The Bright Side of Life
(First of all, if you didn’t start sing Monty Python’s ‘always look on the bright side of life,’ after reading the title…then I’m not sure we can be friends, sorry.)
Ah, where to begin? Maybe grab yourself a cuppa and some biscuits and have a little nosy into my life recently.
I want to give you all a little update on my life, just in case you’re interested for some strange reason. And I also want to explain a little bit about what my plans are for this blog in the future.
So, what’s been going on in the last few months? To be honest it’s been…an interesting time, there’s been quite a lot happening but also not very much at the same time which doesn’t really make much sense but bear with me.
Probably the first update is that I had a little trip away…to the hospital unfortunately, not Spain. I was admitted for a few nights with some undiagnosed viral infection. After feeling extremely tired and weak for a day or two, we decided to go up to Belfast Accident and Emergency department. They were surprisingly quick and I was seen and starting to be treated in just a few hours. Although, I do get a kind of VIP treatment, not just because I’m a regular in the hospital but also due to my immune system being so compromised, they don’t want me to be sat in the waiting room with people who could have all kinds of infectious illnesses that I would pick up if I’m around the area for any length of time. There are perks to being a complicated patient.
Anyways, they kept a close eye on me and I managed to escape in three days – very impressively quick by my standards.
I’m still getting back 100% of my energy but I am definitely feeling a lot better. I do try and make a conscious effort to look for the good in life and over the years have become a pro at making hospital stays as much fun as possible (this includes ordering Domino’s cookies to the hospital with my friend, finding the best series on Netflix to watch and usually eating a lot of ice lollies), but also in getting back to feeling like myself after I get out of the hospital. The best way I have found to accomplish this include a long shower, good face moisturiser, proper cup of tea, fresh bed sheets and because I am very lucky to have it on my doorstep – a walk on the beach. Works wonders.
So apart from health hiccups, what’s going on. Well my biggest focus at the moment is the Transplant Games, the British at the end of July and the World Games start on 17th August! There really isn’t long to go now and I am determined to make the most out of the time I have left to train. I am so excited to see what my body can accomplish this year. Listen, I’m not going in hoping for medal or anything, I just want to know that I gave everything I have and be happy knowing that I really tried my best. After that…well we’ll just have to see what happens.
I am looking forward to spending some time with all the great friends I’ve made over my years at the Games and as usual coming home absolutely exhausted but very, very happy about it.
I am especially looking forward to the Games this year as I know I will have to face a bit of a difficult time after they are over, so I feel like they are distracting me from that, and keeping my mind on the bright side of life. The training and the competition and all the fun that comes with the Gala Dinner, catching up with old friends and being around some of my favourite people are all really positive things for me to focus on. And I will deal with the not so fun things when they happen, instead of overthinking and dreading it for months beforehand.
Another little thing that happened since my last blog was my birthday! I turned 20 in May and I know that usually 21 is the big landmark birthday, but for some reason 20 felt like a very big deal to me.
I felt ready to leave my teenage years. And I felt like I had accomplished something really quite impressive. This probably sounds very strange to a lot of you, but it’s true.
I don’t say this to be morbid, but there were many times when I didn’t think I’d see my 10th birthday, or my sweet 16th or my 18th. So to have stayed alive for 20 whole years is a pretty big deal to be honest. Well done me.
And thank you to the donors and the donor families who make it possible for me to keep having birthdays.
So, something to explain a little bit about, is what the future holds for this blog…and for Live Loudly Donate Proudly. I will be doing a separate blog all about this, but just to briefly explain. My plan is to focus on the blog more, and try and make it very regular in it’s uploads. But I also want it to expand, past what I write about at the moment.
I want to feel free to write about things which might have nothing to do with transplants or organ donation or even mental health. I want to write about anything and everything. If I see something that inspires a post, I’ll do it. And just see how it goes for a while, if people are interested then that’s amazing, but if not…well that’s kind of okay because I’ll be writing about things I love.
Things will be evolving and growing, just like I am in my own life and character. As I learn more about myself, I think I will learn more about where I want to take all of this. The times are a’changing … and I really hope you will join me for the ride.
I’m going to leave this blog here for today, and I will be back during the week to explain a bit more fully about the changes to Live Loudly. And lots of other posts coming up in the next few weeks that I am really loving writing, and hopefully you will love reading.
For now, I’m signing off – you sign up,
Lucia X