The best you, there is.

Tags

belief, believe, Belive, carryon, chemotheropy, hope, love, motivation

Your faced with a path that you feel you don’t have the strength to complete. Well I am writing this to motivate you where you are at. What ever you face today, you are the best you that you can be, you are a you that no one else can be. I have realised something recently in my life, that you are what you give not what you have. We are not defined by what we have but by what we give. What you give does not have to be money, or things. As long as what you give is the best you there is. 

A you that keeps moving forwards. Although Rocky Balboa is a made up character. Rocky has helped me in my life, the story sylvester initiated encouraged me to carry on. To finish my treatment, to get up when I thought it was not possible. I am reliving my bonemarrow transplant at the moment through a person that’s stuck in a room having what I had also. Remembering how many times me and my wife watched rocky 3 and 4 over and over and over. Gaining strength as I reached for the power within me. The power God gave me, that he gave me because I asked. You can carry on, you can win. You just have to stand and move forwards.NO MATTER WHAT!. 

Listen to your heart, and keep moving forwards towards the goal you have set. You are not rich because of what you have, you are rich because of what you give. 

PAIN does not last forever, use your pain as a vehicle to help others. Choose to get up choose to reach out to someone and make a difference. Pain does not last for ever but what ever you do because of that pain will last a lifetime. 

Fonz

http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

How far you have come.

Tags

encouragement, hope, internationalstressday, Stress

Some encouragement for you today.

Source: How far you have come.

What we think in our mind is what we will be.

How we use our mind is without doubt how we fail or how we achieve.

fonzandcancer blogging to encourage.

In our minds eye we have a picture of what will be, what we can achieve. Where we think our abilities will take us, what we think we are capable in our lives. Who we can and can’t be in this world, we have an idea that restricts us instead of encouraging us.
So by having the thoughts you have as to what you can achieve do you understand that that is the very thing that restricts you from becoming more. I have this approach in life ‘if he can, I can’ I used to be passionate about maybe being wealthy, you know the posh house, nice car holiday home ect.

Life is not like that anymore, I have changed. My life has changed, I now realise the one thing that makes us happy, and it’s not money or things. It’s contentment, it’s peace, it’s the planet, the creation God…

View original post 363 more words

I BEAT CANCER!!!!

Remember this! It’s a miriacle when someone beats cancer…

fonzandcancer blogging to encourage.

If your reading I guess it’s because you are happy to hear someone has slam dunked cancer. Well let’s just say I am daring to believe that this is done, it’s not been a breeze. Certainly not a walk in the park or shopping trolley dent done in the supermarket car park. Oh no this was a full on bare knuckled fight to the end, there were not really many moments that were restful, although we did make time for each other on many occasions.

There were many times when I thought I could not carry on, many times I held out my arms and just said “help me” many times I thought I had dug so deep I had nothing more yo give, then found that I was indeed able to dig a little deeper. Many times I felt that I would not be able to do another day…

View original post 265 more words

How I gave up smoking.

Tags

belief, chemotheropy, family, hope, joe, killing, love, mcmillan, nicotine, strength, winning.

I don’t know about the rest of the world, but for me when I got hodgkins Lymphoma. I was told that there was no evidence to people getting my cancer through life style. Ie drinking or smoking, or eating. So for me I was not being told to give up cigerettes and it’s not going to give me a better chance of not getting it again by not smoking. So I didn’t, I smoked throughout my whole cancer exsperience. Even when I was in treatment I still smoked at home. .

Accept who you are not what you were.

Tags

belief, chemotheropy, depression, google, hate, hope, love, mistake, prison, yourself, youtube

U can be who you want to be, that’s what I tell my wife. Some words I may have said before but I know that what I write now will help someone today or sometime in the future. I have not been here for a while, I apologise. I have been helping my good friend to errect my conservatory. I have spoken before in my last post about impossible, that the only part of impossible that stops it big possible is the I’m in the word. Is not the only person that matters holding your past against you. Is, erm you? Is it not you that’s giving you a hard time maybe feeling guilty for your past, something you did or did not do? One thing I do know is that what someone else’s opinion is is both nothing to do with you, and nothing to do with them. Let go what someone else thinks about you, what you are is in your hands and your past does NOT define your future.

Your future starts in the next hour, the next afternoon. But always today, your future does not start tomorrow. You are the one that chooses who you are. You also chose what you were, but that’s not a part of your future , only if you want it to be. Your past is in your hands, it’s up to you yo hold on to it or let it go. It’s up to you to let your past mood you and benifit your future. No one is to blame for your future, only you. Don’t start yo tell me yes but such and such and this and that, you choose what happens next. You really do, don’t be a head hanger. Hold your head up high and keep moving forwards, keep believing in yourself and keep doing. 


Believe me I could show you pictures of me that say I want to give up, I could tell you stories of how cancer has made me want to check out, how I have thought badly of myself because of who I was and what I did. Trouble with that is that people will believe what ever it is you believe of yourself and there are plenty of people willing to be negative about you out there so why actually be one yourself. Be good to you, say good things about you. Above all do good to others every day of your life, that’s really important. Use your life, don’t regret your life.

Fonz

http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

A death sentence.

Tags

blog, books, c, cancer, chemotheropy, health, hope, Laughter, love, me, post, radiotheropy

Is that that what cancer is? A death sentence we didn’t choose? A journey we didn’t choose. A part of our life we never even thought would be part of our lives. Before you read this blog I want you to know, that people that face cancer in what ever form be it as a patient, partner,  family, carer, or friend. I want you to know these people are amongst the most courageous in the world. All cancers are different and how ever we decide to deal with it rest assured the journey is one through Hell. 

Today I found myself in the presence of someone amazing, someone who has fought the fight like I have and are. He is an inspiration and a seriously generous person with his time. Today I left hospital one year ago, the same hospital the man I speak of left 2 years ago after his bone marrow transplant. Yet we find ourselves together errecting a conservatory. Part of that day involved standing on a trellis on tip toes for a while with my arms in the air holding the cross beam in place. It was 10 mins before my next pain killers. What you don’t know is walking is tough, never mind standings or a period of time. The pain as I stood began yo surpass the pain that was normal and bearable, and I found myself feeling so very sore and horrific pain in my legs.

There I was with my friend who I knew was one of the few people on the earth that understood my pain, one of the few people that understood what I felt inside. Understood the actual pain I felt. Here tonight remembering what’s happened today and what we have achieved. I don’t feel sorry I cried, I feel amazed I have a brother who knows and understands what I face and what I have been through and what appreciation I have for life. Holding that bar up feeling the pain I felt made me cry, it made me feel useless whilst being useful. We did something today that was hard to do. Maybe some would see as impossible. For me and my friend we believe in the impossible made possible.

Sometimes the only thing standing in the way is ourselves, and maybe we just need to fight through the pain and get to the otherside. The side where there are people that have life because they fought, people that have overcome grief in loving the very people that do have life and are living today. 

Maybe you feel today is impossible, well let me tell you that it’s amazing what you can achieve if you keep on keeping on. Did you know impossible means the opposite to what you think. See  you are possible, it’s just the I’m in the way of possible isn’t it. Try and find something you enjoy in this life, it’s there if you look for it. I know one thing . 

I have gained many friends through cancer. Keep on keeping on your one of lives courageous people and you CAN.

Fonz

Sunshine and Bees.

Tags

business, cancer, chemotheropy, desease, garage, hope, life, police, scanner, treatment

Do you ever just stop, look and listen to the natural world. Listen to the bees buzzing, watch the birds communicating as they sing their chorus. Appreciate the smell of the flowers in the garden, gaze in wonder at all that has been created. I often look out of our window at the birds feeding at the bird station. My wife always buys thes coconut shells filled with fat that the birds love. But then today I was wondering why I appreciated the small things so much, why I appreciated the smells and the world of nature. How I had become so grateful for my surroundings. Well I guess the answer to that is simple, and obvious.

I know what it’s like to be unable to smell the flowers, to watch the bees. I know what it’s like not to be able to here the birds. It was only 3 weeks where I experienced life unable to hear the birds  the bees and the wind russling between the leaves. To be unable to smell the sweet fragrance of flowers in my garden. I was not even able to feel the sunshine on my face such was the reality of the small room I was cooped up in. But you know what, I am grateful I have had that experience in that room isolated from the world. With my I pad my wife (during the day) and the days on fan that kept me cool at night times. Because I can hear the birds today, I can smell the flowers today, I can hear the birds chatting in the morning.

Life is without doubt a precious gift, one that we never truly appreciate until we are not able to experience life with all of its senses. Is then life not a gift to you to me, to all the creatures that roam the earth. Are we not all fortunate and blessed that we have air to breath and eyes to see. I have found myself not being bothered about what is going on in someone else’s world, found myself becoming a curtious driver. I have found giving gives me a great deal of pleasure, where as before it was what I wanted that as most important. 

Right now there is a valeter disrupting all this tranquility with his loud jet washer. But hey, it seems to make no differance to the birds. They still sing, they are still playing in the trees, and seem happy to be alive. The point is, the birds and the bees don’t care what we do, they just carry on enjoying what they can. Accepting the world they live in for what it is, take a moment to pause today and admire the world that’s all around us. Take a moment to appreciate what you do have rather than what you don’t have. After all, what we have today is a gift. A gift to be enjoyed appreciated and cherished. But will you? Do you? A year ago today I had no option but to continue life with out the enjoying senses that I have been given. One thing I did do though, because I was able to. That was to encourage my fellow man to keep on keeping on, what ever that path maybe. Blogging 365 times in as many days. 

I hope you find time to enjoy what is all around you today, enjoy what you do have.

Fonz

http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

Honesty about beating Cancer. Twice.

Tags

c, cancer, chemotheropy, eu, hope, love, politics, referendam, together, word

So here I am it’s 12pm I am still in bed, yup that’s right the pain is still with me and I am not able to walk today. If I was that man that was under the circumstances maybe I would feel sorry for myself and maybe even shed a tear, but that’s not me. I actually smile that I have pain, yea it’s true. The smile is because I can actually feel the pain, the pain makes me know I am alive. That although standing hurts, that I have beaten cancer. “Twice”. The pain reminds me every hour of the day how hard the fight was, it reminds me of many other things to. It reminds me of  my family, my friendships, this blog and the support people have given me around the world. The pain makes me grateful to be alive, happy to have life in whatever fashion   that is.


You see for me, life has never been a breeze. Everything I have ever done I have had to do the hard way. But I am sure that I speak for most people on the planet, life’s not easy is it? If it is easy for you then please tell me how you do that? 

What I have realised personally at the age of 47, is that we all have similar battles in different guises. But I don’t think there are many people walking the earth that have an easy time. It’s just most don’t shout about it, or share how they are feeling.mmaybe telling those closest to them and that’s it. Well it was a little different for me as the first time I had it I was given a short time to live without treatment. But even then that was not enough to tell you about it. It was not until I had been around cancer for 3 years and got it again that I was compelled to start writing a blog. I wanted to share my journey when I realised I was going to have to have my transplant. All I knew is that I would win and wanted to share that journey with you.

Yesterday I went back through my blog and looked at some of what I have written over the past year. The posts I was reading began to touch me, it made me feel I was reading someone else’s journey not mine. I know this sounds strange but I started to like the person who had written them. Yea I started to like myself. It’s amazing how I have turned the pain around to me saying ” you have pain, because you have life” yes of course we are not super human and have to listen to our bodies. After all we get pain for a reason right. Mine is because chemo has damaged the ends of my nerves, but surely the pain free option would have not been the best for those around me that loved me.  I have pain because I chose to fight and to beat cancer the way that I did. Yea there was a 1 in 4 chance I would not make it, the pain reminds me I made it everyday.

Pain is a reminder of how strong we are and were is it not?

Fonz

http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

I just want to thank you.

Tags

bank, cancer, cells, chemotheropy, holiday, hope, LEP, stem, stories, transplant

Oh yes for sure, I am fully aware that I am not perfect. That the man that is Fonz is imperfect and has flaws. Never the less you have read my blogs, maybe even you have found them helpful. Maybe you have shared them. What ever you have done, you have helped me and spurred me on to carry on with my 365 blogs in 365 days. 

Here are the actual number of posts so far via a screen shot

A massive task that maybe even I thought was not possible. Yet here we are 375 days on. Over 700 of you now follow me, many of you have commented and shown me commitment in reading what my murmurings have been. I want to thank each and everyone of you for your part in encouraging me to carry on. 

Here is the post and the names I put up back then.

Thought I would put up some thank yous  

Firstly to my wife Andie Blackwell for being my rock and constant source of strength.

Debbie Beardsworth for the DVDs you sent.

Janette McCreery Reynolds for the listening books all the way from the usa

Becca Parkes for the gifts you sent to my wife. ( sadly passed )

Tea Veenstra and Saskia Woudstra for the card from Holland

 Karl Boardman s children Rhys and Kyle for my good wishes card and also to Karl for looking after my house and car whilst I have been here.

Lisa Wood Daryll and Ian for your good wishes via mail.

Anne-Marie Balfour Eric and children Elsie and Rhona for your lovely presents.

Faith my dog for letting grandma do your faith diaries. 

Ken Blackwell for looking after Faith with my mum.

Jeremy Blackwell for lending me those uplifting books.

Kim Blackwell for supporting my wife often, and talking to her when driving home from hospital to keep her awake.

Zac Blackwell my nephew for lending me my PS3 games.

Joshua Winn for fundraising and your relentlace support. 

Mandy Shanks for your continued support in prayer.

Alison Wilson Johnny Wilson and Molly and boys for your constant support and love at this time for us both.

Beverley Winn for your messages of support.

Carmella Hollington Vale for your continued support.

 Cath Parker and John Chapman for your support and love for us both in this.

Chris Dale,and Lisa Dale ben jack and Alfie for your fun and laughter at times of need. And the picture you put on CS and the special video you made.
Dan Vernon and Helen vernon Rueben and Ethan.

Daniel Alexander Clyburn for being there constantly.

Dave Hollington for your encouragement.

My friend Deanna Harwood Perich who skype do and encouraged us many times during the rough rough moments.

Eileen Salmon for your funny messages daily that have kept my spirits up. ( sadly passed ) 

Ian Ian John Fisher for reminding me of good times we had along with Marie Anna Emily and Ava.

Jan benbow for supporting my wife.

Kirsty Redford for being there for me always and comforting me.

Lakshmi Sharma

Lilian Candy and Pete.

Mags Whitehouse for being there in the small hours to encourage me.

Mel braban for instigigating fund raising event in North Wales

Michelle and Calum for messaging ur sister.

Natalie Burney and MITCH and family for being there even though facing very tough times.

Paul Benson and Jane for your constant love and concideration.

Pauline Phil Lloyd for your encouragement and updates as to your own story here.

Ron Blackwell and Rosalie Blackwell for your constant support.

Sue Winstanley

Alexandra Villemaire in Canada for your reassurance and love.

Thank you to Amanda parfitt

Angela Jack for encouraging me and Andie

Anne Marie slater

Bernadette major

Beth obrien

Bullet tooth tony

Carleene waddicar

Carole Ann Richards you have been a tower of strength

Chantelle Bolton and girls for cheering me up.

Cherlyn Mcsharry and mike and family

Chris Calvert for all your distractions

Chris Oneil and Rachel Robinson

Colin Colin Browne Debbie Browne ur always there.

Colltte mchugh

Dani Makovecz

Daz Manley your a great encouragement

Debbie Debbie Sumner your amazing and I thank you

Dee Taylor

Denise fortune

Diane boocock

Doris livesey

Dorothy Bailey

Eileen Almond my dear friend

Ellen Leigh for your love and sharing your story

Elliott Summerfield

Emily waddicar

Gail Hardman for all your messages and support from you and your boys

Gareth Cartwright rhiannon and family I know this has been tough for you.

Gillian wells you have been here from the start.

Hitesh Ghedia you know.

Ian greenwood for keeping an eye on things

James Clinton Smith for daily encouragement, relentlessly 

James D Peace-Mankiewicz we will have lunch 1 day friend. ( sadly passed )

Janine Taylor and Paul Taylor and family for all your support

Jason Julie Kenningley Mark Kenningley Luke Kenningley and family’s 

Jean ‘Mili’ Thraves you have been a great addition to the group.

Jean Anderson your journey and Billy’s has inspired me.

Jean alty

Jenny hopwood

Jo Jo Paxton

Joel

John Almond you have been a great source of strength

Judith broad bentm

Judith Taylor inspitational person.

Julia Prince x

Julia Wadsworth here for me even though she is having a hard time.

Julie Watson

Julie wood welcome

Karen Charteris

Kathleen Hyams a star

Kayla green

Kieth McIntosh 

Kelly Baxter

Kelly rushton

Klara burton

Les smalley

Linda smalley

Liz peters my dear friend and family

Lorraine Haslett u know.

Louise Hyams

Lyndy

Malaya Arnold

Mandy shanks

Margret Margaret Park xx

Prestwich pharmacy

Marie ash worth

Marius Hantig Adriana my special friends xx

Matanda

Matthew Cross

Michelle hodgeon

Rita hodgeon sadly passed but told her story to us.

Mj Sherman

Nichola kenny a special person
Nicola fortune

Patsy wileman

Pauline birkbeck

Peter bones Wilson a life long friend

Sammie Roberts 

Sanjay Ghedia

Shandee Cabral

Sharron mccrery

Sharron Perry

Shaun Ferguson

Shelley Elizabeth

Simon Naylor Kay and family, becoming true friends.

Sue Daniels

Susan robinson

Tajreen mowla

Tim button

Tin foil tie wrap

Towhida Rahman

Tracey Ann Essex, thanks for your continued support on the benidorm seriously group.

Trisha Houghton

Veronica Bailey

Wendy and rob Cartwright, for your love and friendship over the past 23 years

Wendy case Edwards another fighter in Australia.

Youandi Woudstra an amazing person, and outlook.

These are people that supported us while we were in hospital.

There are many more people in our lives now that we’re not bk then. But I wanted to revisit that post, the people that were there back then. The differance you make in people’s lives. I want to encourage you to say the encouraging words you need to say. Because with out you someone may not get the words they need that day. What you say and do can and will make so much of a differance. All you have to do is agree to do it yourself.
Don’t not encourage the person you are compelled to do today, today will be the past tomorrow. But it will also be a new today and a new start and chance to help someone. 

But Will you?

Thanks to all of you that have been there for us, the new friends we have made since this article was written. Thank you.

Fonz

http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

Conqueror.

Tags

belief, bible, cancer, chemotheropy, faith love, hope, jesus, relationship

Throughout the year if you look back at my blog, I have spoken many times how I would rather stand tall and fight. Rather than roll over and allow the cancer to defeat me, I woke up this morning with this song ringing in my head so clearly. I wondered if I had it in my I tunes collection. What do ya know, it was there so I have routed out the you tube video. It’s the words that ring true in my head, because my blog is about encouragement. That you can. That you WILL. That life will get better that your dreams can be a reality.

Life is like a big merry-go-round,

You’re up and then down,

Going in circles trying to get to where you are.

Everybody’s been counting you out,

Where are they now?

Sitting in the same old place,

Just faces in the crowd.

We all make mistakes,

You might fall on your face,

But you gotta get up!
[Chorus:]

I’d rather stand tall

Than live on my knees,

‘Cause I am a conqueror,

And I won’t accept defeat!

Try telling me no,

One thing about me

Is I am a conqueror,

I am a conqueror!

Ooh oh
Got a vision that no one else sees,

Lot of dirty work, roll up your sleeves,

Remember there’s a war out there,

So come prepared to fight!

You never know wherever the road leads you,

Not everyone’s gonna believe you,

Even though they’re wrong, don’t prove them right.
[Chorus:]

I’d rather stand tall

Than live on my knees,

‘Cause I am a conqueror,

And I won’t accept defeat!

Try telling me no,

One thing about me

Is I am a conqueror,

I am a conqueror!

Ooh oh
I am a conqueror!

We all make mistakes,

You might fall on your face,

but you gotta get up!

We all make mistakes,

You might fall on your face,

Don’t ever give up!
[Chorus:]

I’d rather stand tall

Than live on my knees,

‘Cause I am a conqueror,

And I won’t accept defeat!

Try telling me no,

One thing about me

Is I am a conqueror,

I am a conqueror!

Ooh oh
I am a conqueror

We all make mistakes,

You might fall on your face,

But I am a conqueror!
The song speaks of moving on from your mistakes, but I want to use it in your battle. What ever that may be. Relationship, desease, illness, berievment, some sadness in your life. This post is for you, to tell you, to proclaim that you can over come. That you, yes you are more than a conquerer. In life we all come across the hurdles that try to make us fall on our face, and yes sometimes we do find ourselves flat on our faces wondering what the hell just happened. But there is beauty to be found in this situation you find yourself in. Because if you find yourself on the floor, there is only one way you can go from there and that’s up. To stand and face what’s to come, to stand tall and be a conquerer. It is of course but a choice and it is up to us to start again. Today is day 366+ since my BMT now I am starting to believe I will be cancer free forever. That all the prayers, kind messages of faith love and hope have given me the strength to conquer cancer. Given me the strength and passion to defeat the evil that is cancer.


I want you to know, that even if you feel you are unable. That right there is where you show your fellow man your strengths, because when we feel we are not able to carry on, that right there is when we are able to show just what we are made of. That’s where the true winners are, at the end of the rope. They are the ones that tie a knot in the rope and dig in, I want to encourage you today. That what you think is impossible is possible, that you can. That YOU are more that a conquerer. 

I truly believe that you can, and I hope that you choose to stand tall today.

Fonz

http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

Day +365

Tags

birthday, business, church, disaster, faith, hope, love, money, plane, success

Today is a really big deal to me, it’s day +365 which means it’s my BMT birthday. I am now 1 year in remission. I can’t tell you how it feels because I am full of joy today that we made it this far. 
In achieving this, I want to thank all of you here, not only for your support to me but to each other. For those of you that are nearer the beginning of your journeys please see this as a huge encouragement to you. 

There are some things I have changed, like I gave up smoking 372 days ago, I eat all my veg now and eat more fruit than I used to and drink lots of water which I did not do before. Be encouraged that with just a few small changes the gift of life can be once more at your door. I am so grateful for the new life I have been given. 

This is me today.

Again I thank you all for being here for each other. You all make such a difference.

Fonz

http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

Do it anyway.

Tags

belief, cancer, challenge, chemo, down, hope, perseverance, reality

Well there it is, we went to a place today that had a suspended staircase. Quite high up, many that know me know I am scared of heights, or just not keen. It’s a feeling I have when I am not seemingly in control, wires suspending me in mid air just don’t rock my boat in fact I would much prefer a world without any heights what so ever. But hey we don’t live in a world where anything is perfect do we. But what really is it that stops us doing anything, why do we let fear or any other feeling stop us from doing anything at all. After all what we choose to do or not do, won’t we still feel the feeling we feel anyway. 

As I approached those stairs, I was told the risks. That if I suffered from vertigo don’t do it, if you don’t like heights don’t do it. Well my friends wife Said to me. “Just do it anyway” Her words compelled me to do just that, to turn what a thought was impossible into a memory. My thoughts again went to my transplant and how impossible that was, yet I was able through faith, self belief, prayer and doing it anyway. I managed it. So surely a few steps would not stand in my way. Would they?

My thought pattern was if I can do my BMT I can walk up those steps. I put one step in front of the other anyway, I walked up them anyway. It did not change what I felt, I still felt the fear. I still had the same feelings but I did it anyway. It was a victory and although I did not hang around to see the view but I did do it anyway.

It’s a challenge I would like to make to you, that no matter how something makes you feel that you yourself, find it in you to do the same. To look outside of what you think is possible and do it anyway. I think you will suprise yourself. A couple of days later I walked over a rope bridge that I never considered doing in the past due to my fear of heights. Doing something that you think is impossible makes you more of a person, it hones you and moods you into a person that becomes a beacon. Smoothing the rough edges of you making the diamond that you are. Shine brighter. I guess it’s down to that choice again as to what you want out of life. To do it anyway or to change nothing.

What will you do?

Fonz

http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

Misery loves company

Tags

business, cornwall, hope, live, love, misery, Oppertunity

Never thought about that until today, I read a blog this morning about someone’s son who was self harming . They went on to say how when he was feeling down he always wanted to tell someone else to tell them how he was feeling. I started to ponder this morning what had driven me through the cancer journey, that my drive had been to remain positive even when faced with losing my life. I think misery is a thief, I think it’s something infectious that’s not healthy in any way to any party. But how do we get rid of misery, how do we turn misery around. Well here is what I think about it.

It’s our choice to smile, our choice to shine a light in the darkness. Whilst I am not perfect by a long way I do realise that a smile can remove misery in an instant, it’s what we choose to have in our lives. What we allow through the gates so to speak. We can actually change what another chooses but shining light in the darkness smiling when someone is sad. How ever we choose to be there is someone out there that wants to be in to company of you. A smile is infectious, a hug warms a heart, like misery clouds our day so you can choose to be what ever you want to be. Your life is full of choices, full of oppertunity or if you so choose it can be full of things you have to endure.

Each and everyday I have a huge amount of pain, walking is an issue until my pain killers have kicked in. I so want to cry with it most days, but you all know what I choose to do MOST of the time. Smile, be happy to have the opportunities that I do, because I have a life and of course in that life there has to be some positives. But that’s up to me right, that’s my choice to look for something good in a day or wallow in the misery that takes no effort what so ever. Everyday we have been somewhere on this holiday. Some hours are really tough to get through, even so we are making memories and enjoying what we have together. Not allowing misery to have any company, those words still ring true in my head. “You are more than you have become” because you are, I am and we can choose to be more than we have become or allow the circumstances we find ourselves in to dictate our day.

My choice is to do no matter what, no matter what situation I am in. It’s better to do or be something than to just accept what ever the situation is that we find ourselves in. You CAN be what ever you want to be, but that choice is yours.

Fonz

Sometimes you just need a cry.

Tags

christening, church, funeral, haapy, invictus, memories, remembering, sunday, times

Just now I looked at the calendar, on the 20th of this month will be the day I had my cells given back to me, on looking at the calendar I realised that one year ago today I would have been rigged up to the machine giving my stem cells so I  could even have my transplant. I don’t know why, but it made me cry, like proper cry. It’s so aweful for anyone to go through. My thoughts went to my friends who had done it themselves. Lee, Deanna, Jeanine, Paula, Jim, Chris, I became overwhelmed that people have to even endure this process. But then at the same time I felt a sense of gratefulness that I was indeed one of the ones accepted to have the process done. I don’t know why my brain works how it does,mbut I guess I am just trying to help you understand how others may feel in the process.

Down the road from me is a chapel, that chapel has been standing for nearly a hundred years, it has stained glass, an impressive organ. Solid oak, a gorgeous place. As I looked around at the derelict building I imagined the laughter during the christenings, the smiles at the weddings, the confetee being thrown on the front steps. The sad faces of the mourners on the sad funeral day. The children playing in their Sunday best, the lively things that have happened their and the sad. I pondered the people that had prayed for others health, thoughts passed of all the people that had prayed for another in kindness and with reverent respect.


To me that building stood for something, like my life before transplant. I cared for other people and whilst I was never perfect much like the old church. I needed to be made new again by replacing the very blood that kept me alive. Making new what had become useless so that I may recover and become useful once again. Cancer is horrific, like rust is to a car and rot is to wood. At some point in all our lives we will face something that we can’t see is good for us at the time, maybe it never will be useful again like the church that’s come to the end of its life. But there with that church holds so many many memories to so so many people. So with fondness I think of the church and all the memories it holds. I could not help myself. I needed to take something home with me. A memory of the place that meant so much to so many.

So carefully this morning I along with two Polish workmen removed a pain of stained glass, I will pick up the lintels later so that when I look at that window I can remember the things the church stood for, and think that maybe it’s similar for me. That because I was rebuilt that I can still look through a window, taking me back in time to all that was. But looking forwards to all that will be. Your life is for a reason of that I am certain, your tears are not for nothing. Because you stand for something. Everyday till I leave this house I will remember the good of the chapel on Chapel road, the Methodist church and all it brought to Hesketh bank. RIP and thanks to all the people that made sure it stood for all these years. 

A new one will be built and I will be a part of that future, maybe you will to. But where ever you live, remember your life is of great value. The memories you have to share are worth sharing to. Don’t lock them away, share them with the world so they will last for ever to. Memories are precious.

Fonz

http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

Extraordinary.

Tags

amputatee, chemotheropy, desease, extraordinary, faith, games, hope, invictus, love, premier, self

Invictus games, funny how spell check wants to change that to “I victims”  but what does extraordinary mean to you. One of my friends wrote on face book the other day. 

COMMON…..being “common” is a very easy way to “fit it”, listen to common people, doing what common people do, living how common people live, going to common places,driving common cars,living in common houses, having a common bank acount…….I preferr to listen and take advice from EXTRAORDINARY people, so I can live an extraordinary life,go extraordinary places, drive extraordinary cars,live in extraordinary houses, have a extraordinary bank acount…….so the extraordinary becomes my “common”!!

The man that wrote that, had his career cut short. He was at the top of his game and someone I respected greatly and respect greatly to this day. You see it’s not what happens to us that make extraordinary people just that. It’s our response to what happens in our life that makes us who we then become. Many times in my life I have heard or even said. “I can’t because” I hate those three words, I even despise them.  But I have learnt to see those words as as a way to show the world I CAN. That attitude is how things get done. Now please don’t get me wrong, I don’t think I am extraordinary. But I do know how it feels to do an extraordinary thing. To beat cancer twice is extraordinary in anyone’s book. To cheat death is an amazing thing. 

You have to then turn your thoughts to the up and coming invictus games where there are many many people that will be competing in a games invented by an extraordinary Prince Harry. There are many many people on this planet where we can gain encouragement from. Doing something extraordinary starts with one step, it is a choice to become something or achieve something no matter what the world throws at us. 

Anyone that beats the odds are amazing in my book, you don’t need to have an extraordinary bank account to be extraordinary. But you do have to be willing to make the first step forwards. That choice is yours.

Fonz

Not what I want to write.

Tags

belief, commitment, Depressed, faith, hope, love, oppertunities

Today I have to blog, because I said I would. I should be uploading all the photos from the capital one cup, maybe even blogging about the joy of the winning team,  but if I am honest. The pain in my hands and legs consumes me today, I have no strength to be what I want to be today, no ability it seems to be the me that shrugs off so much and turns around so many situations. Today I have to rest, our dog faith can sense I am not myself, maybe it’s normal for the losing teams members to feel a lull when losing a match that we feel should have been ours. 

But I know that it’s not because of the match, it feels like a punishment. A consequence even of having cancer means that the damage the cure has caused. Means that after doing comes pain, tomorrow I will write about accepting who we are.  I feel really hacked off that I find myself with such low abilities, such high pain and such feelings that I feel should not be mine. 

I started writing this some 8 weeks ago, yet I find myself feeling the same again today. Every time I do in a day I am punished the next day. So my reward today even though I may feel so bad, it’s to look at what yesterday’s efforts  achieved. To rejoice that I am still able to coordinate the right people at the right time to at least make things happen for our future. 

I know I wrote about this, have written about this, and will write about this again. Why because it’s all part of healing, all part of the cancer journey that I am on. Although cured dealing with the aftermath. But then you get rewards like this when you push on.

Maybe not entirely because of my hands, but most certainly because of the relationships I maintain.  Even though I may not want to write some of the things I do, I even so concider it a privalage to be able to write ( even what I don’t want to write ) life in itself is a privalage and one I intend to enjoy one I want to see things happen, even if it will give me the pain I may feel the next day. Happiness seems to be my enemy, and whilst my happiness (our happiness) maybe tarnished by pain and my joy maybe quashed somewhat. Still I look for what is positive, still I look to make something hood out of something bad. When we started this project, we had to demolish a perfectly good and pufuntary  building. 

I started relating it to my whole journey again, that the conservatory that was had to be removed for a new one to take its place. That I could accept the small size and do nothing, or I could get rid of what was to replace it with something new. A but like my transplant. That the desease had taken hold of my body and for me to live a longer life, the blood that gave me life needed to be replaced in part so I could continue to live. The process hurt, I looked a mess for a time. Here are some pictures and videos of it all happening.

Sometimes we have to die to ourselves to become made anew, it reminded me of a verse in the bible. John 12 v23 

http://biblehub.com/niv/john/12.htm

Change takes effort removing what was to enable us to become so much more than we thought was possible. Of course we can choose to do nothing as I could but what would be achieved by doing that?  Nothing can be achieved if even when we don’t feel like it we don’t carry on. By moving forward even an inch takes effort, choices we all make everyday. Cancer or illness I believe brings out the best in someone if they choose to find it. Choosing to keep moving forward makes you awesome, it makes you special. It means you know how to accept what you have to do to make things happen. Is that what you will choose, to lose what you are to be rebuilt to become a better you. Trust me you can.

Hope you like the video.

Fonz

http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

The lump taking up space.

Tags

business, cancer, chemotheropy, faith, hope, love, lump, suffering, treatment

Yep that’s how it feels, you find a lump that’s cancer the you feel like the lump carrying the lump that’s taking up space. Hardly anyone will read this but this is how us cancer patients feel. We feel like we are worthless, we feel like a failure even because cancer chose us. I mean what did we do to deserve it, are we being punished for something we did? Some of the things that go through our minds are not even writable. Isn’t life hard enough with out this crap they call cancer. The lump they call cancer that lives in our bodies they we render useless because of cancer. How pathetic we feel because cancer chose us, how much despair we feel because cancer came. We look out at the rain dripping down our window pains and wonder if the sun will ever shine again, we cogitate the things we never did that we should have and feel regret. We feel feelings that someone who has never had cancer will hopefully never feel.

I remember exspecting the world to stop just so I could get my head around what was happening for a moment. But wait, was cancer such a bad thing for me looking back. When I look back now at how I dealt with the feelings, that’s what got me through, my attitude to what I as a cancer sufferer mattered the most. It made a huge differance to the desease that was in my body.

I started to look at the world differently and see positives in everything around me. Feeling pleasure to be able to feel the wind on my face, feelings of despair were replaced by thoughts of hope because that’s what I chose to do. I chose to look for the good in everything I saw, I started to see cancer as an oppertunity, not a disability. We only know how hard that is for a person to do, to appreciate our surroundings. To appreciate the medical staff, the people that researched cancer to find a way to make us well again. Quickly skipping over the companies that make billions out of cancer we have to be thankful for our lives. Of course I am not grateful to have had cancer, but what I am is grateful that I have learnt what I have because of cancer. If it was not for cancer maybe I would not be able to see the good all around me as well as what I can now. Maybe because of our attitude to it, that’s what helps cancer become a blessing. That our eyes are opened to what others cannot see. These days I see an appointment to the hospital as an oppertunity to bless someone, even if that is just making them a coffee at the machine, or tea if they prefer. 


My attitude to the lump I found first time was to hide, from everyone and everything. My attitude the second time I got cancer was to affect the world. Maybe I have achieved that to a small degree, but I have achieved that, and that is because of cancer.

Have a great weekend

Fonz

http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

Have courage and be kind.

Tags

business, cancer, chemo, courage, dentistry, faith, hope, kindness, love

It’s, a precious gift kindness. I don’t know why  it makes us feel vulnerable. I guess that’s because we expect something in return, hope that the person we are being kind to will be as kind to us. It was a long time ago when I gave someone a gift, I was so wrong to even expect a thank you. Because real kindness does not give to receive. Real kindness just gives and your gift in teturn is the pleasure of giving. It takes years that we live to learn the value of the courage of kindness. These days I give with a non expectant heart, I find it gives me freedom in my soul and my spirit. 


I guess without getting the dictionary out that courage means facing something you have to face, and bravery is facing something or someone that you have a choice to face. Courage is to keep doing anyway, I see courage in parents everyday. Of course I have only a glimpse of what being a parent actually is. My only true exsperience that comes close is picking up my nephew from school in the little TVR, I waited outside and watched all the dolled up well kept parents arriving to collect what I now understand to an exstent. To be their most special gift on the earth, their children. I was given an insight into the courage of kindness. 

You see I now realise that as a parent everyday you need to have the courage of kindness, a relentless giving heart to your child expecting nothing in return. Everyday you have courage in your constant journey of dedication to the little people you bring into the world. I know if I was a parent and my son was my nephew, I would not feel anything but pride and thanks for the gift I would have in him. Picking him up, made me realise how truly precious children are, it made me understand a snippet of the courage of kindness. 

Giving without expectation does indeed need courage, though some kindness is instinctive. The reward you get for it is what you feel inside. How giving makes us feel with in that no other gift can give. How wrong I was to give that gift exspecting something in return. It robbed me of the feeling I should have had. The gift giving gives to our inner self, but maybe I would not have learnt the differance in giving to receive, compared to the courage of kindness. The courage of kindness does without doubt give to our spirit a revival. A renewing of our inner self because of what we gave. Giving does not need to be an item or exsperience. It can be words of encouragement to another that Spurs them on, when you see a difference being made in someone’s life because you did. That’s priceless and something that money can not buy. 

Here is my question to you this week. Will YOU have the courage of kindness this week. Will you give and expect nothing in return? Well if your a parent I think you already do that everyday, you do it instinctively. You have a responsibility that transforms this world. Imagine what the world would be like if we all adopted the courage of kindness for someone everyday. Have a great week.

Fonz  

Are you a blessing to the world?

Tags

Belive, chemotheropy, depression, faith, gift, give, goals, hope, life, love, today

It’s a funny old life, sometimes I am in awe of what this life has given me, other times I find my mortal self complaining of what is after all. Insignificant. Again my dear dear friend Rob shows me something on a day where I needed to be reminded. Reminded that it’s up to us what we look for in this world, I have learnt so much in this past year, and one of the most important things I have learnt is that the moment you are in right now, what you see right now. Will only ever be that way today. I have said many times, in life there is only one day. Today. That is the only gift we are given. Today. 

I will share the link my friend shared with me, I was told today that it’s ridiculous that dogs see oras or even that they may exsist. I am sure that the bible speaks of a light, the light that shines though Jesus. Would that not be conceived as an ora? Well I just know that animals love me, I know that it’s about seeing the good in life and seeing you glass half full, not half empty. Today is a sad day for my family as my dads cousin died. RIP Bill. He was my second cousin, Bill was a nice man a man that was concidered and gentle and kind. I am sure in his life he reflected often on times that were of true whole hearted enjoyment. Bill was a man that loved what he was able to see and accepted what that was. Content I would say, my heart and prayers go out to Bill tonight and Val his wife and the family as a whole. It’s so sad to see a life end, yet for me I see it as an opportunity to reflect and appreciate what was.

  
I won’t pretend to know Bill well because I didn’t. That opertunity is now past, but I will always remember with fondness sharing time with Bill and Val on our cruise around the Mediterranean. I pray Bills family are comforted at this sad time, but are also able to laugh and enjoy the memories they shared with Bill.

You see life’s hard, or it can just be a moment in the universe connected to all the other moments that everyone else is enjoying. Because if you can read this, you have a life and have been given the most precious gift of all. Life today, treasure what you have and also (as my friend would say) what you don’t have also. Because for me NOT having cancer and having a today is but one of the greatest gifts of all. You know I was able to drive to my mum and dads today, I hugged my dad till a tear rolled down my cheek. Why because today, my dad lost his cousin and he needed his son. So I hope I was a blessing  to my mum and my dad today. As I hope you used the life you have today to be a blessing somewhere. Here is the link Rob my dear friend shared with me and I share with you today. It’s not to late to be a blessing.

Fonz

http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

The 47 yr old naked me.

Tags

fat, happiness, happy, hope, illness, love, selfbelief, selfless

Every morning I get up, I am naked as the day I was born. I know I am a slightly different shape to the day I was actually born.  But never the less I am still faced with the same old problem. How to make this rather over weight, middle aged man look good. Well actually those were my dating days. It was always a real pain breathing in on those dates I used to go on, of course some dates I went on I rather felt disappointed I had made the effort and did not bother to hold my waist in at all on those dates. Trouble with that though was that, buttons on my jeans burst and belts snapped. Recently I have become more comfortable getting up and not being able to see where my bits were, finding a mirror rather more useful than I had before this time in my life.

  
I must admit I have been rather struggling with the fact that I am no longer a 32 ” waist and have finally realised that just because the bee gees are playing on the 80’s music channel it does not mean that 32″ jeans fit comfortably like they did back then.  I have until 2 days ago imagined myself as that well toned strong fit athletic figure of a man. Trouble with that was though that it was a memory and not a reality. I kinda sneaked past 34″ waist without anyone noticing. Now I do apologise if you have at any point imagined me naked at any point here. Please ask God for forgiveness unless you are my mum. But even if you are my mum. Trust me mum I don’t look anything like you may think I do. 

I used to be frightened of the Family belly and as time went on and hit 40 I had to rest a lot and my 34″ waist became a 36″ now I am saying this. But until two days ago I just thought it was my reflection getting fat and not actually me. I don’t know if this rings a bell. Anyway I woke up last Thursday and tried on ALL my jeans and non fitted yup and they all were 36″ so I had to face facts. I looked in the mirror at me and my fella. I felt sorry for myself as I uttered the words. Me and you are a 38″ pal we just are we just gotta go and get some that actually fit my fat size and be happy about it.

Now I went in the shop, embarrassed as I uttered the sentence to the passing shop assistant ” Hi I can see 38″ long leg but no regular ” she sniggered and went off to find some. But this is the truth, I bought 3 pairs of £10 jeans that were next to the £36 jeans. Why because I will I hope one day, want to get back into a 36″ waist ( I don’t want to aim to high ) as she walked away I realised that I would never go to a party again and be thought of as attractive, but maybe be asked if I was a grandparent yet. 

Now I realise I am a 38″ and feel happy that they need hitching up, it makes that 32″ man I imagine seem more real now. This post I wrote because I am now happy with the fat me and hoped you would have some fun reading it.

Have a great day

Being happy with who you are today.

Fonz

Life’s normal until something changes.

Cancer changes lives by there becoming a new normal. Some may even say that normal does no exsist after you have been touched by cancer. I don’t know about that, but what is a very real fact …

Source: Life’s normal until something changes.

One of the toughest things about cancer for me.

Tags

cancer, chemotheropy, comfort, Compassion, courage, fatigue, giving, hope, love

I don’t know how to say this, but I am pretty sure I can articulate it well enough in a post. When I had cancer once, my eyes were not opened as much as what they are now. Although the ABVD treatment was horrific, it was only a snippet of what have ICE chemo BEAM and then a Bone marrow transplant is like. People can’t understand what it’s like, for that I am grateful. It’s quite easy for me to be relieved that a person has not had to have just one of the treatments I have had. Because when I say “I would not wish it on my worst enemy” I really mean just that.

  
I find it a struggle these days to know of someone having to have treatment, I don’t mind telling you, it makes me weep and drop to my knees and pray for that person. The compassion I feel for the person is overwhelming, and a real emotional roller coaster. When I set out on this journey of writing my blog 365 times in 365 day, I had a lot of time on my hands and no energy. I remember not being able to pick up my I pad even, I don’t expect you to believe me. It’s not possible to understand unless you have been through it yourself. A friend reminded me how hard it was today as she shared some of what her BMT (bone marrow transplant) was like. It took me back, to not being able to write, but guess what I did. I wrote. Why, because I wanted the world to know how it was for me in there. How feeling unable but doing anyway felt. How hard life really is, that in comparissum to a parking issue my life was in the balance and I was fighting for it.

It’s really difficult for me not to be emotional these days when I learn someone has to have any kind of treatment. I have empathy and compassion in massive amounts. It’s tough having that much compassion you know it really is. All I hope is that it’s not you, that by reading what I have written in my blog that you realise that life is more precious than you ever thought it was before reading my blog. Each day I awake is a bonus, I say thank you audibly to God for each day I have. On Saturday someone said to me how they enjoyed my blogs, that they come across well. Someone else told me off for not writing everyday. I can only apologise to you all, I have been busy. My wife wants a conservatory so I am making that happen for her. For me I don’t care what it takes, if I can make my wife happy then at least I have some purpose to this life I have been allowed to live. 

  
It’s been a funny old week, I have seen a man cry who remembered another’s journey. I have seen compassion in people beyond belief. I have seen a friend smile whilst we went out for a trundle in my TVR seemingly small things, but things I never thought would happen again. So when you know someone is in treatment, treat them. Give them something to smile about. Even if it’s just a visit, a home made cake, what ever it is. Trust me that persons day will be better, and you will of made a difference in their life. Is that not amazing that you CAN make a differance in someone’s life. Wow that for me although the best is the toughest thing to do, to reach out to someone in treatment. Yet it means so much to the person. There is no rule book, we are not supposed to know what to say or do. But to show love to someone in that lonely time of treatment is unforgettable to the person, and something that gives you fuel for your day.

  
I will always find it hard because I know what they face, but that’s given me a love for people that will never ever wilt. I hope you all have a great week, give to someone this week you have never given to before. Be grateful for the life you have what ever you face. It could always be worse, so why not choose to makes someone’s better.

Fonz

http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

What cancer leaves you with.

Tags

attitude, belief, depression, full, hope, Lewis, love, marriage, rise

Maybe this post should have just remained locked away, maybe I should never have even written this. But I did, and I will not write like my mum and not share it. I will say it to the world, so that its there for eternity for you all to read. Cancer when it’s come in and screwed with your life leaves you with a part of what you were. I said to my wife these words. I held her hands and asked ” will what I am left with be enough for you?  I don’t think it is myself, I am not able to give her what she needs. Cancer did take much from me, it took more than some of you will know. I am actually happy you will never know. Because I personally don’t want 1 more person to experience treatment for cancer. I am sick to death of doing my best everyday to only be a fraction of my previous self. 
  
I am upset that the few friends I now have are but a fraction of what I did have. Although as a friend said the other day, “I have many acquaintances and few friends” I now know who the acquaintances were.  Hell cancer has proberbly wrecked the marriage we would have had only having a fraction of what would have been. It’s so hard each day to carry on, it’s so hard each day yo muster the strength and do something. I am being honest here, I will because I know when ever I post to my blog someone feels comfort. Someone feels some reassurance that it’s normal to feel these feelings. Right now I am angry, really angry and sad that my life is not what I feel it should have been. So then, what do I do.

I take a deep breath in, I sigh I breath and reflect. I say ” God please forgive my shortfall.” Please use my words somewhere in the world. It’s not possible to post positives everyday, because I just am not super human. I am a man, I have weight trained become a powerhouse that in the end was beaten down by cancer. Yet I WILL rise again. 

Lewis Hamilton said today, he had a 5 place grid penalty for having a new gear box. He said ” I need to look at the cup half ful, and take the oppertunity to rise” it’s how I live, to see oppertunity to rise rather than possibilities to fail. I will rise and keep on keeping on. I am not saying any of this so you feel pity, just so that with hope in your heart and an inner strength that you feel able to carry on. This is my life now, it’s a great shame that people have to put up with the effects of cancer. But maybe that’s better than the alternative. You have a life, and that life gives you oppertunity even if that is in something negative like illness. It’s just that you have to choose to see it as an oppertunity to rise. If you do. Rest assured you WILL rise and you will make a differance to someone’s life. 

You are so much more than cancer or illness would have you believe. You will rise you just have to believe it.

Fonz

http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

50 shades of grey? Only one shade of love…

Tags

business, Good, google, hope, life, love, loving, of grey, passion

When I was dating, I found 50 shades of grey. I found more than that, I found so many shades. But why do people think that sex is a shade and maybe even the main shade. Let me suggest to you that, what you think sex is. Is actually only a part of a shade of a possible shade of life. You see love only has one shade, it has one meaning. The world would have us believe that there is so many more ways to love using our sexual being. Yet it’s only skin deep. Here is a thought that’s as deep maybe deeper than you have thought.

If there are 50 shades of grey and it’s made up of black and white, is grey a colour. Because black and white are not colours so where did grey come from? Let’s assume me and you are doing our best to find out what love is. That maybe a walk on the beach, a kiss, or a cuddle is what we deem as love. 

  
For me, when I got married I did not take one aspect of life and love that as my life. I did not perceive life as being glued by one in particular thing that I liked. My love for my wife and hers for me is about 2 letters US. It’s about us, it’s about freedom for us both, allowing or rather wanting each other to have and be the best we can be on all levels. It’s not about being a great lover, a great cook, a great person. It’s about one thing. Balance. Balance in OUR lives that we live TOGETHER. Marriage is about together. And loving being together and working at being together knowing that we are both pulling together in the same direction. Stop being hung up on one singular aspect of a relationship. 
There is only one shade of love. Guess what, that one aspect,  is called love. That right there is how you use something that is supposed to make life distructive, constructive. You can be what ever you want to be if only you understand that life together has only one shade and that’s called loving each other. Just love who you are with today, give what you have, don’t hide what you could have given. That is not selfless. A relationship is about being together and working together. When you do that, things happen. The things that do happen matter to.

Just saying.

Fonz

Can’t the world make each other happy.

Tags

belief, business, chemotheropy, faith, friendships, happiness, hope, love, mind, together

So much happens in this world I don’t understand, I don’t know about you. I do know one thing though, that is all I want in writing is to love and be loved. My first ever post I was a scared little boy in the blogging world. I knew not what to expect from that world. But the world I was most scared of was the cancer one. Saying the word cancer has a scary familierlarity that scares me now. I don’t want to be familiar with cancer, I don’t even want it to have a place in my life. But that said, I have fear in my heart for other people that may set off on the very journey I did. This journey has become about others not myself. Not my progress but the building of belief in others that they can. 

  
It reminds me of a story written by someone else, but here is my interpretation. Two people ( they can be male or female) ) they are in hospital. One is not able to sit up and see out of the Window, the other is able. Everyday the one that is able is asked by the one that is not. “What do you see outside” each day the story is of sunshine, success and children playing together happily. Day after day the stories were the same. Sunshine, happiness and peace. Until one day when the one that was not able to sit up to see out the window sat up. To find he could only see a wall, there was no playground, no sunshine and no laughing children. Yet everyday in the mind of the healing person they saw happiness, saw smiles and felt happiness through the stories the other person shared with them.

The stories were giving hope, love and happiness to a body that needed to heal. We all have the chance each day to say something nice. I remember on Monday yesterday even laughing with my family, even heartily did we laugh even though the pain I felt was immense. Right there at that moment, or moments. With my wife, mum, dad, nephew, and sister in law. Who I would love to be my actual sister laughed heartily and loved completely. Is that not what the person that could see out of the window did. In doing so gave hope and helped another’s recovery. 

We are a circle connected, if you help another in that circle you belong. You help. You have giving hope to another. Is that not an amazing thing to do, should not we all do this for someone everyday.?

This last 5 days have been tough, but there have been times of laughter and I have remembered good times. My advice. Hold onto the good times, and make as many times good as you can. Those moments only come once then they are gone forever.

Fonz

P s thank you for all you do and are going to do for another.

http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

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Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

My own blog spoke to me.

Tags

business, faith, friendship, help, hope, love, self belief, suffering

So here I was today, emptying the conservatory with my wife, finding new homes for some things and throwing other things. We had a chat to a guy who was doing a job for us and just generally having a tidy up. I was moving forwards by standing and doing. I have not written for 3 days, due to the excessive pain through doing a bit on skater day in the rain. Yesterday my friend Rob blogged for me reliving me of my post duty. What a special gift it is to have friends, even ones you have never met, these include people from all over the world. From England to Australia. One of my friends reminded me that I can. By saying the words. Mark, you can, you really can. That was my friend in Australia Amanda, she made me read my own blog. 

  
On reading it again, and being appalled at the spelling, I realised that what I had written actually encouraged me to. It made me think that maybe it’s actually an amazing gift that I had been given. Not only to have so many friends all over the world, but the ability to express myself. Maybe that’s a gift in itself. I realised that we all have our own way of expression and I have after 47 years found the one way of expression that mattered. A way that gave something to me aswell as everyone else that reads what I write. 

As I read ” you can, really you can” it spoke to me. It lifted me and motivated me, it made me realise that maybe I need to read what I write myself. Sound strange right. Well often I never re read what I have written. I just lost it 99 times out of a 100. Only you get to read it not me, but I have realised that I need to hear what I write as much as the next person. Thank you for yesterday’s blog Rob you made a grown man cry.

Yea of course life’s tougher with pain in it, but true friends show their true colours when things are tough. Maybe you are like me realising right now that what you do is of value to yourself aswell as other people. I am starting to feel reenergised because of the people around me that encourage me to carry on. What ever you do is of importance to somebody. Keep doing that, it’s when we don’t do that our lives become devalued. You have the ability to help someone everyday. What could be more special than that?

Thank you for being you.

Fonz

http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

Helping the helper.

Tags

helping, love, others, Peace, strength

Helping the Helper

Hi, my name is Rob and I’m a friend of Mark’s from cyberspace. We never met in person. Anyway, you all know Mark has made a promise to himself that if he is able he would write each day with hope of encouraging someone in doubt or pain. To inspire them to take that one more step in the one-step at a time journey. So here’s the irony. Mark is the one who needs some help now. So that’s what I’m doing, helping in that only way I can. I offered to “guest blog” so that his vision can continue and he can rest and do some healing without having to think so much about writing or not writing. This one’s for you Fonz!

There are things we have to experience in life that we don’t like. Things we rather not have anything to do with. And this happens on all levels; from mundane everyday things to large life changing experiences. The everyday stuff kind of goes unnoticed. We complain about it, move on and then forget about it. But the big ones….those we never forget. And there are 2 reasons we don’t forget them as far as I can see. The first is obvious. It was so horrendous and painful that it’s like a brand on our memory, a scar that may fade but never disappear. The other reason is very hard, neigh, impossible to see when you are buried under the weight of your trial by fire. You are blinded from seeing almost anything then the suffering you endure. But endure you must and so it goes on and on. Maybe days or week or years. The second reason we don’t forget is the gift we are granted at the end or diminishing of our suffering. You see, humans that endure such hardship are rewarded with some form of bliss or gratitude. I believe that the purer one’s heart the greater the gift. (I can’t tell you what a pure heart is, that’s for you to find out.)

So please dear reader, take moment right now and imagine yourself, your loved one, yes, and Mark, having relief. A gentle sigh from their lips, a release of tension from their shoulders and a smile on their face. This is what I call prayer or visualization or sending good vibes or wishing them all the best. 

Peace,

Rob

What you have to say.

Tags

business, chemotheropy, encouragement, faith, help, hope, industry, love, message

You may never ever have the effect on the world, if you don’t actually say to someone what you think you have to say. What you have to say, could change the whole direction of someone’s life for the better. Yet you don’t say what you have to say, and there may be no effect, or maybe the effect of you not saying something neglected to encourage someone that needed to hear what you have to say. See that’s what I have struggled with in recent days, that my blog is not effective, encouraging, or maybe even futile. Yes I thought those thoughts.
Why did I even think such absolute rubbish, why did I rob someone of a post that should have been written but never was. We will never know what those posts were, what they would have said or how the may have affected people. But one thing I do know is, I personally have to be of the right mind to write. You know that I speak with truth and integrity and from my very own experience. I was talking to my dad, (who possibly is my worst critic) and he encouraged me to continue. That it was worth while doing what I am doing. Writing here to you. I am not able to tell you how many times I wanted to give up, how many times I heard small voices saying things like ” no one wants to hear what you write ” ” no one even understands your words ” such lies. Such de motive lies. Such useless unviable and needless ethics. Just not what is really happening. 

   
I write, so one person a day may feel encouragement, and I believe that happens everyday. I believe a power greater than I puts my posts in front of someone that needs it everyday. So again I say. ” I will carry on ” I WILL! Deter me, do your best to de energise me. Then I will rise up stronger again, because what I believe I should do I will do. Only now have I realised it should have been pool night tonight. But no one text. Maybe it’s I that should make it happen. Maybe it’s you that should say what you have to say. 

After all, there is only you on this planet that is able to say what you have to say. How powerful is that. Only you…..

Have a great week 

Fonz

http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

Survival is good.

Tags

BMT, chemotheropy, hope, Ice, instincs, side effects, survival

In yesterday’s blog another blogger commented I will put his link up shortly. He said he was asked how he was and his response was “oh surviving” the person that replyed said “survival is good” my friend Rob would have said that to me. We live in a world where so many seem to complain about the lot they have been given, instead of rejoicing that we are here to enjoy some elements of life. I have dark patches in my daily life far more than the normal  I was used to, due to life that cancer has given to me. I say given because Cancer made me see more things than it took from me. It’s opened my eyes and whilst I could have lost my life, I survived, and that’s good.

  
You are on this earth for a reason, mine could be to encourage others, and I could not do that as effectively if I had not been touched by cancer. Well maybe that’s true but what ever the case I have more because of cancer than I did with out cancer. So I am kind of blessed to have had it really, blessed that I know what it takes to beat it. 

When I went in for my Stem cell transplant, I said these words to my wife. “I hope what I have left of me, is enough for you”  she replied “what ever you is, after transplant. Will still be you, and you are enough for me”  I realised that I had to survive for her, for my family, my friends and my exstended family on CS. I am writing this with someone in mind and she knows who she is. As she reads this she will know that she to will know that “survival is good”  My fellow blogger where I got the inspiration for this blog. 

Remember it’s not always obvious what you gain from a struggle to survive. But you will find what it is that’s good about your survival, even if it’s just that you survived. But what ever you do with your survived self, make sure you bless at least one person. Even by that one act it was worth you surviving.  Have a a great day.

Fonz

http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

No you can, really you can.

Tags

cancer, chemotheropy, encouragement, faith, hans, illness, inception, kindness, love, time, zimmer

Please listen to the music whilst you read this blog.

Today has been an emotional roller coaster. I blogged again for the first time in 9 days, having been discouraged from writing and maybe even attacked from within myself somehow. I felt over whelmed by pain, felt friendships were not what they should be. I felt emotional pain for all those that suffered, I mean an actual pain. I searched and searched for some kind of comfort. But I did not find it, not even did I find peace. But then yesterday I blogged again, and I felt some kind of peace, knowing that I had done something useful. The pains started to subside, and I started to feel more positive. All because I had a light shone in my face. ” I may not see the answer but it is there. Then tonight I heard this piece of music.

  
The piece by Hans Zimmer immidieatley made me feel like my spirit was alive. That the only reason I was finding it tough was, because I was doing the right things. That if I stopped writing what I am given to write that people’s lives would not have a source of encouragement. People would lose out some how. Not only that, I myself would lose out.
I have pain inside when I hear someone has cancer. When I hear of someone suffering, someone said to me it’s anxiety. I don’t think so, for me it’s passion, given to me by cancer itself. Well I am not going to say I can’t, I am going to stand and say I can. I am going to keep moving forwards no matter what anyone says. I will keep on keeping on. That’s what this piece of music said to me as soon as I heard it. I teared up, it said. Mark you can, and you must carry on. Some my laugh at my thoughts. But this is not about the doubters, this is about life. This is about people who are affected by illness that feel they are not able to carry on. This post is FOR YOU. You have to hear me, you can go on. To do that you must stand, you must say you can. You must start to believe in the impossible. Believe that, maybe just maybe you had cancer for a reason. 

Illness of any kind makes us appreciate what we do have, but some find it an oppression and are dispondent at what they could have had. What you have is something that will open your eyes to all that’s around you. IF YOU let it, you are able to feel love for another soul. The live I have for another has become so deep, I don’t even know how deep it is myself. What I do know though, is if you are doing something worthwhile, positive, or encouraging. You will find stumbling blocks put in your path. Because you are doing something worth while. The question is how will you respond?

Fonz

http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

CANCE

Tags

blindness, cancer, collage, hope, learning, love, other, you

Hi everyone, can I start by saying SORRY. I failed you, I have been selfish and self absorbed. I have been finding time to love who I am where others have judged my opinions. I have a friend who seems to know what I need, I guess because he needed the same as me. He lives in another country has never met me. But yet he understands what I have faced. He has had cancer aswell, he had it in his neck and although never had chemo he did have radio thearopy. 

In my blog I have talked about many things, like loving yourself. Accepting who you are, forgiving yourself. Being yourself and sharing who you are with others. I have shared how my perception of life has changed, that money is not as important to me as happiness.why. Because I have had a light shone in my face, I have seen that there are far more reasons to treat yourself right, than to abuse your body. What I have realised in having cancer is, that I am a good person and what ever the opinion of the doubter is. Does not matter. 

I watched a video tonight that shone a light in my eyes, I have been shown there is more to life that the way I treated myself before I got Cancer. You see. Cancer made me ce. And while you think I have spelt that wrong, because of can cer is why I can now ce. 

I CAN CE BECAUSE OF CANCER. 

I can see the bigger picture, and maybe whilst others may think I have been punished for something by having cancer. It has actually opened my eyes. I wrote a blog called Muddy glasses sometimes you can’t see what you need because you Don’t see what it is we need. I had cancer so I can ce. I once had cancer but now I see. You are on a journey yourself and it’s true. If you still feel it’s tough, it’s just you have not got to the end yet, that’s all. Life is tough, no matter how you cut it. But for sure to have the light shone on loving yourself first us most definetley the key to a happy life. 

Laughter in a bad situation is healthy, us brutish think everything should be so solum. Find some joy in your world, because otherwise. What’s the point? 

Love who you are and be thankful you have experienced what you have, enabling you to be amongst the people that CAN CE. 

Fonz

Thanks Rob

http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

Muddy glasses

How are you today? Muddy glasses, well I guess it’s a bit like you can’t see the wood for the trees. Life can get a bit full sometimes and we just go with what we are used to. What we h…

Source: Muddy glasses

Tired of being strong.

Tags

commited, giving, grace, love, passion, patience, unconditional

Strange statement some may think, but it is true that people suffering illness get tired of being strong. Continually smiling at those that don’t really care about you. They just ask how you are to make themselves feel better. Maybe they feel they are doing a good turn. They ask a person recovering from cancer how they are “how are you”? They say. They don’t mean it, they don’t come and have fun and laughter knowing the person still suffers but bringing at least some happiness. For some they ask for themselves, so they can say they asked how the person was. Well I am tired of those people that don’t really care, the people that do for show. I am sad that people don’t ask and mean it, I am sick of meaningless chit chat. I would rather no greeting than a fake question they want a “yea great,how about you”?answer. I am tired of appearing strong for them. Those people that never send a text or phone. But ask you when they see you, because it’s convenient. Do they really care? Are they bothered really? If so why do they never visit, why do they say words but have no actions. 

  
I have people in my life that love me, they know they love me and I feel it. Others know they should do, but they don’t because you are not as important as the things or people they regard as important. But I ask you this question. Are not some of those people that you regard as important, people that provide or give something to you. Or do you want nothing from them but they do anyway. Do you maintain relationships because you benifit from them, or do you show those that you love that you do for no reward. If you want nothing but still do, that’s true love. That’s unconditional love. 

Please watch this short video, it says all this post is meant to be.

Unconditional love for another, is one of the most precious actions a person can be. Do you do because you want to do, or because it benefits you to do. What ever your thoughts on this subject only you will truly know, what the relationships you cultivate mean to you. A true friend will love you anyway, there are many people that I have discovered don’t really care. True colours come shining through, in illness. It makes me so sad, people do for themselves and not the person that really needs them. Maybe because it’s convenient to them, and it’s of great benifit to them you maintain your friendship. There are people I love now, that I did not some 10 years ago. Why? Because they have been there no matter what, a shoulder no matter what. A friend no matter what. They have given to me not wanting reward, or anything in return. People like that are precious, people like that are for sure people that give strength in our fight. Treasure those that treasure you. Remembering that, what you give is not how much it cost, but whether it came from each your head or your heart. When someone gives from their heart, they are the Angels of the earth. People that don’t care if you are weak or strong. They are just there, and don’t mind if you are not strong. They just love you anyway. 

Thank you for being you, and allowing me to be a real person. Not expecting anything from me, it means a lot. Because I want to be who I truly am. Not strong all the time.

Fonz

http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

Tiredness people don’t understand.

Tags

chemotheropy, cheo, fatigue, healthy, hope, love, passion, radiothearopy, tirdness

This post is for anyone who wants to understand, what tiredness means to someone in recovery, or indeed in treatment. For me this well built strong man, does not accept weakness well. Tired was never something I had surcome to, it was a feeling I would brush off and continue on with my day. Tiredness to me was something and nothing, so what I would carry on regardless. Even doing to 2 in the morning then getting up early enough to hear the birds tweeting. I would think nothing of getting up at 4 am to drive to who knows where for a meeting with who knows who. My life was energetic full on and interesting. That was until I was 40, I am now 47. You see what a normal person feels as tired, you can recover from with a lye in on a Saturday or a Sunday. Or both.

  
This is not the case for someone who has had high dose chemothearopy. Many people, in fact I would say all people. Comment on how well I look, how amazingly normal I look concideringnthis time last year I had no hair what so ever. (Apart from my eye brows)  I looked falown, pail and at deaths door. I was of course and I shut my family and friends away from my life and me and Andie got on with what needed to be done. I want you to know, that it’s ok to be tired, that YOU are NOT  weak because you are tired. What you are is recovering, you are finding new boundaries that were not what you were used to before you need to have treatment.

You will need to be in bed for longer in the morning possibly, need a sleep in the afternoon possibly. Then you may need a sleep in the evening to. Before going to bed and sleeping for a further 10-12 hours. It’s ok to do that, your body is healing whilst you sleep, DO NOT. Give yourself a hard time, it’s ok to make some food and feel exhausted, wash a car and feel exhausted. Mow the lawn and feel exhausted, weed a border and not able to do anything else for the rest of the day. You are not abnormal, you are not different to other people. I was a body builder at one point in my life, training every other day and having a BMI of 8 strong, and unshakable.

  
Some of us have read the side effects of the drugs we have had in our chemo, others just get on with it. I did the latter, my wife scared herself with all the side effects. I am finding out that people are still affected 5 years down the line, some bounce back quickly, some take longer. It’s ok to be where you are at, it’s ok and you should not beat yourself up. I smile as I write, because although I do my best to not give myself a hard time for being so tired. I do. But the purpose of this post is yo encourage you, that you are not alone. We, the people that have had treatment know how long we have been tired for. An operation under general can take a week to recover from, that’s ok to. But the tiredness you feel is so different to what tiredness used to feel like before cancer or what ever nasty you are now, or have been treated for.

  
Nutrition is very helpful, and the more of a stable diet you have IE 5 a day. The better you will feel, you may think. Well maybe not, because let’s not forget that the body needs nutrition to repair our bodies, and if we are eating well then our bodies will repair itself more. Which in turn makes us more tired, radiotherapy damages the body as does chemo. So don’t think that your tiredness because of Radio, your not entitled to. Because you are. Your body tells you to sleep to heal, allow your body to heal. Those that think you should be back to full health and working again, forgive them. They have no idea what it’s like to feel like you do, and for me I pray that they continue to have that ignorance. 

Maybe you are reading this and you have never been touched by chemo or alike, I just hope that this post has helped you to understand what someone who has had treatment still has to deal with.

If you have had treatment, I hope you feel encouraged. ITS OK TO FEEL TIRED.

Fonz

http://www.fonzandcancer.com

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Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

Invincible.

Tags

Aria, chemothearopy, Ducati, hope, invincible, love, motor bike, ninja

In life, only when something happens are you then able to stop and look around. As a young man I rode motorbikes everywhere. I rode bikes at the soonest possible age and even before I was legal to ride I rode on the fields on dirt bikes I bought with my paper round money. I loved two wheels, I had a racer when I was really young. It was white with drop handle bars.

  
This was the bike I had, I also had an xl100 Honda for the fields.

  
Life was very different at that young age. I progressed onto bigger bikes 

KH 250

  
Gpz 1100

  
Fzr 600

  
Then eventually my CBR 600

  
Then the latest bike I owned some 7 years ago was my ZX900R

  
I was fearless, no contemplations of ill health. That I may possibly get sick, I was invincible and never ever contemplated consequenses. I used to hear of other friends coming off their bikes, hurting the,selves badly. But it was never in my mind, I never even considered that I could make a mistake and come off. Things did happen like I bought rubbish tyres called swallows for my Honda super dream and fell off turning it around in a car park.

  
I feared nothing or no one, I actually believed I would live forever. I was Peter Pan I was someone that had not really know serious injury except a broken leg in rugby and an accident on a RD80LC. I ran into the back of a ford Capri. But it turned out that the owner of the ford was seeing someone he should not have been doing. So he put his bumper in the back of his car and left. I heard nothing more. 

RD 80 LC

This was just like mine, my brother bought it off me though.

  
I remember the day I finished riding bikes. Slowing down as I went through the gears on my Ninja, with my Andie on the back. It had new tyres sprockets, chain and brake pads and discs. Yet I was really bothered about something happening to the person I treasured on the back. My future wife. As we rode home together after another day out, I knew that it was my last ever time on a bike. My life changed knowing that I loved and cared for my love Andie greatly, it’s not something you can buy. But I realised that’s our days of exhilaration were over in that respect. 

But I still believed I was Peter Pan, I still believed I was strong and would never be affected by anything. I ate what I wanted, drank what I wanted, I went out all the time and even travelled Austrailia and newzealand one year. 

That is until 6 months after we got married and our lives were sent into disarray by cancer. I became confused that I just may be fallable. That I was indeed as normal as the next man. Although I have always lived a life without a care for my well fair, lived a full packed adventurous life. Fear of losing my life was never part of me, I had no fear of man or machinery.

What having cancer has taught me, is that life is fragile, that we did not know what will happen around the corner, what will affect us in the next hour of our lives. It’s made me value a smile given to me by a stranger, it’s made me realise that people are precious, that’s life is precious. That not even I am able to escape desease. Cancer has actually given me something very precious, it’s made me realise how important life actually is. Yes I have fought the fight of my life to sustain my life, it feels amazing to be able to receive that smile from my wife and friends. You have a life, love the life you have and those that are in it. Hug them while you still can, don’t complain about what they are not, love what they are.

Fonz

Follow me, I will follow back. 😊
http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

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Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

I can’t.

Tags

belief, hope, love, mind, pearl, perseverance, roosevelt

Tell me I Can’t and I will show you I CAN. Have you watched the film ‘Peal harbour’ a film of how the Japanise massacred the Americans that were resting in their ships  many times I  felt as though I was not able to do things in my cancer treatment.  Cancer treatment took away my abilities to carry on, even made me think negatively. How low I felt I can not even communicate to you. But I will say that how I felt was that life itself was impossible, that I should not even be alive. Thinking thoughts like ‘what’s the point in my treatment’ ‘surly it’s wasted treating me’ give it to someone who needs it. All these thoughts went though my head. Never once thinking, why do I have cancer, but why do I deserve to be treated. 

  
So what of pearl harbour, well it was a poinient moment in the film where president Roosevelt, who contracted polio at 39 years old. His desease put him in a wheel chair, it took his ability to be able to stand and be mobile like other people that walked the planet. In a meeting where they planned how they would retaliate on the Japanese. He slowly stood, making the statement ‘do not tell me cant’ every time the wave came over me making me feel so low. When that happened to me, I remembered that moving part of the movie.saying to myself ‘if he can I can’ I removed can’t from my vocabulary. President  Roosevelt although American and passed on. His legacy inspired me, it enthused me to believe that I could achieve where maybe at times it seemed impossible.

If you say you can’t, you will not be able to achieve. You have told yourself where your limits are, and you said you can’t. So it will be so. For me negativity needed to be removed, believing that I could. Using the examples set by great men of history. You are able to do whatever you say you are able to do, cancer, or illness is hard enough without making it harder again in your own mind. Real ease yourself to be able, tell yourself you can and trust me the load WILL be lightened. “I CAN” is one of the most powerful things you can say to yourself. 

Replace can’t with can. Try it and see how different your life will be in a few short days. Trust me you really can start saying can. 

Fonz

Follow me, I will follow back. 😊
http://www.fonzandcancer.com

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Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

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Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

Don’t take your life for granted.

Tags

decisions, endurance, hope, life, love, Oppertunity, reality

Did you know, that your life exsists for a reason. That your life is not an accident, you are not a chance happening. YOU ARE MEANT TO BE. You and only you can do what you do, for sure someone else can do the same things. But not how you can, not the way you do things. Your life is for a reason, yet so many complain about what there life is not. Instead of being grateful for what life is. You see so many, always want more, it’s never enough. When the next tick is ticked they still strive for more.

  
We have lived in this house for 6 years and have had to fight cancer the whole time we have lived here. Never have we lived here and enjoyed what we have around us. Yes sure there have been small moments where we have sat back and enjoyed what we are surrounded by. Those moments have been very few though, moments that we never had and never will again. We are all so fragile, our lives balance on a knife blade. Anyone of us could have a life changing event at any time. Today tomorrow, in 10 years. Maybe it will never happen, rest assured though, you will not always happen. You have a life that you have now, today. This moment will never ever happen again, life is without doubt something to be enjoyed not endured. The moment you complain about your coffee being to cold, or the meals taken to long to come. That moment won’t happen again, it’s gone. 

  
What’s awesome about that though, is that you have another chance to respond differently. To enjoy the person you are with instead of complaining about bad service or something else completely insignificant. What we have in front of us, with us, or by us. Is there for us not against us, but it’s how we react to it. That’s what really matters in life, our response. The way we see life, as an endurance or an opportunity. But every day is an opportunity presented to us, yet we walk on past all the opertunity. Seeing it all as hinderances. Yet the very thing that presents its so called hinderance could be the very thing that could give you the oppertunity that you don’t even know .

  
In life there are doors, it’s up yo us to walk past or push on the door. But one fact is for sure, and that is those oppertunity it’s will still be behind the door if we open it or not. Our choice is in the opening or walking past. For sure cancer has taught me that life does not present opertunities, it gives us a viechle to find the opertunities life has to offer. But the question is, will you look for opertunities or find reasons not to. Will you be the one that makes a differance, or just another name in the planet we call earth. Will you do, or complain about the hand you say you have been dealt? Or is the question, will you or won’t you?

The choice is yours

Fonz

Follow me, I will follow back. 😊
http://www.fonzandcancer.com

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Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

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Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

  

Marriage.

Tags

arguments, compleate, enjoyment, helpful, Laughter, marriage, siri, together

What does marriage mean to you. A commitment to another, a life of compromise because there is another person always to think of. Is it a mill stone around your neck, something you are scared of. Maybe you think that marriage means something else to you. Well here is my take on being married put how only I can. I would like to make it simple, for you yourself to even remove all of what you perceive marriage to be at this point and imagine life as a block.
So there is life right in front of you, with or without a person with you, married to you. Life still is there, it’s in its form that you imagine in your mind. I see is as a block, that weighs a certain weight. We all have them it’s just when we are single that block has to be carried oround by ourselves. No one next to us to lighten the load, no one to help to make the load lighter, and easier to handle. 

  
Marriage for me means a lot of things, the main one being that two people are moving in the same direction helping the other person in the life that they live. They don’t place demands and expectations on what they think should be marriage. They make the journey easier, the person that walks along side you has hold of the same block that you have and push or pull in the same direction. The person that wants the marriage to go in a direction that is opposite to the intended direction of the marriage. That person adds weight, creates problems and makes life harder for the other person to live. People that do that in a marriage, are selfish. They styfal the possibilities of what can be achieved together. See that’s just it isn’t it, if it’s a friendship, which of course is what a marriage is first off. Then that friendship should make your life better, more fun, more bearable, fill the air with laughter, shared dreams and of course love for each other. 

  
See I have always said that, the perfect marriage is two people that always put each other first, think about the other before themselves. Many things have come true since me and Andie have been married, many ambitions that we both have worked towards have come to fruition. Like my wife’s career for one, where we live, beating cancer twice together. Many things have been undertaken, not only undertaken but successfully achieved TOGETHER. Many people do not achieve, because they have a partner that is so demanding. So the partner has to work harder to meet the demands, of their partner as opposed to working together to achieve each and every goal together. A marriage makes dreams come true, a marriage brings freedom of life. Makes life more pleasurable, bearable maybe but most definetley easier. If a person is holding you back, it’s due to either an illness or something that the other person wants to benefit from. For me the block ‘life’ will always be there. The wife I have by my side makes that block lighter and easier for me to bear, I know that my involvement in Andies life makes her life easier to. Many ambitions my wife has had we have achieved together, not counting the cost but enjoying the smile of happiness on each other’s faces. Is not seeing a look of joy so much better than despair, of course it does not happen over night. It takes time and effort and conversations discovering what the other persons desires in life are. 

  
One thing is for certain, that is I am much happier married than I ever was single. I thank God for my wife, and OUR life that we have together. It’s not one persons life anymore, it’s two lives joining together as one. Continuing together in the same direction. 

Have a great week 

Mark and Andie

Follow me, I will follow back. 😊
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Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

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Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

Passion.

Tags

dream, helping, hope, love, others, passion, people

You ever stopped to think about what you are passionate about, I am not going to start reeling off the things you could be passionate about. But what I do know, is that if your passionate about life, then you have faced losing your own life, or someone close to you. If it’s a thing something without a heart then, you have only ever known life. I envy you in some ways because you will feel invincible. I most certainly have a passion for cars, I love the sound and the smell of a roaring V8. My brother has just bought a car boasting a V12 engine, a very different sound to the V8’s  I have grown to love. That roar to me is life because I can understand what goes into making a beautiful car. But I also know what has gone into enabling me to be able to hear that sound today, which I guess completely contradicts my first statement. Pointless post?

Not entirely, because although I am still passionate about the smell and sound of engines and all things that are loud and competitive in that realm. I have become passionate about people and what they face, I have a certain empathy with people that are facing illness and battles through no fault of their own. I mean lets have it right, an accident, and illness, things caused by something we don’t control can change a life. That is where my passion has its main focus these days, supporting others that are not fortunate in the cards they have been dealt. 

  
We can all choose to care or walk on by. The people that walk on by are most certainly the majority, which of course is a shame. It’s down to us to infect people isn’t it? No it’s our job to affect people to want to give something to someone, to want to help someone to grow. To feel wanted, needed and important, I did not choose cancer. Cancer chose me, there are no ways to keep cancer away. If cancer wants you it WILL have you. The accident you were in that changed your life forever, that was always going to happen. You can’t blame yourself, it’s happened in your life. 

I am passionate about turning what has tried to ruin my life, into something that drives me in life. I use the very effects of cancer on my body to ignite a positives within me to help others and therefore don’t find many days where I am as dispondent as I could be. You may have noticed I have not written for a couple of days, I am still on track to write my 365 posts in 365 days because there has been days I have written more than one. I have been and still am ill with flu, but feel like I am on the mend now. 

  
What ever the thing is that’s happened in your life, to crush your life. Use that to ignite the passion within you to do something that you never would have done had you not been affected by the situation you are in. Holding your head in your hands, or lifting your head up. So that you are able to give others a lift up, is far more worthy.Ignite you passion for life that you know is there, it could be bacuse of your situation that someone finds encouragement in the story you tell.

Have a great week

Fonz

 Follow me, I will follow back. 😊
http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

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Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

What’s treatment mean.

Tags

attitude, chemothearopy, health, help, hope, love, nutrition, radiation, scans, support, treatment

How do you see treatment? After all it starts with a nice word, a word our parents said that meant something nice. A treat like a chocolate bar or an outing somewhere nice. But as an adult it means a medical way of treating something that needs medication, surgical management. When I was told you need treatment, I had no idea what that meant. I had no clue how that would occur. The word chemotheropy was such a meaningless word to me, but when you ask the question “what if I don’t have treatment” and you get the response “you will die” you kinda know you are going to need to do whats required of you. You then have to acquire the tools required to beat or under Ho your treatment. For me, what I needed most in my life was positivity. I knew that there was no room in my life for anything less than a ‘I can’ approach to the drugs I needed to have administered to me.

  
I also needed to trust that what they were doing to me was going to work, I asked questions like. “Is there another way” “could I not beat it by diet” I have since learnt that doctors have only 1 hour of nutritional training in a 7 year training period to become a GP. I have learnt that it’s our own knowledge that can help us, or maybe aswell as that the trust that what they do works. After all that was the answer I was given when I asked is there another way. “The way we know works” so why try to fight it, I needed to accept that they knew what they were doing and effectively trust them although making sure that what they gave me is what the doctor prescribed.

  
For me treatment meant, scans,  tests, and lots and lots of drugs. They named the drugs chemotheropy, and they were administered over long periods of time, they were in bags hung on a drip stand. They had words like cytotoxic written on the bags, there were more than one bag that would be dripped directly into my blood stream. My main weapon I used when having treatment was something anyone that faces illness needs. Not just cancer, it’s a weapon that can lift you out of any hole we find ourselves in.

  
Positivity, and attitude if we have both of those in our armoury, then our chances of success are massively increased. That’s because we believe we will win, our attitude is positive and our expectations are positive. My attitude to feeling down was positive because I believed if I was down the only was was for me to get up, therefore the only effect of being down was that I would get up and beat the situation I found myself in. It’s like we talked about in a recent blog about our minds. It’s only our own negativity that drags us down by the very thoughts we think in our minds. Our attitude to treatment and anything that is negative, is a massive part of getting through treatment. Well it was for me, and I know it helped me greatly in my fight.  All people have a lot of angry moments, I am not saying I did not get angry I did, lots. But the main help is to be positive, and expect an outcome that is in your favour.  My attitude to treatment is most certainly the main weapon to overcoming what I faced. 

I truly hope that my writing how it was for me, helps you in what ever you face. Remember it’s not feeling negative that’s a bad thing we all do and did. It’s how we deal with it that matters. 

Fonz

Follow me, I will follow back. 😊
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Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

Match day.

Tags

champions, cup, football, hope, kompany, Liverpool, love, manchester, wembley, winners, yergen

So there we were all excited about the final today “capital one cup” and we thought we would look at the terms and conditions of ‘club Wembley seating’

  
To us it sounded rather strict, and whilst we did actually have our respective team shirts on the day we had jumpers on so no one could see. We were both very very happy that the tickets were gifted to us and for sure we saw it as a blessing. 

   
    
    
 

This was the beginning of a fabulous oust day for us both, a day that would remain a memory for the rest of our lives. Our view from our seats looked like this.

  
I managed to persuade the door attendants to let me in 1 min before the rest of the people were 88,000 of them. To take this shot of the empty stadium. This was made happen by the kindness of someone I did not even know, induced by the kindness of a friend that I have known since my school days.

Club Wembley did not seem as strict as I had first thought, people were at least wearing scarfs and hats representing their club. 

   
    
 

We were in the city end which made me very happy as it was the end my wife needed to be in really. But we could just have easily been the Liverpool end…

   
    
    
    
   

There was extra time and even after extra time the scores were level. But then the toss was taken and all the penalties were taken at the city end. The end we were sat at. Andies face was amazing when they won, the Liverpool fans left in the most. A few stayed to see city lift the trophy as we did. Who would have thought a year ago that this would have been possible.

   
    
 
Manchester city were champions for the fourth time. Equal long Manchester unites record of 4 wins. It was Liverpools 12 th Capitol one cup final although named differently over the years. We would remain 8 time winners. But to be honest I was pleased to, that city had won. Although I never told Andie that. It was a long day. We left the hotel at 11 pm and got home at 2.20 am would I do it again. I don’t know but what I do know is we had an amazing day and a memory that will be played many times in Andies mind. 

I hope you enjoyed the pictures and post. I will blog again tomorrow and hopefully have recovered sufficiently that I will not have to have so many pain killers tomorrow.

Fonz

Follow me, I will follow back. 😊
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Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

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Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

Wordless Sunday

   
 We won, and we lost.

Fonz

How are you?

Tags

believe, capitalcup, faith, greetings, hope, How, love

The meaning of that has changed for me over the years. But how do you respond when some one greats you  with “hi, how are you?” When I was younger I used to say “fine how are you” but what happens if your not ok. Do you tell them or do you just say the fine sentence. It’s an interesting one, because when I was a lot younger I used to have a lot of friendships, which I know know were just people I knew and not true friends. They were people that did not want anything to be wrong, wanted life to be hunky dory and not have to respond to an illness or issue. But for me I asked a question, and I always want to know how someone is when I ask “How are you”? 

  
It does not matter who the person is, the question from me to the person is always meant. But it was a new way for me to understand that people who said “all right” did not want to actually know if I was alright. I guess it was when we moved to leyland I realised this when I started at welfield high school and everyone seemed to say “Oreet” it to me was a new way and a new way of communicating, yet for years when I said it I always wanted a response and never got one. I thought people were quite rude not telling me how they were. It seemed only the ones that followed it on by “did you sleep ok”? Really wanted to know. 

The other week I was in touch with my friend Michael 33 and we had a little chat as to how he was, I followed it up with “I really do want to know. He was pleased because so many people seem to ask the question and not expect a response. I have learnt over the years that actually there are proberbly only a select few that ask the question and are truly interested. The people that are bothered about others and mean the question when they ask it, you will find on our cancer stories group. Because they know what it’s like to go through a situation, that’s tough to deal with. It’s a comfort to have people round you like that.
I want you to try it today, ask someone how they are, then look at them as say ” really how are you” they will be taken a back and even feel good in some way that they are well thought of, cared for. Even cherished. It’s nice to be liked, and nicer to be well thought of. 

  
I bet you think differently about saying that from now on don’t you. Some people love talking about themselves, I guess some would say I do writing my blog everyday. But my blog is about helping people to understand what the journey of cancer is like. When I am asked how I am I have to assess are they just greeting me or do they really want to know. I tend to find that out by looking in someone’s eyes. You can’t do that on social media though can you, but you can make sure that they know you mean it. I am off now for a while so you may not see me till late Sunday night but rest assured I will blog at some point tomorrow. Someone will be unhappy on the journey home, I just hope it’s not me. But if it is me then the car will be a happy car because, I am the least bothered about who wins. Andie is a massive Manchester city fan, my old Liverpool shirt was 7 years old. I bought a new one yesterday, (well Andie did)

Have a great weekend.

Fonz

Ps – How are you?
Follow me, I will follow back. 😊
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Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016
  

Fatigue

Tags

belief, business, cancer, cheomotheropy, depression, fatigue, feeling low, hope, love, tiredness

If your fortunate to have not had a life threatening illness or an arduous fight to stay alive. Having the very make up of your cells reformed then the word fatigue you will think is just tiredness . You will also think that a sleep will cure it. When I was a recovery driver I experienced what most parents would experience in terms of how really tired feels. Falling asleep after 26 hours work to be woken up after 10 mins to have to go to a broken down car that needs to be recovered 200 miles. I really do know what tiredness feels like. Fatigue however is very very different.

  
When your treatment finishes , people think it’s over for the person who was fighting. That they are all of a sudden when you here the words ‘remission’ or ‘cured’ that all of a sudden the side effects disappear and the fatigue disappears and we are all of a sudden well and fighting fit. Some people do not even realise what true tiredness really is. See fatigue is like a restriction, it’s like walking in mud, or treacle. Not that I have ever walked in treacle but I know how the spoon responds to it. Mud slows us right down and makes progress more of an effort.

Fatigue, makes everything a huge effort, it takes joy from your life even makes you feel low and down trodden which I always choose to be above. I choose everyday to do as apposed to wallowing in self pity because I have not the strength to get through a day. Fatigue is a really heavy rucksack full of lead on your back, it makes you want to cry. It makes you respond irrationally even. I have been careful to not respond with a knee jerk reaction, but to be considered in how I respond and not quickly. It’s difficult to get someone to understand how you feel, frustrating even that people think that there is nothing wrong with you.

  
How I turn things around in my mind is to listen to my surroundings, and thank God that I am at least alive. Even though the pain is so great that walking is a problem sometimes. Generally late at night or early in the morning is when it’s worst. I want people to understand what fatigue is, what true loss of energy is. Even typing sometimes is an effort, like your arms are in mud it’s that hard to move them sometimes. 

  
When I was in hospital I said to Andie, I hope what’s left of me is enough for you, I hope the drugs don’t take to much of me. I also said to my dad and my wife (Andie) ” It must NOT take my spirit ” what ever happened I had to hold on to my spirit because if I kept that I knew that I would always be able to be positive. That’s how I do it, my spirit is alive and strong and because of that I am able. It’s like my energy that I find in my spirit, your spirit that’s within us all is fed by things like, gratitude, thankfulness, helping others, positive thinking, and positive speech. Saying positive things when we don’t want to keeps your spirit full. That was what I clung onto for dear life, the spirit of who I am. Fatigue can do what it likes, but it will never take my spirit, people die when they lose their will to survive. That comes from the spirit within you, the power that comes from deep within us. We all have it because we are made in the image of God, it like a flame within us that we have to keep burning, some call it our inner strength. Say I can, and I will. Things happen then, but even so it’s far harder with fatigue holding you back, the foggy swamp is like a demon holding you back. 

That is what fatigue is like, I hope this helps some of you to understand it better. And reassures some of you who suffer it.

Fonz

Follow me, I will follow back. 😊
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Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

What we think in our mind is what we will be.

Tags

become, believe, Cancer stories, health, hope, love, wealth

In our minds eye we have a picture of what will be, what we can achieve. Where we think our abilities will take us, what we think we are capable in our lives. Who we can and can’t be in this world, we have an idea that restricts us instead of encouraging us. 
So by having the thoughts you have as to what you can achieve do you understand that that is the very thing that restricts you from becoming more. I have this approach in life ‘if he can, I can’ I used to be passionate about maybe being wealthy, you know the posh house, nice car holiday home ect.

  
Life is not like that anymore, I have changed. My life has changed, I now realise the one thing that makes us happy, and it’s not money or things. It’s contentment, it’s peace, it’s the planet, the creation God has made all around me that matters. The smile on my wife’s face when the dog does something funny. The warmth in my heart that comes from knowing that no matter what happens God loves us.
I so have not been happy having to have this horrendous fight, but the fight has given me many things. It’s shown me the value of life, not things. It’s given me friendships. It’s given me a new perspective on life, people and what truly matters in this life we live. Only we have learnt to dislike people, only we have learnt that different races are different things. Our parents and the news taught us that, I personally think we all bleed the same colour and it matters not what their religious beliefs are.

  
What ever you see in your mind will be, at the start of my fight with cancer I believed I would win, and I did win. I won because I believed it and so many other people believed it around the world, which is why they prayed. 
YOU can be what ever you want to be in this world, it’s you that will or won’t realise your dream. But don’t ever forget what’s really important, family, creation and the very people that care about you every day. We came into this world with nothing and will leave with nothing. That’s a fact. I leave you with this last thought.
It does not matter what you do after someone is gone, what truly matters is what you do in their life. What you say is worthless without a physical out working of what you say. 
Fonz
Follow me, I will follow back. 😊
http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

Saving a dogs life.

Tags

bone, dog, dog bone, hope, love, Pets, poorly, vets, woof

  
This is a picture of a bone next to my forefinger to give you an idea of size. Our dog faith did not hold anything down she was constantly sick. After 24 hours of this and no temp and no change in personality. I turned her upside down manipulating her tummy area. I did the same facing away from me about 10 mins later she was sick and this bone came up. We can only think this was wedged in her stomach with no contact with the acids that are so good at dissolving the bones dogs eat. I am telling you this as just possibly other dogs lives will be saved with similar symptoms. 
Our (puppy we call her) faith is now well and herself again. 

  

If you think it’s worth sharing so other owners can do the same with their pooches then please share. 
Faith says she no longer feels woof….

Fonz

Follow me, I will follow back. 😊
http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

Problems are opportunities for solutions to happen

Tags

attitude, belief, happiness, hope, love, outlook, perseverance, positivity

I might be a bit strange in my approach to problems, as I get pleasure out of solving them. I don’t see some problems as an issue I see them as a challenge even fun sometimes. Let’s look at today for instance, all of our village have problems with no electricity. Everything is down due to overload of the Stone Age electrical components. So of course in my mind I am thinking about saving our suckling pig that’s in the freezer and the meat that’s in there. Making sure my wife’s laptop has power so she can continue to work from home. Then last but not least making sure we have entertainment Tv and lighting in the living room. 

It’s now 7pm and everyone on the street is in candal light, but we have a generator outside with two exstention leads one into the conservatory and one into the living room where we have a log fire for heat. The one in the conservatory has a kettle attached to it aswell as the freezer and drinks fridge powered. The living room has our mobile wifi attached to it so we can stay in touch with the outside world. In fact it’s the one I had when I was in hospital so I could get my blog out to you.

  
It gives me a lot of pleasure to have solutions tonight providing something that a massive electricity supplier could not. Again I think it’s our attitude to issues that matters, if we have a positive outlook and good people around us. We seem to be able to make things happen that otherwise would not be possible. All it took was a phone call to a friend to ask if I could borrow his generator and connect my exstention leads into a double plug I put on the end of the plug socket. The only person that restricts what is possible in life I believe is you.

I went into the supermarket for some rolls for tea and ended up talking to a lady that needed hot water for her tropical fish. I found out her adress and was able to take them some water heated in a kettle to maybe save the lives of the fish they had.  You CAN do anything if you want to, the only person standing in the way of that is you.

I am sat here writing this with a smile and although it’s tomorrows blog it will go out early for your pleasure. I hope you have a great week. Also that this post has a positive effect in your own life. 

Fonz

  Follow me, I will follow back. 😊
http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

Encouraging bloggers.

Tags

bloggers, blogging, cancer, chemotheropy, cured, encouraging, faith, hope, illness, love, radio, terminal

This weeks bloggers I love.
http://Wordpress.hugsnblessings.com 
Dawn Marie is a Godly lady and is someone who always has something positive to say. She is not a person you will find drawn into negative conflicts about anyone, she sees everyone as souls. As a consequence she has nothing but kindness to give to all people. I totally respect her and am happy to call her my friend. 
http://heidihjort.com 
recommended 
http://alphawhiskeyfoxtrot.com/
Saying its one of the kindest blogs she had ever seen. So of course I had to add it.
I will always add blogs people recommend because if you like what they do then so will others.
http://dreambigdreamofter.wordpress.com
Danny shares people’s links everyday, he is a caring man himself and while he suffers himself daily, he has always got Time for others. People like this are rare in life and although I have our Danny forwards before he has shown support that I have seen this week to..

These people I want to recommend as this weeks bloggers that encourage others that are not out for themselves. The world needs more people like this, please contact me if you think there is someone that should go in next week. 
Fonz

Follow me, I will follow back. 😊
http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016

Thank you.

Tags

cancer, faith, hope, human, kindness, love, Ronnie, snooker, stories, Thanks

I will never forget the rocky film 4 when Adrian says to Rocky as he is about to fight the Russian. I cried when she said the words “YOU CANT WIN” that’s what the world would have me believe sat in this room in isolation. This is now day 4 and day 5 is approaching. The strength I am getting from the Cancer stories is amazing, and amazing how much strength others are getting from it to. You to could be part of it as this cruel bone marrow transplant takes place.

I remember as a small boy, I really wanted a bike but I was only 4. My prayer to God was “I believe I will get a bike thank you God for my bike” I got that bike with solid tyres a few days later. Another prayer I prayed was “Lord I know why you made the blackberries they taste great, but I don’t understand why you made the prickles. Life is like that isn’t it. It’s full of prickles, but also beauty and it’s down to us to look past the Prickles and see the good in every aspect of life. 
I Will beat this, why. Because I want to win, and I have an army behind me called Cancer stories on Facebook, and an army of people praying for me all around the world. These people are all winners, people that believe in human kindness and stay away from negativity. We are warriors, encourages, and all these things bring freedom and success. Make that step in any situation it’s so much easier to make the next. We just gotta have faith and step forward. 

That was a small part I wrote in hospital on day 4 May 19th  2015

  
Today is 21st Feb 2016 that means I have written everyday now for 9 months, it was interesting reading what I had written back then. I was in a dangerous place, I had no idea though how many people wanted me to win the fight, I felt proud to have the few on my side that there were. But I went in to see Christine and Ian at the fruit and veg shop on Coe lane yesterday. As they spoke to me celebrating my triumph against cancer, she told me how they had first come to hear about me. She went on to say how my mum had gone in there and asked if they would pray for me, asked that they would pray for me to be healed. That is in my eyes “faith” because the bible says “faith without works is dead” in other words. There has to be an action that goes with faith. 

This post is to say THANK YOU.  For praying for me, for asking people to pray for me, for encouraging me and many others on cancerstories. Thank you for believing that God would hear your prayers. Thank you for believing my life is for a reason and has a purpose. 

  
This post is for you, because you are who you are. No one wants you to change, you were made the way you are. Be amazed that you have life, we won’t always understand why there are prickles in our lives. But the blackberries taste wonderful when they are ripe. But you don’t get them without the prickles.

Have a great day and thank you for being you

Fonz

Follow me, I will follow back. 😊
http://www.fonzandcancer.com

Follow me on Twitter

@fonzmark

Email – fonzicloud@icloud.com

Our support group on our FB

Cancer stories (people helping people through experience) 

It’s a group where people’s experiences are used to encourage others. 

Everything you read are based on my own experience and my own opinions. I express them here to encourage you. Please share with others, if it meant something to you it will to someone else. All images are from a Google search. Or my own.

Copyright © 2016