on at work ..and I mean a wriggle on! I love it - I love dancing all day long, motivating women as they do their circuit! Curves is great and i even enjoy doing the workouts myself - its quick, not easy let me assure you but it is a excellent workout that leaves you feeling great afterwards!

I have noticed this week that I have been running around like a headless chook ...from one Drs appointment to another .. then to work ..then rushing home to get the house cleaned and dinner on the table ...it never ends .. until that is the other morning when I jumped in my car and started reversing out the drive way .. I could hear my reverse beepers going off ..beep beep beep beeeeeeeeeeppppp *BOOM* woopsy! I had just reversed into my partners Audi S4 .. now thankfully my partner is loving and he didnt actually have a hissy that I just smashed into the back of his prized possession ... instead he came out looked and me and said ... Sali please let this be a wake up call that you are running around life too fast these days .. Please start to take some time out for you .. come home and dont worry about cleaning up - just start taking things a little bit easier - get back to having some 'chill' time ...

This is when I realised I had been rushing through life so fast that I was forgetting to enjoy the beauty of reflection - so yes now needless to say if I get home and my day has been hectic .. well the washing can wait till the next day .. instead I make sure I take the time to lie down and just breathe .. thinking about what happended in the day and what lessons i may have learnt ...what I was greatful for (and being sure I made the time to put an entry in my gratitude book)

Its so easy for us all to get caught up in a rush and forget about the most important thing we have ... time for ourselves. I love sitting in absolute silence and just letting my mind tick over. I love taking the time to appreciate my day .. for all of us .. healthy or ill we never know when it will be our last!

x

The Importance of Eating Right!

So I had my second day working at Curves today and I cannot tell you how great it is. It is fantastic to be surrounding myself with likeminded people when it comes to their need, want and desire to make sure they are living a healthy and active lifestyle.

One thing that has got me concerned is the amount of womens misconception on good nutrition.

I was astounded when I watched Biggest Loser America the other night and then again talking to a few members regarding nutrtion. The women who are SO eager to loser kilos fast are all eating or should I say not eating .. its astounds me. Surely we have all learnt that we need to eat atleast 6 meals a day - 3 being your main meals - obviously Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner and then ofcourse your snacks -

On biggest loser it had one of the teams where 2 women lost next to now weight on the scales yet the men and 1 other woman dominated .. when Gillian broke down the point of difference it all came down to their diet. The 2 women who lost next to nothing had only been eating 1 meal aday - totally not enough, where as the successful group had ensure they reached their daily calorie intake... everyone did the same amount of exercise - only thing was for those women who were starving themselves they failed to realise by doing so - they basically turned off their system .. their bodies were holding onto every lil bit of fat as it was in starvation mode.

So its really simple and clear guys - to get good effective results we need to ensure that we are eating 6 meals a day - always ensure that a portion of protein in consumed in each meal and be sure to obviously eat as much fresh organic food as possible and steer clear of processed goods.

I am feeling great - I have so much renewed engery. I am pumped and looking forward to a workout tonight with Brad & Louise - it is always easier to workout with friends/family as the motivation and stirring between eachother helps us all push that lil bit harder.

My scans are coming up soon for my ovary retests - but I am feeling confident with the results.

Off for a lil nap before I hit the gym - x

Right Industry

So this morning I did a workout at Curves (womens only gym) .. man it was actually suprisingly hard. For those of you who dont know it is basically a circuit training session that uses hydraulic machines - these things really manage to build up a sweat .. the resistance is incredible. Anyhow by the end of the my training session I found myself with a shift to start working there as of Monday - wow this is PERFECT! Not only will I now have a job in the industry I am studying towards (Cert III & IV in personal training/fitness) I now also get to work for a company that helps to improve they health and fitness choices of women .. and to make things even better they are HUGE supportes of the Breast Cancer Foundation.

So right now I am on top of the world knowing that my focus and direction and commitement to reaching my goals is slowly coming along.

Looking forward to seeing my pal Louise tonight (she just recently got engaged and I am in her bridal party) so I am SUPER DOOPER excited! No doubt we will spend the night talking all things 'wedding' and our partners will spend the night on Guitar Hero :)

Well I need to go pump up the music and motivate myself to clean the house .. have a good weekend! :)

What a morning ...

Wow, what a morning it has been! I woke up at 6.30 and headed straight down to the gym to do my usual session for the day .. only 5 mins in and I hear on the radio that Michael Jackson has died of a heart attack ..and if that wasnt sad enough for the morning I hear that Farrah Fawcett has unfortunately lost her battle with cancer.

These days, obiviously any story surrounding cancer grabs my attention instantly. It always brings up new fears and not to mention digs up the old ones I try and keep hidden.

As soon as I started reading her story I see that she had a 3 year battle .. after chemo she thought she had defeated it, only to find out it had returned .. That is my greatest fear - the cancer returning ... I have seen to many close people to me battle the bitch of a disease and for a moment have a glimmer of hope that they were now able to live on ... only to have it return shortly thereafter. Again this brings up thoughts about me wanting to eliminate EVERY possible chance of giving my cancer a chance of returning.

I cant help but wonder why my drs wont give me a hysterectomy .. I understand they say I am too you and that after my 5 years of menapause treatment it 'should' be ok - well i am sorry but SHOULD BE is not good enough for me. To me it makes perfectly clear sense .. I have a disease that feeds off of the hormones I produce .. so lets get rid of this hormone making machine ...for good - why the hell will we 'put it to sleep' for 5 years and then see if it ends up coming back? Fuck that - I aint taking any chances. My next review I will be ensuring I persist with them looking further into even removing my ovaries .. the more I hear about stories of cancer survivors dying only a few years into being in remission the more determined I am to do everything in my power to make sure I rule out any chance of that happening to me!

I am going to continue doing the best I can regarding my health and fitness ... I feel strong and love knowing I am doing the best by my body - inside and out .. if anything it is the only thing I can control .. the rest is up to the 'universe' to dictate my outcome.

So today Im going to go for a long walk whilst I listen to some Michael Jackson tracks then Ill head home and watch a 'Farrah Fawcett' movie - makes you re-appreciate life in so many ways!