Page 132 - She's One Crazy Lady!

“To cope with“
You know what I’m going to say, don’t you?
all this treatment, you’re going to have to take a year off work.” I was totally stunned. I felt numb. DON’T SWEAR
Just minutes after she’d gone to sign off at the end of her shift, I had the urge to go again. Thankfully, with drips attached, the new Sister on duty, Shirley, helped me to get up and go to the ladies. No more bedpans!
After a few visitors, my brother keeping me well-stocked up with Kit-Kats, smoky bacon crisps and diet coke – I slept well that night, confident that Mr Stewart and his team had removed the offending lump, confident the cancer had gone, confident that I could soon go home, recuperate and get back for the start of the new school year.
GLENNI”
As it was a Bank Holiday, I hadn’t seen any doctors to hear how everything had gone so I assumed all was well and that I would be going home on the Monday. It was lovely to have such good company around me and visitors were endless. There were now five of us in the bay and we were nicknamed the Famous Five as we were always up and about helping each other, always talking, and comparing notes. We had also got to know the nurses well – Shona, Pam, Shirley, Caroline, Becky – to name but a few – and, of course, Dawn, who really was the life and soul of the ward.
Healthwise, I really did feel good with a sense of relief that it was over. On the Monday morning the five of us were busy packing our bags. In turn, my bed friends were all told they could go home. Then, it was my turn. The curtains round my bed were closed when Mr Stewart entered. He asked if I was well.
“Yes, thank you, raring to get home!”
He placed his hand on my knee. I noticed a grave expression on his face. The warm smile he had shown before, gone.
“I’m afraid it’s a lot worse than we thought.” he said. “We found another lump, a different cancer, behind the first one which didn’t show up on the mammogram and the cancer has spread. We’re going to give you a mastectomy; we’re going to blast you with the strongest chemotherapy available and you are going to need radiotherapy and medication. It’s serious.”
He went on.
“To cope with all this treatment, you’re going to have to take a year off work.”
I was totally stunned. I felt numb.
DON’T SWEAR GLENNIS!! (Remembering how I did when he gave me bad news before.)
I looked at him.
“A year? A year off work? Mr Stewart, I can’t have a year off work! I’m the Headteacher. I’m needed. The school needs me. I have to get back to school...”
“Glennis”, he said gently, “Let go. Let us look after you. This is serious.”
I couldn’t believe it. I had never expected anything like this would happen.
S!!
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