2017, my year

So inspired by a few other folks' posts and news of the year that was, I've decided it might be cathartic for me to also share a bit about my last year.

It really is split down the middle, the first half very painful and the second full of joy but tinged with deep sadness.

In 2016 my mother fell ill. The docs all went through the motions of various diagnoses but she kept deteriorating. At the end of April, after the doctors had decided what it was and stopped any attempt at treatment, my mother died following a brutal fight that stripped her of all dignity. She was 72 and the illness was paraneoplastic cerebular degeneration. There is no cure as it's so rare and it is an abnormal immune response by the body to (in this case) ovarian cancer. She progressively lost control of her body and speech although we think her mind was fully intact right until the last. It is horrendous.
After 40 years of marriage, my father who has always been a tad aloof but very strong, fell apart and is left a shell of himself. At 83 he has effectively given up although I remain hopeful that at some point he will begin to heal a bit.

Skip forward to July and the birth of my son, Oscar, has managed to mercifully distract me but more importantly complete a family. The run up however saw my wife once again (I have other posts regarding pregnancies!) spending an inordinate amount of time in hospital with various complications. Lets just say we got our monies worth and some of the doctors, nurses and midwives were close personal friends by the time of delivery. The docs have all advised against more... Thankfully both my wife and son are in great shape and my daughter, although initially suspicious, has come to accept his presence.

Christmas was a very painful time that brought the whole year into sharp focus and it would be fair to say I feel like I've been through the ringer.

Now it's 2018 so a new chapter once more, a healing one I hope and a time for growth! It's certainly true of my waistline at any rate.

 

God Andy, you have been through the mill

So sorry to hear about your mum - sadly, no matter how hard our medics try, or how much technology has moved along, sometimes mother nature takes the upper hand. Given time, your dad will hopefully heal and recover to some degree, as you all will - it takes time though, and often longer than many people would believe. I tend to find Christmas and New Year are the most difficult when it comes to things like this, as that is the time of year when our thoughts naturally turn to those who have passed on.

I hope 2018 is a much better year for you, and I am sure that Oscar and his sister will keep your whole family on your toes

 

See, a cathartic experience! Thanks for the sentiments everyone. 2018 has started by having to evict a tenant for non-payment of rent...