QUILTING FOR CANCER.
THESE LOVELY WOMEN SPENT A WHOLE DAY MAKING HAND BAGS TO BE AUCTIONED FOR CANCER PATIENT SUPPORT.
PICTURES OF THE BAGS ARE FEATURED BELOW.
SO much has happened that it’s hard to know where to start.
I suppose chronologically makes sense, otherwise with my jumbled mind, things will be forgotten.
First of all I want to apologize to all my kind friends who have written emails of support and I haven’t had the time to write back and thank them. I have replied to most, but one or two may have slipped by – sorry. Please understand and don’t stop. I sometimes sit at my computer and just cry and cry, touched by how kind my friends are, in their busy lives all around the world, to sit at their computers and send me short and powerful notes of good wishes, strength and encouraging words.
That of course doesn’t belie the incredible support I‘ve been receiving from people “on the ground”. First of all my husband George, who not only has had his life turned upside down having his wife and child snatched away for 5 months, but who has travelled from Singapore to Melbourne every month to be with us. He has “almost” fully recovered from his pneumonia, and I can only say “Sorry I wasn’t there for you during that time” too.
My sister Loretta and I (and of course mum) have had our ups and downs being thrown into the one house and into “daughter /mother roles” instead of the independent strong capable women that we usually are. But through it all we know that blood is thicker than water and ‘family and friends’ are all you really have in this world that counts.
Mum’s disease and all the changes in her life – loss of independence, the concern that she is holding us back from our daily lives and family life, the unknown future…… has played havoc with her. Although most times she is able to pretend all is ok,she naturally has her days. And hard as it may be at the time, that’s when we have to remind ourselves that it’s not our mum talking but the cancer.
One morning after I was showering her and looked at what used to be a strong body, I noticed wells of water forming in the now hollow dips of her clavicles where she used to have normal fat. I just kissed her on the forehead and hugged her and she burst into such deep-seated sorrowful crying. And that was the first time she’d cried openly in 5 months. She quickly pulled herself together, worrying of course that she would upset me!
We have all had those days when the courage and strength doesn’t leave us, but hides for a moment to allow our true feelings of grief and exhaustion to spill out, and because we don’t cry often, it floods.
Back to the thanks. My friend Sue, who 12 years ago was a stranger passing my massage clinic in the main street of Eltham and I started chatting to (as I do) and convinced her to have a free trial of massage. She was in shock that the headache she’d been carrying around all day disappeared after a few minutes. Since then she and her lovely husband Tony became very close friends and travelled to visit us in Dubai and has been a true friend by all meanings of the word - and never as poignantly as two nights ago. She had a terrible viral infection, had just returned from Sydney, it was late in the night about 10.45 am, I rang her and she just got dressed, got in the car and was here in 10 minutes. (But I’ll explain why later.) What I’m saying is that the old saying “a friend in need is a friend in deed “ is rubbish. You have to be able to call your friends when you are in need – who else are you going to lean on? That’s how I see friendship too. Not one where you have to second guess or have to mind read what your friend needs, but one where your friend says “I need you to …….” And you do it unconditionally.
There are of course others who supply us with infinite moral support, Vicky and Wiesaal who give me sanity every Wednesday with coffee and weekly outings and friendship.
Thanks also to Pam and Guenther who arranged a car from BMW Australia. Guenther now the President of BWM Australia was George’s colleague in Dubai.
Pam a colleague of George’s from BMW Australia days in days gone by, also has been a great source of support to mum and us because she lost her father recently and knows deeply the feelings and emotions and stages. Her insights are wonderful. Pam was supposed to have escorted mum to Singapore to see us in April when she and her husband Garry were passing through on their way to Europe for a holiday. Mum has a real soft spot for Pammy and so do we.
Staff and Mums at Mya’s school have been great, always asking how mum is – and nothing is ever too much for them. (Especially understanding that I sometimes don’t compute when it comes to reading school notices – I even have one of the mums, Jodie who is my “reminder buddy” – she rings me up and reminds me when there is a special event or something special that needs to be done – how lucky am I!!! I’ve even had parents come and take Mya to school when we’ve had minor (read major) crisis, and offer to have her after school, so I don’t need to rush back from hospitals, doctors or other appointments.
And then there’s Kate. As many of you know a long time ago I was trained as a social worker and in my many career roles I was Director of a large welfare agency employing many other social workers and supervising many social work students on behalf of Melbourne University. In all those years of employing, training and dealing with other social work colleagues, I have never come across anyone who has come anywhere near the skills of Kate (including me by a long shot).If I was one tenth of a social worker that Kate is, I would have been proud. Kate works for Eastern Palliative Care, the agency that supports cancer patients in our area. She is mum’s advocate, support, sounding board, and friend. But she also manages to be that for Loretta and me too. She brings us together and we work out our difference, plan for the future together, work out strategies, deal with very powerful emotions, gives us insight into what we are going through and what to expect. She does it leaving us all with ourselves intact, our personal dignity and encouragement to continue our journey. She also often tell us that she is amazed at our strength, that she loves coming to see our family because we are so special, that the team has never seen a family so supportive etc etc. These words fall on deaf ears, because there was never any other way we would have handled it.
Eastern Palliative Care also send mum a nurse to monitor how she is going sometimes fortnightly, sometimes weekly – depending. They also assigned a bioographer and mum's biography has been recorded by Evelyn and added to the work that Mum and I have been doing for several years, it's finally completed. Eastern Palliative Care also send us another angel Helen the music therapist. Helen comes either with her portable (read giant) keyboard or her CD player. She and mum listen to music, Helen might play a piece of mum’s favourite music, and Mum listens or sings along. Helen brings Mum much joy. Many of you know that apart from being excellent dancers, Mum and Dad were also amateur actors and also belonged and were active members of the Greek Choir. Our lives were filled with music. From the time of living memory, mum always had music in the house, Latin American, Greek, contemporary, but mostly classical music. Mum always had a tune in her head. You could ask her any time of the day, what are you singing now, and she’d tell you what song she was silently singing in her head. Unfortunately because of mum’s hearing problem and the use of artificial hearing aids, mum doesn’t hear natural sounds, so singing along to music is not a harmonious as it used to be – but who cars, she’s enjoying every second of it. Mum has occasionally coincided Helen’s visit with a day when I have been on so I can enjoy the temporary wonderland and relief of music too.
We will be supporting Eastern Palliative Care through donations, our wills, and at her request instead of flowers at Mum’s funeral. We are also through fund raising for them ( please see below re: the silent auction).
Staff and Mums at Mya’s school have been great, always asking how mum is – and nothing is ever too much for them. (Especially understanding that I sometimes don’t compute when it comes to reading school notices – I even have one of the mums, Jodie who is my “reminder buddy” – she rings me up and reminds me when there is a special event or something special that needs to be done – how lucky am I!!! I’ve even had parents come and take Mya to school when we’ve had minor (read major) crisis, and offer to have her after school, so I don’t need to rush back from hospitals, doctors or other appointments.
And then there’s Kate. As many of you know a long time ago I was trained as a social worker and in my many career roles I was Director of a large welfare agency employing many other social workers and supervising many social work students on behalf of Melbourne University. In all those years of employing, training and dealing with other social work colleagues, I have never come across anyone who has come anywhere near the skills of Kate (including me by a long shot).If I was one tenth of a social worker that Kate is, I would have been proud. Kate works for Eastern Palliative Care, the agency that supports cancer patients in our area. She is mum’s advocate, support, sounding board, and friend. But she also manages to be that for Loretta and me too. She brings us together and we work out our difference, plan for the future together, work out strategies, deal with very powerful emotions, gives us insight into what we are going through and what to expect. She does it leaving us all with ourselves intact, our personal dignity and encouragement to continue our journey. She also often tell us that she is amazed at our strength, that she loves coming to see our family because we are so special, that the team has never seen a family so supportive etc etc. These words fall on deaf ears, because there was never any other way we would have handled it.
Eastern Palliative Care also send mum a nurse to monitor how she is going sometimes fortnightly, sometimes weekly – depending. They also assigned a bioographer and mum's biography has been recorded by Evelyn and added to the work that Mum and I have been doing for several years, it's finally completed. Eastern Palliative Care also send us another angel Helen the music therapist. Helen comes either with her portable (read giant) keyboard or her CD player. She and mum listen to music, Helen might play a piece of mum’s favourite music, and Mum listens or sings along. Helen brings Mum much joy. Many of you know that apart from being excellent dancers, Mum and Dad were also amateur actors and also belonged and were active members of the Greek Choir. Our lives were filled with music. From the time of living memory, mum always had music in the house, Latin American, Greek, contemporary, but mostly classical music. Mum always had a tune in her head. You could ask her any time of the day, what are you singing now, and she’d tell you what song she was silently singing in her head. Unfortunately because of mum’s hearing problem and the use of artificial hearing aids, mum doesn’t hear natural sounds, so singing along to music is not a harmonious as it used to be – but who cars, she’s enjoying every second of it. Mum has occasionally coincided Helen’s visit with a day when I have been on so I can enjoy the temporary wonderland and relief of music too.
We will be supporting Eastern Palliative Care through donations, our wills, and at her request instead of flowers at Mum’s funeral. We are also through fund raising for them ( please see below re: the silent auction).
Now I leave the dangerous grounds of having named particular names (knowing full well I’ll have forgotten someone or offended someone for not having personally mentioned them – so apologies let me know and I’ll add you). I told a friend the other day I’m doing a Masters degree in Forgetfulness. As soon as I’ve graduated I’ll be known as Dr WHO??????
Well this brings us to what’s been going on recently.
Last Tuesday I ran a free-workshop for my patchwork friends in Eltham. There were 7 of us making handbags. We called it “Quilting for Cancer”, because our handbags (or the proceeds of them) are being donated to Eastern Palliative Care and Banskia Palliative Care. Whilst sitting around quilting one day (yes every fortnight I took time out to quilt for 3 hours with these wonderfully funny women) we found that almost every one of us had nursed a relative with cancer with the help of Palliative Care. Some had gone on to become volunteers and others run regular stalls to raise money for them.
SO HERE COMES THE CRUNCH DEAR FRIENDS.
Who would like to make a bid for one of the bags? Unforutnately colours on these photos are not true - the handle on the second bag is actually almost a denim colour, matching the pattern in the bag materials.
These bags took 5 hours each to hand make by some very talented quilters.
Well this brings us to what’s been going on recently.
Last Tuesday I ran a free-workshop for my patchwork friends in Eltham. There were 7 of us making handbags. We called it “Quilting for Cancer”, because our handbags (or the proceeds of them) are being donated to Eastern Palliative Care and Banskia Palliative Care. Whilst sitting around quilting one day (yes every fortnight I took time out to quilt for 3 hours with these wonderfully funny women) we found that almost every one of us had nursed a relative with cancer with the help of Palliative Care. Some had gone on to become volunteers and others run regular stalls to raise money for them.
SO HERE COMES THE CRUNCH DEAR FRIENDS.
Who would like to make a bid for one of the bags? Unforutnately colours on these photos are not true - the handle on the second bag is actually almost a denim colour, matching the pattern in the bag materials.
These bags took 5 hours each to hand make by some very talented quilters.
Unique handmade bags are priceless, but your generousity for Cancer patient support is of even more valuable.
STARTING AT
$20 Australian Dollars
$US18,
£9British Pounds,
$26 Singapore dollars,
$17 Canadian dollars
€12Euros
64 UAE Dirhams
7 Omani Rials
¥2,00 Japanese Yen
STARTING AT
$20 Australian Dollars
$US18,
£9British Pounds,
$26 Singapore dollars,
$17 Canadian dollars
€12Euros
64 UAE Dirhams
7 Omani Rials
¥2,00 Japanese Yen
We’ll take any currency….
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THIS AUCTION IS A SILENT AUCTION, NO ONE KNOWS WHO'S BID NOR HOW MUCH, PLEASE JUST SEND YOUR GENEROUS OFFER TO OUR NORMAL EMAIL ADDRESS WHICH ENDS IN .co.uk
IMAGINE YOU ARE SENDING MUM A BUNCH OF FLOWERS, BUT INSTEAD YOU RECEIVE A LOVELY HANDBAG.
WE HAVE MADE 8 BAGS FOR 8 LUCKY LADIES.
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If you are a guy and have no one to give one of these great bags to for a birthday or Christmas present…. you may just like to make a donation to Eastern Palliative Care, you are most welcome – it is a non-profit organization that helps lots of families like ours and every dollar helps them help others.
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Here's a tribute to all mothers.
Why God made Mums -- BRILLIANT answers given by 2nd grade school children to the following questions!!
Why did God make mothers?
1. She's the only one who knows where the sticky tape is.
2. Mostly to clean the house.
3. To help us out of there when we were getting born.
How did God make mothers?
1. He used dirt, just like for the rest of us.
2. Magic plus super powers and a lot of stirring
3. God made my Mum just the same like he made me. He Just used bigger parts.
What ingredients are mothers made of?
1. God makes mothers out of clouds and angel hair and everything nice in the world and one dab of mean.
2. They had to get their start from men's bones. Then they mostly use string, I think.
Why did God give you Your mother & not some other Mum?
1. We're related
2. God knew she likes me a lot more than other people's mums like me.
What kind of little girl was your mum?
1. My mum has always been my mum and none of that other stuff.
2. I don't know because I wasn't there, but my guess would be pretty bossy.
3. They say she used to be nice.
What did mum need to know about dad before she married him?
1. His last name.
2. She had to know his background. Like is he a crook? Does he get drunk on beer?
3. Does he make at least $800 a year? Did he say NO to drugs and YES to chores?
Why did your Mum marry your dad?
2. She got too old to do anything else with him.
3. My grandma says that Mum didn't have her thinking cap on.
Who's the boss at your house?
2. Mum. You can tell by room inspection. She sees the stuff under the bed.
3. I guess Mum is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.
What's the difference between mums & dads?
1. Mums work at work and work at home & dads just go to work at work.
2. Mums know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Mums have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.
What does your mum do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.
What would it take to make your mum perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.
If you could change one thing about your Mum, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mum smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.
3. I guess Mum is, but only because she has a lot more to do than dad.
What's the difference between mums & dads?
1. Mums work at work and work at home & dads just go to work at work.
2. Mums know how to talk to teachers without scaring them.
3. Dads are taller & stronger, but moms have all the real power 'cause that's who you got to ask if you want to sleep over at your friend's.
4. Mums have magic, they make you feel better without medicine.
What does your mum do in her spare time?
1. Mothers don't do spare time.
2. To hear her tell it, she pays bills all day long.
What would it take to make your mum perfect?
1. On the inside she's already perfect. Outside, I think some kind of plastic surgery.
2. Diet. You know, her hair. I'd diet, maybe blue.
If you could change one thing about your Mum, what would it be?
1. She has this weird thing about me keeping my room clean. I'd get rid of that.
2. I'd make my Mum smarter. Then she would know it was my sister who did it and not me.
3. I would like for her to get rid of those invisible eyes on the back of her head.
Here's how commited some mothers are....The Newspaper Photographer said "LOOK ANGRY!"
Now I have a photo to use, should I ever need to apply for a job as a bouncer for a nightclub!!!!!
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