101 things to do as a survivor

This is my first word press blog. Not something I ever thought I would be doing until a couple of weeks ago, until I was inspired by two people.

 

Firstly Anja of http://anjakimberley.wordpress.com/ who encouraged me to blog. Having spent years trying to persuade myself to write she eventually gave me the inspiration to use blogging to help in that, so all my heartfelt thanks. (Also you have to check out her pieces about unsigned bands on www.musichuntersgb.com).

 

Secondly although my “behind the scenes” reason for coming on here is to develop and hone my writing skills, through frequent use. The main reason is to use word press to promote a person and trip that actually made me realize that life only comes round once.

 

You will find him at http://www.101thingstodowhenyousurvive.org. His name is Greig Trout and although I had worked with him for 4 years, I never realized what a challenging time he had growing up due to cancer treatments:

 

1987 – At 7 diagnosed with a stage 4 Wilms tumor. chemotherapy; radiotherapy; right Nephrectomy (kidney removed)

 

2001 – At 21, Deep Vein Thrombosis – blocked inferior vena cava (main vein to heart). Warfarin for life

 

2010 – At 30, Dukes B bowel cancer. Colonectomy and chemotherapy

 

Yet having now recovered for the second time he is planning on going around the world and visiting places he thought he would never see.

 

So what is different about him compared to 1,000’s of people you see charity raising every day.

 

Well this humble, scared, brave man is doing something unusual.

 

• Although he is fund raising he has sold all his worldly goods and is sleeping in a relatives “4^th” bedroom until he can start travelling so he is going regardless.

 

• He is trying to create a website that supports sufferers and survivors of not just cancer but any life threatening disease. As he says he has struggled to cope during his cancer treatments at different ages, and even struggled to cope with surviving. So he wants to help others going through the same struggles to have somewhere to go, to talk about their experiences, tips, advice, forums. Because at the end of the day the only people who really know about what is going on are the patients, families and health professionals that live it.

 

• He will be going round the world to experience different continents approach to specifically cancer to share learning and experiences

 

• He wants people who cannot travel, or able to get out of bed, or have given up hope, to see him going around and he wants them to be with him so they are conquering the world as well.

 

I could go on and on about his amazing man but what is strange is if you look on the web you will find plenty of topics and hints about what to do before you die. But he has survived and he wants to go and promote that. In the coming weeks I will share what we are trying to achieve and how.

 

If you can have a look at his website (please be mindful it still needs a lot of work) it will give you the basics of who he is and what he is about.

 

I have been fortunate so far (touching every piece of wood in sight). That I have not had anything major go wrong with my health. So it is impossible to understand the thoughts you have when diagnosed, the treatment, then survival, as every twinge and pain raises the question of “is it back”?  So just sometimes in this cynical world (and as I work in the UK public sector you cannot get more cynical), someone starts on a journey that raises the hairs on the back of your neck and you think for once of another.

 

I am excited by it and I can see by the end of the journey, him sitting on a breakfast TV couch talking about how, he travelled the world, sold a book about his exploits and helped 1000’s. Even if he ends up helping 1 person he would do more than most of us do ever….

 

So keep popping in now and then and I will keep you updated of how a group of us are trying to get Greig around the world on a shoestring. If anyone has any advice, contacts or general idea for support please feel free to share them.

 

At the end of the day as he says “ If I am lying in the hospital for the 3^rd time I want to be able to lie there and think I did everything possible with my life and start the fight again”