Since I last posted I've had my birthday which I found particularly hard this year. I kept looking for reasons to explain why this year was bad compared to last year, but really there's no rhyme or reason for how I feel from one year to another and I've got to keep that in mind. Note to oneself " stop beating yourself up"
On the day Paul took me to Ponte races and although it was freezing and we didn't win a penny between us, it was a good end to the day. Probably made better by the copious amounts of lager I drank and a visit to a couple of pubs in town :)
I've been training for the Triathlon ( if you don't know it's on 12th June, just giving site will be posted at the end ) and I'm managing to run between three - four miles twice a week, swim 32 lengths once a week and have done a nine mile bike ride. I'm going to have to put it altogether soon to see how I go but I've got a few more weeks yet.
Due to suffering with Labyrinthitis since Monday I haven't been able to anything which is proper doing my head in. The constant dizziness has gone but I'm still getting waves of light headedness and walking as if I'm drunk which is a bit annoying as I didn't have a drink until yesterday!!!!! I've made up for it now though I couldn't watch Cas Tigers play and not have a drink, especially as we made it through to the next round of the Challenge Cup :)
Anyway, the plan is to run home from work tomorrow, go swimming on Tuesday and Wednesday, get on the bike Wednesday then another run.
We're having a charity golf day this year instead of a cricket match. It's on Saturday 30th July at Whitwood golf club and we need players to take part. If anyone is interested, we need teams of four at a cost of £120 per team. There's also foot golf as well for non golfers and kids in teams of four at a cost of £40 per team. There will be prizes for both along with the usual auction, raffle, food, and other games. If anyone is interested in putting any teams together please let me know.
It's Cystic Fibrosis awareness month so I thought I would give out a bit of information about the EVIL illness.
Cystic
fibrosis (CF) is one of the UK's most common life-threatening inherited
diseases. One person in 25 carries the faulty cystic fibrosis gene usually
without knowing, over two million people in the UK. If both parents have the
defective gene any children they may have, have a one in four chance of having cystic
fibrosis. Around 9,000 people in the UK have cystic fibrosis, that's 1 in every
2,500 babies born. Cystic fibrosis affects around 100,000 people around the
world.
The life expectancy is 41 which really means only half the people living with CF will live to this age and the median age of death is only 27 (Rebecca's age)
In people with cystic fibrosis the lungs make thicker
sputum (mucus) than normal, which can trap bacteria in the small airways and
lead to infection. Symptoms that typically develop include persistent cough,
wheezing, shortness of breath and breathing difficulties and repeated chest
infections. Thickened mucus can also cause problems in the pancreas and food cannot
be digested or absorbed properly, in particular fatty foods. This can cause
malnutrition leading to poor growth and poor weight gain, bloated abdomen and
tummy aches, constipation and prolonged diarrhoea. Other symptoms can include
sinus infections, and nasal polyps. Some adults with cystic fibrosis may also
get cystic fibrosis related diabetes, arthritis, osteoporosis, kidney and liver
problems.
Cystic fibrosis affects everyone differently, but for
many it involves a rigorous daily treatment regime including physiotherapy, oral,
nebulised and intravenous antibiotics, and taking enzyme tablets with food.
Some people with cystic fibrosis will have a feeding tube overnight to help
them gain weight. For those who are very ill with cystic fibrosis and with very
poor lung function; daily life can be a struggle as basic tasks can leave them
breathless. Some patients use a wheelchair to get around, and use oxygen to
help them breathe and eventually need a double lung transplant to survive.
Life revolves around hospital appointments, admissions and treatments.
From our experience with CF, most of the above affected Rebecca and if that wasn't enough, she also had a few other more personal symptoms thrown in as well. From an early age she learned to live with the hospital appointments and in later years frequent hospital admissions, but as ever, she just got on with it. She managed to build her life around CF not letting it define her and she lived life to the maximum she could. Unfortunately, CF eventually got the better of her and she lost the fight but not before she gave it her best shot. Rebecca died at 27 and the majority of deaths from CF that I hear about are in this age range and even younger. It's a horrible illness that impacts so much on the person with CF and their family, too much to go into on here and I simply hate the fact that no cure has yet been found.
When I ask for people to sponsor me or donate it's because since having and losing Rebecca our life has changed completely, it's gone from happiness and living in hope to complete sorrow and devastation. The sooner it's cured the better then other youngsters who are born with CF won't have to live with the illness and their families won't have to deal with losing a child.
So friends, family and public please visit my just giving page and sponsor me and my friends in our quest to find a cure for Cystic Fibrosis.
https://www.justgiving.com/account/your-pages/Sue-Marley-MBE3If you can't open the link, please see link at top right of page
As always thank you for taking the time to read.
Bye for now
Sue x
