Archie is flying through the air and the big tom from next door is waiting to pounce again. Zena is barking wildly and running as fast as her three legs can carry her. My breath is coming in short gasps. She has to get there in time. A gentle voice breaks through the panic. I don’t understand the question being posed…

“Would you like to see it?”

I hesitated for a moment. “No. No I wouldn’t.”

The young nurse looked surprised. I felt the need to explain. “It’s behind me now. I’m not looking back.”

And so it is. The cancerous lump is gone. I am still trying to get my head around it. And yes, a glass of bubbly is on the cards. Excitement is just under the surface. I am encouraging it to break forth. Is this the end of my journey? No. There is still the recovery period and then radiation. But it is the end of this part and that’s a celebration in itself. Life doesn’t come with any guarantees, which makes it even more important to acknowledge success.

My hospital stay went surprisingly quickly. The medical team were magnificent and work together like a well oiled machine. I would be hard pressed to find better care anywhere else in the world and feel blessed beyond words. It’s tempting to try and mention every single member of the squad by name. But I’ve learned the hard way… the one you leave out in error, comes back to bite you in the bum. So, Doctors Ndhluni, Barker et al, sisters and nurses, physios and caterers, everyone at the Kingsbury,  thank you, thank you, thank you!

Come to think of it, my white coat syndrome has been struck a fatal blow too. It took long enough…but gone it is. Phobias are never rational and I had resigned myself to living with this one. And hey presto, it’s disappeared in a puff.

Despite convincing arguments to the contrary, healing is not an either/ or situation. It’s a matter of choosing the treatments you need. As I’ve said, mine include the big guns of medicine, as well as many other modalities. Cat therapy is definitely up there with the best. Appealing to the man upstairs and trust in divine timing, is a given too. Homeopathy, hypnosis, energy healing,  sound therapy, meditation and of course family and friends…all form part of my cobbled together version of an integrated approach. I  couldn’t be happier with the results.

Archie came out of the bushes as our car pulled up. Zena jumped out first to lick his face. She knows he doesn’t like being left behind and I felt extremely lucky to be welcomed. I’m hoping he’ll stay in tonight. His purring therapy is needed for the next stretch of this journey.