Why I have not been blogging
Its been a while since I last posted nearly 3 months and it isn’t due to exploring some amazing destination but a more serious reason.
Anyone that follows Travel To Recovery will know that I am a Breast Cancer survivor and my blog is about raising awareness of travelling after cancer, with a chronic disease or disability.
Unfortunately I now also need to add travelling with cancer to the list as mine is back. I was ill before Christmas and pain got so bad I ended up in A&E thinking I had gall stones but they found the cancer had spread to my liver and lungs. To say I was devastated is a understatement. When they told me before thinking I might die from this I thought oh no I wont be able to fly for a while. The wanderlust coming out in me I guess.
After getting over the initial shock and speaking to consultants they are fairly optimistic about treatment so at the moment I am having 6 rounds of chemotherapy to see if we can shrink this bastard or even better get rid of it completely.
This isn’t a cancer blog so wont be posting too much about my actual treatment but I will be posting about how I am still hopefully going to do some travelling this year whilst having chemotherapy.
I have so many posts to finish off about the destinations I have been to over the last 3 years so don’t worry I will be posting plenty of amazing content. I had to have a break from blogging just to get my head around what is currently happening but now I am ready to get back into it.
I will not let cancer stop me from travelling
In fact before my 2nd round of chemo next week I have booked a little break away to Great Yarmouth. I have never been to this part of the UK and maybe I am being a little ambitious with travelling that far.
I live in Bristol which is a 4.5 hour drive but I cant drive due to medication so getting the National Express Coach and its going to take 7.5 hours. At least I can sleep and I will just imagine I am on a long haul flight going somewhere exotic until I get off to the rainy seaside town of Great Yarmouth.
To be honest I am really looking forward to it I so need a break away. Just being by the sea will hopefully lift my mood and give me something else to think about rather than my treatment.
I have only had one round of chemotherapy and I have had some side effects such as bone pain, I shaved my hair yesterday as it was starting to fall out and I have a horrible rash on my face but at the moment I am still able to get away. As I have more treatment I will get weaker and suffer more side effects so I probably wont be able to travel as far as this again on my own so I am going to make the most of it.
I have started a new section on my blog called travelling with Cancer where I will be posting how I travel this year which you can find here.
If you are going through a similar situation and need any information about travelling with cancer or a illness please do get in contact and i will do my best to point you in the right direction.
12 Comments
Glad to hear you’re back on the road. Hope National Express Is as comfy as it used to be and that the trip does you good.
I’m so sorry to hear it is back Jenni. Well done on staying positive, and I hope the sea air helps keep your spirits up. I look Forward to hearing about your other adventures as you write about them. Sending positive thoughts. Stay strong x
Wishing you a speedy recovery! You got this! Stay strong!
Sending you big hugs, Jenni. You are an inspiration.
Thank you
Thank you
I was slightly disappointed with NE i prefer Megabus
Thank you
Not sure how I landed on your blog, but it was quite moving to say the least. As a fellow explorer, I can’t imagine my life without it and I want you to know that while I don’t know you, I feel you and I am cheering for you from afar. I own Explorer X and am the co-founder of The Transformational Travel Council. I think our take on travel, transformational travel, would really resonate with you and your followers. We’re all about using travel as a catalyst for personal growth and global transformation. We’d love to learn more about you and how we can support travelers that have been in the middle of unforeseen life changes that can sometimes beat us down. Personally, I’m drawn to help in any way I can. In my mind, every journey can be a rite of passage and that’s incredibly powerful for someone that is facing illness and on the road to recovery. Please reach out to me via one of my websites if you’d like to connect. Or Facebook, or LinkedIn. Just know that I for one am with you. 🙂 Gratitude, Jake Haupert
Thank you for your supportive words
I am so sorry to hear this. Back in 2014, I have undergone surgery because of a breast lump removal. I was so scared because I’ve never been hospitalized before that. I already made plans to travel Hong Kong that time. I told the doctor about my travel plans so she asked me if I go for cancer or cancel HK trip, my choice. A painful and traumatic experience forced me to travel more.
Very nice blog thanks.