Blog

September 7, 2012

I began writing my Caring Bridge Journal just before my bone marrow transplant almost a year ago to simply keep people updated about my progress so that my family and closest friends wouldn’t need to be pestered during it all. It was such a risky procedure that I didn’t want my mum having to tell people bad news if it happened, as that would just have me worrying about her!

Over 15,000 people have now viewed my journal! One person who stumbled across it, from a link via my instagram page, was composer and singer Nikki Franklin. Nikki contacted me after seeing a photo of me drinking champagne (with very little hair!) after receiving my first good scan result since my transplant. She had read my latest entry on Caring Bridge and particularly liked my last paragraph about being superstitious; “If you’re ever walking along somewhere with me and I’m walking like an idiot avoiding odd-numbered lines of drains, or propped-up ladders, or I’m stupidly jumping over cracks in the pavement, or closing my eyes after I’ve seen two magpies so I don’t see a third, just humour me and join in!” Nikki was then inspired to write a piece for her group The Spike Orchestra and titled it ‘Counting Magpies’.

Nikki came to visit me, interviewed me, and interspersed some clips of me speaking about my cancer journey into the piece. It was extremely cleverly constructed, with complete madness representing my feelings and the stubborn cancer, me facing a life-threatening disease, and the darkness involved in the whole journey. I went along to the World Premiere at The Forge in Camden, and was totally overcome by how well Nikki had ‘nailed it’ all within a piece of music!

Sometimes when an experience as difficult as cancer can lead to positive experiences and inspiring people, it can help the sufferer immensely. This was certainly one of those moments! Thanks Nikki! xxx

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