So much to say

Well my little bloglets,

Where so I begin??  So much has happened recently.  Maybe I'll just write a list and add a comment or two.  Let me know if you like this new style, to the point, rather than my usual ramblings.  That is assuming that people still read this!!

1) I have a job, thank god!  Being a PA for a women who does some acting and interior design and has a house in Kenya (am going to be doing a website for it. It is on other websites, so if you want to have a look google Dhow House.  It's on Lamu, Kenya). so if any one wants a lush holiday away, let me know and I'll see if I can get you mates rates!

2) I spoke on stage at the Royal Albert Hall in front of 5,000 people twice for Teenage Cancer Trust at their recent gigs raising money.  Not scary amazingly enough!

3) I met Roger Daltry - he is tiny!

4) I met Dave Grohl!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  In fact, this should be number one!  I also might have to put the pic of me and him on this!  I still can't believe it happened, and no I was not cool, calm and collected.  I was a flirting wreck!  I also told him I loved him....dear god.  I turned into once of those start struck people I HATE.  All very embarrassing.  He laughed at me a lot and said that I was crazy.......

5) I spoke in front of 400 other cancer kids (much more scary than at the Royal Albert Hall) at the Teenage Cancer Trust conference, Find Your Sense of Tumour (bloody fun weekend) about an ad campaign thought up by a Creative Agency called Brothers and Sisters (who are awesome, well the guys that work there who I know are anyway). that I have been heavily involved with called the Big Name Drop. Check it out at www.facebook.com/bignamedrop  (an example of the Big Name Drop is in the picture.  Can you spot it?)

6).  Ummmm....................I'm sure there is more, but I can't remember.............

7) Check up in a couple of weeks, fingers crossed for much better results!

8) I remember!  I'm going back to Uni in Sept.  I'm going to the University of Westminster to become a Naturopath  (I'm embracing the inner hippy).  It's another 4 years (woop woop, bring on the second student loan and a grand total of  c.£40,000 debt!  Yay!  I'm so excited about it!!) and I finally feel like I have a career direction, and after my second year I'll be qualified in massages, so I can go on the Teenage Cancer Trust wards and give them to the patients.

9) Really think that's it but want to get it up to 10.

10) Hmmmmmm...........................................................

Lots of love, laughter and smiles,
XXX


  

Just a quickie

Well I had my check up last week, and unfortunately it was not the news I was after. Platelets down to 100 (previously normal at 144) and Leukaemic rate up a smidge to 0.07%. I know that these are only little backward steps that I'm sure are due to the stress of leaving my job etc etc etc, but it was still a bit crappy.

Am still not working, but have a job, just need to find out about the salary which is exciting, and I have submitted my UCAS application to go back to uni in September - The University of Westminster, am not leaving London! To do a foundation year in Complimentary Therapies and then to do three years becoming a Naturopath, which will be awesome! I can then become self employed, woop woop!!! The ultimate dream and help others and give hope when then think it's all over and can also, fingers crossed, work on the Teenage Cancer Trust wards. I can't remember what I put in my last post, so apologies if I'm repeating myself....I applied for a PA role there which I didn't get, but in a way it's a good thing, because I really want to be working for them/seriously involved, and unfortunately I'm nearly too old to do things for them in the capacity that I do at the moment. Really at 25 I'm over the hill so to speak, but 26 will definitely be pushing the boundaries!! So with my therapies I can still help and be involved and feel better about what I'm doing in regards to helping the cancer kids than being in the office.

What else, hmmm, don't really know, haven't been up to much recently due to a lack of funds, but that is another story which I'm not sure I should publish on line...but hopefully that will all be sorted out very soon! I have a slight lurgy at the moment which I am fending off by watching lots of films and tv programmes....basically what I've been doing for the past few weeks, but as I'm not 100% don't feel like I should be doing something else!!

Oh, I know what I was going to say...HELLO SUNSHINE!!!!! It's so nice to see the sun again! I even sat outside in it a couple of days ago, admittedly wearing quite a few layers, but even so, to feel the warmth of it gave me hope that spring is on the way and winter is finally fucking off!!! And then yesterday is was bloody freezing again!!! I have given up that this country is ever going to be warm again!!

Well I can feel a weather rant coming on, so am going to get back to my busy schedule of watching films. I hope you all have your fingers and toes crossed about my uni application and that I will get in!!

Lots of love, laughter and smiles,
XXX

I'M BACK

Well all my lovely little bloglets,

I know I have neglected you for many a month, and shall elaborate on this little post very soon, like towards the end of the week type thing.

I now have time to do this as I quit my job, woop!! The main reasons, I'm not fashion and don't really care about it, the commute was too long, the hours rubbish and the pay non existant!

I'm watching the Brits as I do this, and WHAT is Lady Gaga wearing?!?!?!?!?!?!?!? She is so weird!!

Anyways, so have a couple of ideas about the future, one is to work for the Teenage Cancer Trust if I get the job I applied for, if not, then I'm going back to uni if I get accepted into a Complimentary Therapy degree which I think would be pretty bloody good!!

Ooh, also, going back quite a few months, I completed the Great North Run in 2 hours 14 mins, was hoping to do it in 2 hours and would have done, but there were so many people getting in the way!! I am going to do the London Marathon 2012 for TCT, but will obviously leave the sposoring for a while yet!

I have a check up in a couple of weeks. All is going ok. Two check ups ago, my platelets were normal for the first time since Aug 2007 when I wasn't on any chemo which was pretty fucking amazing! Last check up, my leukaemic rate had gone up slightly, I think to 0.063% which was a bit upsetting, I hope that in a couple of weeks my platelets are still normal and the leukaemic rate has gone down.

Before this starts to turn into a short story length of blog, I'm going to go.

You shall be pleased to hear that I have made a promise to do this more often.

Lots of love, light and laugher,
XxX

Really quickly....

Ok, am tired and need to do such a big blog but need to go to bed as office has moved from Parsons Green to Finsbury Park, so I no longer have a 15 min commute, moan, sob, wail!!!  

Last check up leukaemic rate down to 0.03% fucking brill!!!  Platelets down to 80, arse!

Last sat I ran 9 miles, yesterday only managed 7, but as I still have a 3 weeks until the big run, I know I will be fine.

On that note, thank you so much to all who have sponsored.  To those who haven't, here's the link:

www.justgiving.com/katherineruane

Lots of love, laughter and smiles and promises of a decent blog soon,

XXX

I'm now down to 8 weekly check ups!

Dear All,

Well I had my check up yesterday and more good news.  The rate is down to 0.05% and the platelets are up to 122 which is brill!  I was a bit upset that the Leukaemic rate wasn't down more, but as my darling little mummy pointed out who came with me, that I have started work full time, I'm running before work three times a week and doing social stuff which uses up energy and it's amazing that I haven't taken a step backwards.  Also tis true, I have been doing lots more and haven't been struck down with exhaustion or my tired shooting pains down the side of me head, so that is fab!

On the running front, I can now run about 3 miles without dying which is good.  Am doing gradual progress rather than going mental in 6 weeks, so hopefully soon I shall be able to run a fair distance.  I'm going to start running home from work soon and then do a lap of the common as I only work 2 and a bit miles from home.  It's amazing how close everything is in central london!  And yes, I do consider that Clapham is fairly central, it's not like it's zone 5 or anything!  So the running continues.....

What else?  Ooh I bought some AMAZING shoes yesterday, actually I bought 2 pairs which made me very very happy after being a bit down after my check up.  Who says money can't buy happiness??  That's bollocks, I was happy as larry and I only spent £150!  (thank god for credit cards!!)

I think there was something else I was going to mention, but I can't remember now.....it might come back to me before I finish this, if not I'll blog again, or assume that it really wasn't important/interesting at all!

A big thank you to those of you who have already parted with cash for my run!

Lots of love, laughter and smiles,

XXX

Great North Run

Well as you are all aware I was diagnosed with Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia on January 19th 2007. I have since come into contact with a fucking awesome charity called Teenage Cancer Trust who have kindly taken me under their wing even though at 24, I am not exactly a teenager!

www.teenagecancertrust.org

I could bang on for hours about how brilliant they are, building wards for teens and 20 year olds so they are not stuck on the baby/children wards or the adult wards. They also organize a weekend a year called Find Your Sense Of Tumor where they have people talking about things like fertility and chemo, what the different cancers are, what chemo is in english, and other things that are normally explained in doctor. They also have question sessions where our answers count, as we are so often ignored or not listened to because of our ages. It's also an opportunity to hang out with other Cancer Kids, share experiences and to make a support network for those who feel alienated, alone and that no one can understand how they feel.

I thought it was about time that I got off my arse and did something for them rather than just sponging off them (free Kasabian gig, I represented them at a perfume award at the Dorchester.....)

So if you can, please please give some money. Not only is my favourite mantra, 'exercise is bad for your health' I am also running the 13 miles whilst going through treatment for cancer. If that doesn't make you donate, I give up!

I know every one is running for charities at the moment, and I know you are all sick of the begging messages, but if you can spare even 5p, I will and the charity will appreciate it hugely!

www.justgiving.com/katherineruane

A great big thank you in advance!

XXX

Belated news

Well I know it’s been a while since I blogged dear readers, this is because the charger to my laptop has broken and I can’t use my laptop as it’s run out of battery until I get a new charger. To do this I need some money which I have been lacking recently due to a month of no work which was slightly helped by 3 weeks of the most boring data entry job which I couldn’t decide to cry or commit suicide due to boredom at about 9.05 each morning! Although I shouldn’t moan too much because that work has covered (I hope, haven’t been brave enough to check my bank balance recently…….) this months rent. I should probably have a look as I don’t want to get charged by banking bastards if I go over my overdraft….

Health front things are looking good. Two check ups ago the leukaemic rate was down to 0.03%, but the platelets were also down to 85. Most recent check up the leumkaemic rate was up to 0.06% and the platelets were also up to 118! My consultant thinks that my leukaemic rate has plateau-ed with little wiggles up and down so I am concentrating on platelets being up and leukaemic rate being down! Hopefully soon I shall be able to start my 2 year count down!!!

Happy news…..I HAVE A JOB! I just need to get a couple of fairly important things finalised, like hours and salary…..!!!!! But it’s all good! I got it through someone my mother knows (of course, applying for jobs the normal way does not work!) and I am an assistant to a fashion designer. She designs very nice beach wear, so bikini’s, swimsuits, beach/night time dresses. Everything is hand made over here and she mainly sells in boutiques abroad. We did the clothes show last weekend, which was an experience. It was meant to be upmarket and new designers etc, it was not. On the plus side we shared the stand with a women that Lulu (my boss) has met before in Kenya who was telling her how brilliant the shows are over there, so I think we are off there is December! Very exciting stuff!!

I also work in Parsons Green which means I can get the bus to work and traffic depending it only takes 15 mins, so I don’t have to get up stupidly early!

I’m sure there is lots more for me to be saying, but I can’t think of anything. I’m doing a ‘Healing Journey’ course at the local Macmillan Cancer Centre which is brilliant, lots of meditation, relaxation etc etc which I’m sure is helping me lots. I’ve also been given the go ahead for the half marathon in Sept, so the begging bowl is going to start appearing, I’m going to do a just giving page, so will put the details on here as soon as it’s done (prob later today). …I have now done it, it’s www.justgiving.com/katherineruane

I hope everyone is enjoying the BEAUTIFUL sun we are having at the moment, even though I am inside, it’s nice to see the sun and walk to the bus and back in the warmth each day, I might even put one of the blankets on my bed away soon…!! (as you can tell O wrote this a few days ago when it looked like we could possibly be in store for a nice summer…..I probably jinxed it, so apologies!)

Lots of Love, laughter and smiles as always,

XXX