Have you ever looked left, right and left again to cross the street? We all should do that. In my case I did all the looking and got hit by the proverbial airplane- a cancer diagnosis.

Life was story book perfect. Our son was cute as a button nine-month-old baby. I recently completed my best 947 cycle race- that doesn’t say much, as I am a horrible cyclist- but still 94.7 km trough Johannesburg’s streets are no mean feat. I managed to juggle motherhood, hubby dearest, a work I love and life- the storybook.

In most story books there is the gremlin, the big bad wolf. Two weeks after my cycle race I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The world tilted on its axis. I was thirty-seven and having to face my mortality as a reality and not just as an obscure faraway concept. I think a cancer diagnosis is traumatic beyond words. And then it got worse, it is metastatic, stage four- it was already in my liver.

“We were confronted with a world we knew little about.”

My world spined out of control. I was simply told when and where I must be for doctor’s consultations and tests. Normal life just has fallen away, and this now took absolute priority.

We were confronted with a world we knew little about. Who knew that there are different kinds of breast cancers? And that I had the dumb luck of getting a more aggressive kind- Tripple negative. Meaning it is not positive for progesterone, oestrogen or Her2 (still what is Her2?).

Hubby was an absolute rock while we found ourselves on this horrible rollercoaster. In the background the family and friends anxiously waited for more news. We all had more questions than answers.

I started two whatsapp groups to help keep everyone informed. The Dramatic Boob- for the family, this group is more the day to day and news. Did you know that there is a bird called a blue footed boobie?

The other group the Troublesome Tit, is to keep the friends and family and all those who is interested informed on my cancer journey. Or that was the plan. It soon involved to include my wonderings and ponderings whilst navigating still a story-book-life with wolves and gremlins.

“It is not the life I would have chosen, but it is still good.”

I am a bit of a happy-go-lucky soul, but I did try to be honest of my experiences- where it was hard, scary and exhausting. It is not the life I would have chosen, but it is still good. Life is slower, there is more time for meaningful conversations, hubby and I still have adventures together and I spend a lot of time with my son. I am absolutely spoilt by my parents, siblings, parents-in-law and my other in-laws. I cannot thank you enough for your love and support.

All cancer stories are different. There is overlap, but in most cases, it is vastly different. There are different kinds of cancers with their treatment also being different. How one person reacts to treatment is no indication of how another person reacts to treatment. Age, fitness, overall health also plays a big role on how each person’s journey can be different. I am not an oncologist or an expert, just me trying to figure out what works best for me and my family.

What follows is a bit of a funny honest account of the past two and a half years since my diagnosis. I hope you enjoy it. No, I am not in remission- it is not an actual thing if you are stage 4. But I am still standing two-and-a-half years later.

Look left, right and left again and remember we all have a chance to be struck by the airplane out of nowhere. It could be a health crisis, a car accident, a job loss, burnout, a child that is struggling or aging parents. Airplanes come in all shapes and sizes- always chose kindness.