Life is what you make of it.

I write a few different blogs,
The Poppy Chronicles follows the life of my beautiful 2 year old granddaughter, nice to look back on and remember as she gets older.
http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=6806281555498147020#overview/src=dashboard

How to deal with breast cancer, how I discovered I had breast cancer, my treatment, where I am now over 7 years later.
http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=8762824068303806919#overview/src=dashboard

Ehlers Danlos Syndrome, literally a pain in my life!
http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=5411132973395355334#overview/src=dashboard
My loose joints, arthritis and pain that I suffer as a result, what I think about it and how I deal with it, or not, as the case may be!
And this one, about my life at 57, and being a loving grandma.

So I thought today I would bring them all together, so that you will know the whole person.
I realised I was double jointed, or as they say now hypermobile, at the age of 5. I did the splits in gym class while my teacher looked on amazed that I was able to slide right down to the floor.
"Did you know you could do that?" she asked. I was as wise as she was, I actually had no idea!
Now at the age of 57, rather than being my party piece, I could not only do splits, I could high kick, tie myself up in knots by twisting my legs around my neck, and all sorts of other wierd and wonderful movements, my loose joints have caused me all kinds of problems. Arthritis being one, my back hurts all the time, both knees creak and grind causing me pain, my hip sublaxes when I turn over in bed. It used to sublax sending me falling to the floor on my way from school, now I know to be very careful! I now cannot walk far, due to the pain I am in, and my life is severley restricted as a result, but I have my family and friends. I am lucky.
At the age of 49, after a routine mammogram, I discovered to my horror that I had breast cancer. To cut a long story short, more is available on my blog, I had an operation, radiotherapy, chemotherapy, lost my hair, and despite my cancer being grade 3, which is very bad, I am still here 7 years later!
Take that cancer!
Two years ago my husband and I became proud grandparents, that did not go smoothly. Our daughter and son in law had IVF treatment resulting in a triplet pregnancy. Only 2 eggs were implanted but one split into 2, identical twins. Triplets. One embryo did not develop over 8 weeks, and then one twin got complete heart block caused by lupus, the health problem our daughter has, then twin to twin transfusion was a problem and one of our beautiful girls did not make it. Poppy was born prematurely in July of 2010, weighing just 3 pounds 4 ounces. She was in hospital for 6 weeks, today she is a happy, healthy little girl, well mostly healthy, she has problems with her chest for which she has to take an inhaler, and she is a joy.
The last word, but certainly not least, goes to my husband. He saved a life when he donated his bone marrow to a stranger. He had been on the Anthony Nolan list for years when he was called upon to help and he had no hesitation in doing it. He said it was his way of giving back after all that was done for me. Last year we were put in touch with the lady whose life he saved, a little younger than us by a couple of years or so, she is an American lady with a son and daughter, just like us, who would have died, and almost did, but for the bone marrow transplant my husband gave her. We are hoping to meet her and her husband next year. We are so happy she is well and getting on with her life. That is reward enough.
And so, that is my life. I have not had it easy, but then has anybody? Life is what you make of it, you have ups and downs, losses and loves. I am grateful and very lucky to be here.