Cancer-free Keith to climb Kilimanjaro!

Keith Daddow is a cancer survivor.

But, he may well not have been.

Three years ago, at the tender age of 42, Keith went to see the doctor because he wasn't feeling "himself".

Given his family's history of prostate cancer (his father was diagnosed at the age of 65), Keith insisted on having a prostate exam. A biopsy was taken.

Three weeks later, Keith went back to the doctor to get the results.

"I said, 'Doc, I'm in a positive mood, I've just won a poker tournament, give me the good news.'" Keith recalled.

The doctor said, "the good news is, you came to see me when you did. Because, if you had've waited three years, I'd be telling you that you only have a few weeks to live."

So, thanks to early detection and early treatment (Keith had his prostate removed), this father of three lives to tell the tale.

And, he isn't shy about sharing his story and encouraging other men to be tested.

"I'm happy to sing for my supper," Keith said. "The two points I emphasise are that there's nothing hard about having a test, and, you owe it to yourself and your family to do so."

Keith, who has always been an opportunist, is now even more so. And that's why he has signed up to participate in this year's Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia "Save a Man" Tour.

In an effort to raise vital funds and awareness, the group of six men will scale the world's highest freestanding mountain, Tanzania's Mt Kilimanjaro (5895m) in October.

Keith's previous mountaineering experience is limited to Bluff Knoll in the Stirling Ranges, a mere 1099 metres above sea level.

To help Keith reach his goal of raising $10,000 for the Prostate Cancer Foundation of Australia, please visit this link..
https://saveamankilimanjarochallenge.everydayhero.com/au/keith-daddow
https://saveamankilimanjarochallenge.everydayhero.com/au/keith-daddow

And if you'd like to (a) hear Keith "sing for his supper" or (b) be trained by Keith's awesome personal trainer (yours truly), please leave a message in the comments section at the end of this blog.

In Australia, prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men. And more men die of prostate cancer than women die of breast cancer.

A tradition is born; lucky, lucky me!

Baby Marley and I have started a tradition.

Every morning I carry my 5-month-old in the baby bjorn sling, and toddle over to the Dome coffee shop to get myself a fix. It's decaf, mind you (for Marley's sake, as I'm breastfeeding), but the ritual still gives me a lift.

Marley likes it, too. The ritual, that is, not the coffee. Fresh air and being in the upright position are two of her favourite things.

We've been following this ritual for a fortnight now, since my husband returned to work. And almost every day on our walk, we see a homeless man.

I haven't had the courage to speak to him, because I didn't know what to say. I longed to buy him food, but didn't want to appear condescending.

But, I genuinely wanted to try and help this man.

And at about 5 o'clock last night, while walking Marley up and down our balcony, I saw the man again. He was curled up, trying to sleep. No sox. No blanket. I knew that we could easily provide those things for this man.

So, we did. Neill, Marley and I walked over the road and gave him our summer doña (all we had) and a pair of warm fluffy socks. We were both nervous about how he would react. He was nothing but grateful.

We left it at that.

Then, this morning, as Marley and I went about our regular business of coffee buying, we saw him again. He was awake, so we chatted for a brief moment. His name is Michael, and he learned (and approved of) Marley's name.

I offered to buy him a coffee. And I offered to bring him a bowl of beef and barley soup, which I had cooked the night before. He didn't want either. "I'm just waiting for the bottle shop to open," was his response.

We left it at that.

As I strolled home, baby in sling and coffee in hand, I realised that Michael has actually helped me more than I've helped him.

By meeting him, I've been reminded of just how lucky I am. And, while I haven't had a decent night sleep in five months, I do have a warm and comfortable place to rest, complete with loving husband and precious baby girl.

I don't know what else I can do for Michael, but I'll be sure to include a friendly hello to him as part of our daily tradition.

Stepping ON and OFF bandwagons

It's time to step back on the bandwagon.

It would be easy to say I fell off. But, I did have a choice. And I chose to step off for a few months.

I was pretty strict and disciplined with my diet & exercise routine throughout my pregnancy. But the demands of caring for a new bub, the wedding celebration of a lifetime and a constant stream of visitors, has seen the discipline go out the door.

But...who cares? Not me! I stepped off & now I'm gonna step right back on. It's my choice!

Amber's top tips for returning to the bandwagon:

1) have healthy food at your fingertips. I like to cook & freeze meals ahead of time (soups, mince dishes and curries all freeze well). And prepare healthy salads for lunch the night before. So, when hunger strikes, you can reach straight for the good stuff!

2) start with an exercise routine which is easy to achieve. I'm recommencing mine with just 10 minutes a day. Even just that tiny amount is enough to give me a healthy dose of confidence & a boost of energy. Of course, you don't have to stop at 10 minutes, but at least you have a starting point. And...you'd be surprised at just how effective a short workout can be! If you need inspiration, let me know!

3) be consistent!

Cutting my Curls to raise Cash for Cancer

I received an email from a long-time friend recently.

And it wasn't good news.

One of her good friend's two-year-old daughter has been diagnosed with Acute Lymphblastic Leukaemia.

The little girl's prognosis is good, but she is still facing two-and-a-half years of chemotherapy and all sorts of other horrendous testing and surgeries.

Understandably, her mother feels devastated and helpless.

But - given she can't do much else - this brave woman is taking part in the Leukaemia Foundation's World's Greatest Shave.

As the mother of a four-month-old baby girl, this story touched my heart.

I don't have a lot of money to donate to the cause. But, I do have hair. And, I know a lot of people.

Therefore, I am also going to shave off my precious locks. I'm going to sponsor myself $5 for doing so. And, I am requesting that each of you also donate $5 to the cause.

My goal is to raise $2000, so I need 399 people (plus myself) to donate $5. And, if I can manage that, then my participation has been worthwhile.

D-day is May 3, at a time and place to be determined.

Please click on the following link to sponsor me. The process is simple.

http://my.leukaemiafoundation.org.au/booradleyrows

Today, 31 Australians will get the news they have blood cancer. Your donation will help the Leukaemia Foundation to fund its important work – providing practical and emotional support to people with blood cancer, as well as investing millions in research.

Every cloud has a silver lining

It's been a good few years since my last post. But I am picking up where I left off.

I stopped blogging because life got in the way. Actually, that's not true. I stopped because I thought no-one gave a rat's arse about what I had to say. To a large degree, I still think that's the case.

But, rather than worry about who is or who is not going to read my posts, I thought I'd just get on with writing one.

A fair bit has changed since my last post.

I am getting married in two weeks. And we have a four-month-old baby girl.

Marley, our little bundle of joy, is actually the reason I am resurrecting this blog. She is a very 'windy' baby, and there are days when I just cannot put her down. She wants to be up over my shoulder, or sitting in the baby bjorn sling. I guess the upright position aides digestion.

It used to frustrate me that I couldn't lie her down during the day, because it would be virtually impossible to get through my to-do list.

But thankfully I was able to turn a seemingly negative situation into a positive. Because while there's lots of things I can't do with a baby constantly strapped to me, there are a few things I can do, such as, (a) admire, bond with, and comfort my baby (b) write this blog, and, (c) go for long walks, with a 7kg baby strapped to me to add resistance.

Take home message: every cloud has a silver lining!

SUCCESS - A Simple Life Well Lived

The businessman was at the pier of a small coastal Mexican village when a small boat with just one fisherman docked. Inside the small boat were several large yellowfin tuna. The businessman complimented the Mexian on the quality of his fish and asked how long it took to catch them. The Mexican replied, "only a little while."

The businessman then asked, "why don't you stay out longer and catch more fish?"

"I have enough to support my family's immediate needs," said the fisherman.

"But what do you do with the rest of your time?" asked the businessman.

"I sleep late, fish a little, play with my children, take a siesta with my wife, Maria, and then I stroll into the village each evening where I sip wine and play guitar with my amigos; I have a full and busy life, senor," the fisherman replied.

The businessman scoffed, "I am a Harvard MBA and I could help you. You should spend more time fishing and with the proceeds, buy a bigger boat. With the proceeds from the bigger boat, you could buy several boats; eventually you would have a fleet of fishing boats. Instead of selling your catch to a middleman, you would sell directly to the processor and eventually open your own cannery. You would control the product, processing and distribution. You would need to leave this small coastal fishing village and move to Mexico City, then LA and eventually New York City where you would run your expanding enterprise."

"But, senor, how long will all this take?" questioned the Mexican fisherman.

"15-20 years," replied the businessman.

"But what then?" asked the fisherman.

The businessman laughed and said, "that's the best part! When the time is right you would announce an IPO and sell your company stock to the public and become very rich. You would make millions."

"Millions, senor? Then what?"

"Then you would retire. Move to a small coastal village where you would sleep late, fish a little, play with your kids, take a siesta with your wife and stroll to the village in the evenings where you could sip wine and play guitar with your amigos," stated the businessman.

The fisherman, still smiling, looked up and said "isn't that what I'm doing right now?"

Aint this the truth!