19 December 2005
Dear boys and girls,
It's that time of year again. I didn't think I'd see another Christmas
but here it is, bloody turkey, Mary Poppins, the Queens speech and getting
sick on too much Christmas pudding. I've finished with the chemo forever.
I've had three bouts of the lousy stuff and that's the end of it. I have a
two month course of pills to take in the New Year and that's it, no more
treatment, which in one way I'm quite glad about but it's also a bit scary,
knowing that that's it. I went bald really quick this time. Two weeks after
the first chemo I was sitting in front of the TV, pinching at my beard as us
bearded chaps do, and I noticed that it was coming away in my fingers. So I
got the vacuum cleaner out and had a go at the beard and moustache, it was
amazing , two thirds of it came away. Think what I could have done with a
Dyson.
My last chemo session was quite interesting as I met Santa in the hospital.
For those of you who don't know Dutch culture I will explain. In Holland we
have Sinterklaas on the 5th of December as well as Christmas. Saint Nicholas
sails up the Amstel river on a steam boat from Spain to give away gifts to
the children of Holland. He rides about on a white horse and has lots of
helpers called Black Pete, these are white people who "black up" and throw
miniature biscuits at people in the street.
Anyhow, as I was lying in bed in the cancer ward on the eighth floor (there
are no balconies on the eighth floor) Saint Nicholas came to visit. We had a
chat and he gave me a small gift wrapped package. There I was in the cancer
ward, terminally ill, and what did Santa give me? A fucking clock.
Thank you Santa.
Anyhow, that's all for now folks, Have a good one,
Love Steve.
