Thank you Cockburnspath!

Since my diagnosis I have received an unbelievable amount of love and support from everyone, and last weekend I was amazed again by the kindness of the people of Cockburnspath, where I grew up, as they held a fundraiser for me.

Through a raffle and profits from the bar the amazing people of Cockburnspath managed to raise approximately £1100 - and that's not even including the funds from the donation boxes. Absolutely brilliant. That's so much money, and I know that Anthony Nolan will be able to use it to help so many people.

Cockburnspath is such a small village, but I know everyone pulled together and a fantastic night was had by all, with a magnificent figure being raised. I am so grateful to everyone that helped organise the event, to everyone that attended and to anyone who donated in some way. You are all truly wonderful people, and I promise that when I am better I will be back in Cockburnspath to thank all of you.

The rugby tickets for Scotland vs. Samoa also sold for a good amount of money, which I am incredibly happy about. To the person that bought them - make sure you enjoy it for me! I will be sitting watching it on the TV, pining to be there, but it makes me feel so much happier that someone will be making the most of the experience. I will just live in hope that Dad is willing to take me to see Scotland play in the next Rugby World Cup... In Japan....Maybe...

Whilst this brilliant event in  Cockburnspath Village Hall was taking place, I was unfortunately sitting in hospital receiving chemotherapy. However, this treatment went very well and I was released promptly on Monday and have been home ever since. I was also given a room with a view in the hospital, so I got to watch the Air Ambulance helicopters flying in.

Now that I've finished Phase 3 we are all playing the waiting game. Waiting for a donor, and waiting for the transplant. But I am more confident than ever that I will find a donor, especially as everyone has been so amazing at raising funds and awareness for Anthony Nolan.

So again, I simply say thank you to everyone.

Laura xo

Phase 3

On 3rd September I went back into hospital to begin Phase 3, but it took until the afternoon of the next day until I actually received any chemotherapy. The doctors seemed very unsure to begin with. My liver was still playing up a bit, but by Friday morning it finally decided to play ball and fix itself. Then it was agreed that I could receive the chemo at 75% strength.

Whenever you receive chemotherapy it always seems a bit bizarre. You see a big red bag arrive which has "TOXIC" written on the side of it. Sometimes you just have to smile. This was especially the case here as they arrived with a huge bag filled with luminous yellow liquid ready to be attached to me. They also had to give me fluids simultaneously, which meant that I was left running to the loo every ten minutes, dragging a very heavy Larry (the pump stand) with me.

Once I had finished receiving the methotrexate (chemo), I had to receive an acid antidote and fluids, until the methotrexate had been flushed out of my system - and then I could go home! Unfortunately I couldn't be disconnected from Larry at any point, which made showering an interesting experience and made it quite difficult to sleep, as fluid bags were constantly being changed. However, my kidneys luckily did their job and I was happily discharged on the Monday.

On Tuesday evening I was well enough to attend 'Look Good Feel Good' at the Maggie's Centre. I have mentioned this in my blog before as I've been wanting to attend for ages. The evening, basically, is an opportunity for women facing cancer to get professional make up advice. We went through the full process of a make up routine, and we got a free goody bag at the end with all the products that we used. It really was a great experience and I felt very pleased with the results. Since my diagnosis I've not really felt any point in getting dressed up, but this made me feel great - it made me realise that my cancer doesn't have to stop me feeling beautiful once in a while.

Since then I've been out and about a little, visiting Stonehaven beach for some fish and chips and enjoying the sun in the park whilst having a picnic. So, I'm really happy to be home at the moment. I will be back in hospital on Thursday to receive the second and last dose of my chemotherapy in Phase 3. I'm not much looking forward to the constant dashing to the loo, but hopefully my kidneys will do their job once again and I will be out of hospital as quick as a flash.

End of Phase 2

To my great relief I finally came to the end of Phase 2 of my treatment and was discharged from hospital last Monday! The first few days at home weren't very exciting as I was still recovering from the last lot of chemo and I was feeling very tired and nauseous. However, over the last few days I have really been able to properly relax and enjoy being at home, as the whole of the last week has been completely chemotherapy free. A couple of days ago I even managed to venture to the park for the first time in months to have a bit of fun in the sun (as seen in the various pictures). You will also be happy to know that since my last blog I have been enjoying the food at home and my craving for chicken nuggets has been fulfilled.

On Thursday I will be heading back into hospital for the beginning of Phase 3, but hopefully I shouldn't be there for very long. Unfortunately, this chemotherapy cannot be given as an outpatient because of its high dosage and possible effects on the kidneys, but I should only be in the hospital for 3-4 days, and then I can return home (as long as everything runs smoothly). The good news is that I will only receive two doses of this chemotherapy throughout the course of the month, so hopefully I will be spending most of the next few weeks at home.


Over the 3-4 days I will be spending in hospital I will firstly receive fluids, then a dose of methotrexate (the chemotherapy drug), followed by an antidote to the methotrexate and more fluids to control any side effects. This round of chemotherapy is very important as it ensures that no leukemia cells affect my central nervous system.

As the methotrexate can affect my kidney function, I had to undergo a kidney test yesterday. This involved being injected with a radioactive substance and then getting blood samples taken throughout the course of the day. When one of the blood samples was being taken, the nurse didn't seem to be paying much attention to what she was doing and spilled some of my blood on my jacket (luckily it was a black jacket!) The nurse then basically freaked out because she thought my jacket was radioactive and had to clean it furiously before checking its level of radioactivity - luckily I was allowed to leave, as long as I promised to wash the jacket as soon as I got home.

I always get a little nervous when I move into a new phase of treatment as I have to face new drugs and a whole new set of challenges. However, I'm feeling positive at the moment, and I'm hopeful that this month will run smoothly and I'll be able to spend much more time at home. So, everyone just needs to keep their fingers crossed for me that my kidneys are up for the challenge!