So as some of you may have noticed, blogging has tailed off somewhat…in that it’s completely stopped! Gwalia life has of course continued and Cabin on the Lake and Gwalia Camping are still going strong. We have however had a bit of an epic time of it since last posting. For starters, Amy gave birth to our beautiful daughter, Ivy, in July 2016 and life changed forever.
Rather thoughtfully Ivy arrived at the start of the Rio Olympics and so there was many an hour passed in the dead of night bouncing on a gym ball in front of the telly, Ivy in a sling, watching some of the more random Olympic events. On one such occasion at 2am I entered the kitchen to find a bat flying around in there and even now I wonder if I was just hallucinating from the tiredness!
Over the coming months we all settled into our new routines. We are very lucky to have the kind of lifestyle which means we are both around a lot and can flex to fit our new family and after the initial shock of having this tiny creature sending shockwaves through every seem of life she quickly won us over. Being a gay couple means that there are no “little accidents”. Her arrival was carefully thought about and planned. Amy’s childhood here at Gwalia was in many ways idyllic and we hope to provide that same start in life to our daughter. Ivy is a delight and quite simply the best thing ever.
The process of carrying, delivering and breast-feeding a baby came with hormonal changes for Amy however and this had allowed some other odd symptoms to come to the fore. It was only later in the year, following CAT/MRI scans and visits with various doctors, that she was diagnosed with a brain tumour. Amy has now recovered from surgery and is doing well but there is as yet no cure for brain cancer. Amy is an amazingly positive, intelligent and resourceful person and has set about raising money and awareness to combat this disease.
Brain tumours kill more children and adults under the age of 40 than any other cancer. Brain tumours kill more women under 35 than breast cancer. Less than 20% of brain tumour patients survive beyond five years of their diagnosis, whereas 86% of breast cancer and 51% of leukaemia patients survive beyond five years, with both breast cancer and leukaemia receiving nearly £500 million and £400 million respectively of research investment since 2002, compared with £57 million for brain tumours.
If you’d like to read more about Amy’s journey or donate to the fund with the Brain Tumour Charity then follow this link – http://amysbrain.co.uk/