Richmond Hill 101

Posted on 06/09/2015 by AnnaGoAnna

Number 62 on Greig’s list of 101 Things to Do When you Survive is “Enjoy a hot chocolate whilst watching the sun go down on Richmond Hill in 2015”.

I’m quite sure when Greig created the Facebook event on 5 August inviting some friends to meet him at Richmond Hill on 6th September for hot chocolate, he expected maybe 50 or so people would be able to make it. Hmmm I’m not sure that Greig truly understands the impact of his 101 Journey on all those who’ve read his blog or followed his social media posts on Twitter and Facebook. If you’ve not read why then click here. What’s different about Greig’s journey was that not only was it about him and for him, he chose to do something around the world for others and managed to include and inspire us all along the way.

Yes it was inevitable that there’d be a heap of people on Richmond Hill having hot choccie. They’d traveled from everywhere and even from the other side of the world to be there. Many people were sporting 101 t-shirts/sweatshirts (another project that Greig had organised to raise funds for Cure Brain Cancer Foundation and raising no less than £1,668.

Even the hot chocolate day at Richmond Hill was raising funds for another charity North of England Children’s Cancer Research and with donations and an auction raised £1,100 on the day.

AND we had an amazing day. The sunshine was out, great friends (old and new), virtual and real.

Typical Greig… tick off something from his List but achieve so much financially for charity but also for others to be part of this exciting day and visit a place that means so much to him… and now to all of us.

Greig, hope you now know that you were never alone on our journey… we all came along for the ride too!

Rip Off Britain

Posted on 08/01/2015 by AnnaGoAnna

Did you watch it? I did warn you I’d be on your tellybox.

Rip Off Britain: Holidays, Episode 4 featuring lots of lovely people and me.

The piece I was asked to be involved in was with reference to the high cost of travel insurance for people with long term conditions. It’s not just the high price though. What we wanted to do with this story was highlight that often people don’t know their current travel insurance no longer covers them, or that their premiums will now be absurdly and often inequitably high, even if they’re many years post-diagnosis (as I am).

We also wanted to demonstrate that there are companies who will treat you as an individual, assess your case and provide a quote personal to your circumstance, holiday destination and health. I am so pleased Fiona Macrae of InsuranceWith was also featured on the same programme. I was fortunate to meet Fiona at a time when I finally thought I’d best not travel anymore without insurance and discovered their personal approach and in turn an affordable cover.

I also hope that this feature may provoke discussions between individuals and their insurance companies to get some of the bigger companies who don’t ‘personalise’ insurance to become better at making the assessments of if they’re unable to offer ‘realistic’ travel insurance then simply not to offer it at all and to direct people to other companies who do offer it.

I’m personally pleased that the BBC also kept in mention of Phyllodes, not only verbally but also as I typed it into my computer. Odd perhaps to be pleased with this but I was once told I was unique in my diagnosis and felt alone. Since then I have met hundreds of others around the world (online and in person) who’ve also been diagnosed with Phyllodes and also felt alone. I can guarantee someone looking at Rip Off Britain today doesn’t feel quite as alone as they did yesterday.

Anyway, I shall leave you to decide if I did the story justice.

A novel way to celebrate 5 years since diagnosis

Posted on 16/10/2014 by AnnaGoAnna

When Greig Trout, the author of 101 Things to do when you Survive, messaged me to let me know he’d nominated me to take part in a BBC documentary, we had no idea that the filming would take place today, my cancerversary.

I’ll be honest and say that I have been more than a little nervous about doing it at all and the idea of ‘putting myself out there’ for all to see on the tellybox has induced more than a few sleepless nights. Greig had been asked to do the show and would, no doubt, have been brilliant. But the lure of more travelling, proving there is life after not one but two cancer diagnosis, inspiring others and raising awareness was too great for him and he jumped on a plane to Broome in Australia instead!

I can’t explain too much about today’s filming as the BBC want, of course, to have an impact with the show when it’s aired in January. My day started at 7.15AM when a taxi arrived to take me to the first filming location in the City of London. Stupidly I wondered how I would recognise the team I was meeting… until I walked in to a coffee shop to see cameras and lights set up and waiting for my arrival! (blonde moment). Nervously I was interviewed on camera. All the time worried about how I would look, whether I would do a good enough job and trying not to be emotional.

The next part of our day was crucial. I was to conduct an ‘interview’ on camera. I needed to be polite but to needle. I needed to enquire but to listen. I needed to ensure my questions would inform and that the answers received were useful. I needed to be Robert Peston but hope that little old me was an OK substitute.

The final part of the day was about me and filmed at home. ‘About me’ is never something I’ve been particularly comfortable with. I’m usually taking the photos or choose to hide at the back of group pictures. Unsurprising then that when asked by the BBC to find some holiday snaps of me, I had diffuculty locating ones with me in them! Ironic to think I am spending the day being filmed! I was interviewed on camera about my diagnosis and experience with having cancer. Having been in control of my emotions all day, I wonder if I might seem emotionless on camera. We also filmed me doing normal things at home, meeting a friend, juicing, writing this blog, looking at holiday photos etc. All to set the scene about me in the documentary story and why the topic is so important to be aired.

(In my kitchen!)

A very long day (11 hrs) and I was exhausted and emotional by the time the crew had left. Ironic in so many ways. Not least that the filming was taking place 5 years on from when I heard that dreadful phrase “You have cancer”. A milestone I marked with telling my story to camera. Hopefully the film will achieve changes in an industry that takes advantage of those who are living with a long term condition. Hopefully it will raise awareness of the issue and signpost those affected to the right place at an affordable price. Hopefully it will also raise awareness to Phyllodes by the mention in the piece. Hopefully this mention will mean that others diagnosed with this rare cancer will not feel alone and find others in the Phyllodes Support Group. Hopefully I did the piece justice…

Let me know : Rip Off Britain being aired in January.

PS Apologies about the ill-fitting jeans… my excuse – I’ve lost weight and got dressed in the early morning darkness!