Those five seconds changed my life forever.

My parents are invincible! They have always been and always will be there! Sort of like a Wonder Woman and Super Man! Those five seconds of my life changed all that, when my father told me he had prostate cancer. I was sitting on a stool in our kitchen. I told him he would be OK, I cried a little and then went numb. It was almost like my body wrapped me in a cocoon for those few minutes. I rang a friend, I had to say the words "my dad has cancer". 

Cancer is such a scary word, even though treatments have come such a long way and survival rates have increased  that horrible thought of "will he survive this?" jumps into your mind. Cancer is like the elephant in the room, we couldn't see the cancer but we felt it's presence. I thought about it a lot and talked about it a lot but I couldn't feel. Feel what? Feel strong emotion and I know now it was was because deep down I knew he would be alright, but also it was completely out of my control. I did not have the power to fix him. Doctors, medication and God had that. I'm in no way religious, I do not practice my faith, but there defiantly is a greater good at those pearly gates. My dad was diagnosed in the very early stages of his cancer, his consultant was amazing and within weeks after an operation and time spent in hospital he was home recovering. This is where the story ends, or so I had hoped. 

When I thought of some-one recovering from cancer, I thought of some-one falling off their bike, getting back up and going on their merry way. The body and mind goes through such a huge trauma trying to heal and process the physical aspect of cancer but also the mental aspect. I can't speak for my father but I can speak for myself and how this, as my father's child has changed my life forever. I suffered anxieties early on in his recovery, every time my phone rang, "is dad alright?" , the constant worry of my father,not my mother but my father. These are very natural of course, Cancer had closed my eyes on my superman and opened them up to life, to reality, to personal journeys many had, are and will go through. My parents are wonderful people and I am so grateful and blessed to have them in my life. Does it take such a drastic thing to open your eyes to see what you truly have? Maybe it does, it did for me. It's thought me to enjoy every moment and enjoy the relationships you have with your parents. Life has strange ways of teaching us lessons, and showing us new paths and it has ways of opening up different worlds and perspectives. November or should I say Movember is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Action Prostate Cancer is run by Cancer.ie raising awarenss and funds for research into this cancer. There is so many ways, you can raise awareness, grow a moustache! Ladies, dye your hair blue! One in eight men have the chance of being diagnosed with prostate cancer, it's important to get screened.

 I knew nothing about this cancer until my father was diagnosed. Here are some facts direct from cancer.ie

"Most people in Ireland know someone who has been affected by prostate cancer. We want to encourage men to be more comfortable with an area of their health that is often neglected or ignored:

• Prostate cancer rates in Ireland are the highest in Europe and amongst the highest in the world
• In 2010, 3,125 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer in Ireland
• Irish men have a 1 in 8 chance of developing prostate cancer (to put this in context, Irish women have a 1 in 10 chance of developing breast cancer)
• After skin cancer, prostate cancer is the leading cause of cancer in men
• Prostate cancer is often a slow growing cancer, particularly in older men, and symptoms may not occur for many years
• Prostate cancer is 90% curable if it is treated in its earliest stages
• The cumulative risk of a man developing prostate cancer before the age of 50 is 1 in 485. Before the age of 70 is 1 in 13
• Prevention is better than cure. While doctors still do not know what causes prostate cancer, links have been made between family history of prostate cancer, age (risk of prostate cancer increases after 50 years), and men of African ethnicityAll men over the age of 50, or men over 40 who have a first degree relative with prostate cancer or those of African ethnicity, should consult with their GP"

Do you like my moustache?!

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LOVE CAT

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