Many of the readers of this blog are familiar with
the remainder of this story. Suffice it to say, I then had a series of
operations leading up to a very major one. I was given a poor prognosis, but I did
survive beyond the first two years. Then I met my dearest T. At four years I
had a metastatic recurrence and more surgery, which was unsuccessful in
removing the entire tumour. A year later I had surgery again, which did remove
the regrown tumour. At six years I had another major operation to repair my left
diaphragm and lung which were damaged in the 2011 surgery. Since then I have been
thankfully been free of cancer and healthy.
The eight year anniversary is ‘bronze’. This is the
medal typically given to the third place competitor. However, the Bronze Age (2500-800
BC), was a time when Britain was one of the most important places in Europe and
when the Stonehenge that we can see now was completed. We had relatively large
supplies of tin, the vital resource which, mixed with copper, produced bronze
(the hardest metal that was then known to man). And this gives rise to one of
the dominant theories about the purpose of Stonehenge, that it was a great gathering
place for trade, festivals and other communal events. Indeed, recent gene
studies have shown that there was an enormous influx of people from the
continent to the British Isles during this period and since then we have been
thoroughly European.
Looking back on the past eight years, it feels that
I’ve done much better than third place. But, survival, along with my current
health and happiness with my dearest T, are all the prizes I would wish for.
Gold. Definitely gold.
ReplyDeleteThank you Anne
Delete