It's an amazing view... nature so beautiful!
Tuesday 24 February 2009
Amazing sun breaking through clouds
It's an amazing view... nature so beautiful!
Sunday 22 February 2009
What to do? A friend with cervical cancer.
This is going to be a pretty 'heavy' post, I think so you've been warned... ;)
It is about friendship and about a pretty tough subject in life, that destroys too many lives in the world we live in: cancer.
I would like to have your input, opinion and wise words on this one.
My best friend has been diagnosed with cervical cancer.
Now, this is a big blow as we had both decided that after a lot of struggles and negativity... this would become HER year.
However, it wasn't to be... just before the end of 2008 she got the results of her smear test (that she had delayed for quite some time) and the test results showed that it wasn't good. There were cells there that shouldn't be there... and a second test as to what kind of cells were not even necessary.
The verdict was: not good! Now they just needed to figure out how not good...
By now we are almost 3 months down the line and the following has happened:
- she had tissue removed which has been looked at in the lab (5 weeks ago)
- not all cells have been removed... leaving some inside her body to still do damage
- the cells are definitely benign, are deeper in the tissue than they originally thought and are more aggressive than originally predicted
I hear you ask: then why is she 3 months down the line and nothing else has happened yet, no treatment started, no surgery done?
Well, she is 30+ and has a child wish, has had one for ages and ages.
This she has told the doctors too. So obviously (I guess) they are taking this into account.
They have told her twice now that if she would have been older or wouldn't have had a child wish they would have removed her womb already.
However, because circumstances are different they are looking at what else could be done next to the big one...
On the 3th of March she will hear from a team of experts in the hospital that she has been referred to whether there are any other options then taking out her womb. Basically killing off her wish to have a child of her own.
I am so afraid that the doctors because of the child wish take too much of a risk. From having tissue in a lab you can't fully see how the cells that are still in the body react!
Is it safe for them to have her wait another 2 weeks before she hears what they will/can do?
Maybe with one person it's a risk that turns out well, but maybe with another...not so well.
She obviously keeps hope... if the doctors wouldn't trust it they would just tell her that she didn't have an option anymore, right?
The fact that they don't say this...means it's not THAT bad... right?
But I'm not sure... I'm getting more and more worried.
Mostly because she's my best friend and I don't want to loose her...
Also because now in the UK there's the high profile story of a celebrity, having terminal cervical cancer.
She was diagnosed with the disease in August 2008 and after chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery she has heard on Friday the 13th of February that it is terminal.
The doctors have only given her a couple of months to live.
Leaving her 2 young children without a mum...
Now I know that I shouldn't be thinking along those lines and I should stay positive. But this is a story I just can't ignore as it is everywhere I go.
And I can't get the fact out of my head that this cancer is still inside my friend's body while the doctors are seeing what they can do...
However, I don't want to give her more worries than she already has and I can imagine this is something that is playing around in her mind as well...
So... do I tell her my concerns? And if so...to what extend?
I'm busy writing a letter to her (yes, pen and paper, the old way) telling her how much she and our friendship means to me... How much of my concerns should I put in??
Any advice is very much appreciated!
It is about friendship and about a pretty tough subject in life, that destroys too many lives in the world we live in: cancer.
I would like to have your input, opinion and wise words on this one.
My best friend has been diagnosed with cervical cancer.
Now, this is a big blow as we had both decided that after a lot of struggles and negativity... this would become HER year.
However, it wasn't to be... just before the end of 2008 she got the results of her smear test (that she had delayed for quite some time) and the test results showed that it wasn't good. There were cells there that shouldn't be there... and a second test as to what kind of cells were not even necessary.
The verdict was: not good! Now they just needed to figure out how not good...
By now we are almost 3 months down the line and the following has happened:
- she had tissue removed which has been looked at in the lab (5 weeks ago)
- not all cells have been removed... leaving some inside her body to still do damage
- the cells are definitely benign, are deeper in the tissue than they originally thought and are more aggressive than originally predicted
I hear you ask: then why is she 3 months down the line and nothing else has happened yet, no treatment started, no surgery done?
Well, she is 30+ and has a child wish, has had one for ages and ages.
This she has told the doctors too. So obviously (I guess) they are taking this into account.
They have told her twice now that if she would have been older or wouldn't have had a child wish they would have removed her womb already.
However, because circumstances are different they are looking at what else could be done next to the big one...
On the 3th of March she will hear from a team of experts in the hospital that she has been referred to whether there are any other options then taking out her womb. Basically killing off her wish to have a child of her own.
I am so afraid that the doctors because of the child wish take too much of a risk. From having tissue in a lab you can't fully see how the cells that are still in the body react!
Is it safe for them to have her wait another 2 weeks before she hears what they will/can do?
Maybe with one person it's a risk that turns out well, but maybe with another...not so well.
She obviously keeps hope... if the doctors wouldn't trust it they would just tell her that she didn't have an option anymore, right?
The fact that they don't say this...means it's not THAT bad... right?
But I'm not sure... I'm getting more and more worried.
Mostly because she's my best friend and I don't want to loose her...
Also because now in the UK there's the high profile story of a celebrity, having terminal cervical cancer.
She was diagnosed with the disease in August 2008 and after chemotherapy, radiotherapy and surgery she has heard on Friday the 13th of February that it is terminal.
The doctors have only given her a couple of months to live.
Leaving her 2 young children without a mum...
Now I know that I shouldn't be thinking along those lines and I should stay positive. But this is a story I just can't ignore as it is everywhere I go.
And I can't get the fact out of my head that this cancer is still inside my friend's body while the doctors are seeing what they can do...
However, I don't want to give her more worries than she already has and I can imagine this is something that is playing around in her mind as well...
So... do I tell her my concerns? And if so...to what extend?
I'm busy writing a letter to her (yes, pen and paper, the old way) telling her how much she and our friendship means to me... How much of my concerns should I put in??
Any advice is very much appreciated!
Reflection
Reflection in a wood on a nice sunny day...
Nature just being beautiful without exception.
Sunday 15 February 2009
Important
Hi everyone,
I'll be back with photos hopefully in not too long. My laptop needs a complete reinstall and this might take a while. As it's just easier for me to upload photos with my own laptop you will have to wait a bit for new pictures.
However, in the mean time something just as important!
The Story of Stuff
Please watch this video. It talks about how messed up our consumer society is and how it messes up our lives and our planet.
But also on the same website it gives ideas of small changes you can make.
Even though I think we all know that this is what's happening it is interesting to see it in the very clear light it gets presented here...
Please watch, learn and stop being part of most of this!
Thanks
I'll be back with photos hopefully in not too long. My laptop needs a complete reinstall and this might take a while. As it's just easier for me to upload photos with my own laptop you will have to wait a bit for new pictures.
However, in the mean time something just as important!
The Story of Stuff
Please watch this video. It talks about how messed up our consumer society is and how it messes up our lives and our planet.
But also on the same website it gives ideas of small changes you can make.
Even though I think we all know that this is what's happening it is interesting to see it in the very clear light it gets presented here...
Please watch, learn and stop being part of most of this!
Thanks
Sunday 8 February 2009
Jay eating in the garden
We have quite a bit of regular garden visitors.
But one day we were surprised as it seemed a new one had found the garden.
This colourful Jay became a regular after that.
Here 2 beautiful shots of the Jay doing what he does best...eating!
Both photos were unbelievably lucky shots out of a whole series. Only afterwards did I see how well they had turned out!
Angry Bull...
Doesn't this bull look very pissed off that his surfboard broke?I took this picture a couple of years ago in Belgium.There were cows like this all over the place and all were sponsored/made by different firms.This is one I loved best... it is so funny!Unless you are the bull in the picture of course. I'd be pissed off if that happened to me! ;-)
I mean... they don't sell quality anymore these days, do they???
Saturday 7 February 2009
Little Blue Tit
Little blue tit, one of our regular garden visitors, not knowing what to make of winter...
And actually colouring pretty well against the snow.
Thursday 5 February 2009
Schevening beach in winter
Another wintry day in the Netherlands.
This is the beach at Scheveningen (http://www2.holland.com/denhaag/gb/index.jsp).
As you can see it was quite cold and what I love (and haven't seen often) is that part of the beach is also white. This in combination with the sand dunes and grass... just a fantastic picture.
What you see is the big pier. It's quite a famous one in Holland.
When I was young there used to be a playing area at the end of the pier, but now it changed quite a bit and it's not as much fun.
We did climb up the pier this time though! (Or at least me and Marija, our goddaughter, did... the others were saying it was too cold and too high...oh well... :) )
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