Happy Christmas everyone.

Off topic
1

I finished work earlier today for a week off from what has been a hectic period at work and am looking forward to a rest, but I just wanted to wish everybody a very happy Christmas and all the best for a healthy New Year.

I know that there are patients and relatives here at various stages of treatment, transplant and recovery and I know from my own experience that Christmas can be a hard time of year if you’re unwell as a consequence of treatment. I completed my last round of chemotherapy just before Christmas 2012 and was allowed home over the holidays but it was a really tough time and a nervous one too as my transplant was due early in the New Year on the 10th January.

I did my best to join in and even managed a little Christmas dinner but spent much of my time in bed feeling very tired. For those of you in a similar situation I’ll be thinking of you all over this period and I hope you have a peaceful Christmas free of any issues with your health.

For some of you this might be your first Christmas after your transplant and I hope you’re able to celebrate and enjoy the festive period with a renewed sense of hope for the future.

I may have finished my day job for a while but I’ll still be around as others no doubt will to keep supporting you any way we can, so don’t hesitate to keep the posts going or let us know how you’re feeling over Christmas and the New Year.

This forum has grown in strength over the last year and I’m sure is a big help and comfort to many people. It’s so heartwarming to see everyone chatting and supporting each other with their experiences and reassuring others to help overcome concerns. This place is a very special community and I’m proud to be part of it.

I wish you all a very happy Christmas and the very best of health for the New Year and beyond.

Steve

2

Well said, Steve.

Christmas can be a difficult time. I was first diagnosed with non Hodgkin’s lymphoma in December 1999. As well as Christmas emotions I also had to face the millenium celebrations - at that stage, I never dared hope I’d be around 18 years later, contributing to this forum. I then had three relapses - two of which were over Christmas, and the Christmas immediately after my transplant wasn’t much fun - I couldn’t eat much and was worried I might throw up over the table on the most important meal of the year! I hasten to add that I wasn’t expected to cook that year.

A blood transfusion on Boxing Day was different but it certainly made me appreciate the number of NHS staff that have to leave their families to work over the festive period. We all owe them an enormous debt of gratitude.

As I prepare for Christmas with my family, I do think of those who won’t feel much like celebrating - perhaps fighting disease, recovering from chemo or transplants or waiting for diagnostic test results.

As Steve says, some of us will be checking the forum over Christmas to offer support, even if the AN professionals may be on leave.

A Happy Christmas to all,

Sue