Celebrating mundanity

Here’s to turning 58 today – over the hump of the mid-50s and now plummeting inexorably towards free bus-pass eligibility 😱

I’m not a huge fan of celebrating anniversaries (ask David!) but this one is a bit different; exactly 5 years ago to the day, on my 53rd birthday, I got the diagnosis that I had head and neck cancer. Although I didn’t yet know what type of head and neck cancer it would be, nor how far it had spread, the news was life changing.

But it’s funny, because I look back at my diary for that day, and apart from the Department Senior Management Team meeting, I went to all the rest as though nothing had happened.

Weirdly, I didn't think that my world had fallen apart. I’m pretty sure that I felt there was nothing I could worry about til scans and interpretations were done (and that would take a couple of weeks) so I needed to get on with life as normal. I called up David, then told my Head of Department when I got into the office at 12:00 to rearrange my meetings the next day as I was to have an MRI scan. It was all very matter of fact.

Of course, my original treatment didn't pan out as expected, and while the effects of radiation therapy plunged me into a world of horrendous pain and discomfort for many months, that was nothing on the psychological roller-coaster and career-ending impact that resulted from being Stage 4 and a terminal diagnosis. But there is only so long you can live your life on the edge, with every decision determined by trauma.

So today? I don’t know how long this peace in my body and mind will last, but for now I’ll  celebrate all that is mundane in my life. It’s a privilege that many don't have.