It can be nice sometimes to get away from Rutland for a bit. Never more so than when I get a phone call from Jayne inviting me to visit her back ‘home’.
Jayne lives in Surrey which is where I was brought up. We’ve known each other since we were eleven years old and went to an all-girls, Catholic school. I think Jayne enjoyed school more than I did – she was very sporty – but I don’t think she’ll mind if I say that neither of us were great academics! I spent a lot of time wearing a back and neck brace and looking decidedly odd in dark, thick rimmed glasses whilst she seemed to spend most of the time organising netball tournaments.
We left school and remained close friends, passing our driving tests around the same time and discovering the freedom (and expense) of car ownership … mine was a red Mini, hers was a VW Beetle. We attended each others weddings and life took on the usual responsibilities. Jayne and her husband, Dave, have had illustrious careers in the music industry and somehow found time to have four wonderful children.
Then, last year everything changed. Jayne was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia.
How could this happen? I Googled ‘Leukemia’ and ‘A.L.L.’ .. poor Jayne was terribly ill. Yes, she’s lost her hair more than once. Her immune system has been knocked out and she’s picked up all sorts of infections including a nasty dose of Swine Flu at the end of last year… no not the mild version that some have had, the really, really awful version. The treatments and the *bone marrow transplant have taken their toll and also been miraculous.
Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia is a form of Leukemia or cancer of the white blood cells. Cancerous white blood cells overproduce in the bone marrow and can spread to other organs. Oddly, it is most common in children and those in old age .. so Jayne’s diagnosis, at the age of 41, is very rare.
Click here to find out more about Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
On my recent visit, Jayne and I chatted, reminisced and laughed like drains! It was lovely to see her and I am full of admiration for how stoically she has tackled her illness. We inevitably remembered our other schoolfriends, Annabel and Tania, who lost their battles against cancer.
Jayne continues to improve with carefully monitored treatments and she and Dave are making plans for the future. There’s definitely a sense of forward momentum and of recovery.
So, I wanted to introduce you to Jayne. To show you how beautiful and lovely she is and to let her know that she will always be a very dear friend.
*If you’d like to learn more about the British Bone Marrow Register and how you could become a donor, please click here
*Or alternatively, if you live in the U.S., please click here
Wow, what a blog entry! it made me reflect on those memories of school. I was one of the specky kids with you, Jo (80s glasses were sooo uncool) I was never one of the cool kids and my memories of ND are not always fond but there were also some amazing people in our year. So all the best to Jayne and her family and friends and to you and your ongoing marathon quest.
Yep, those 80′s glasses are best left alone..thank heavens for contacts! It seems like yesterday, doesn’t it?! For what it’s worth, I always thought everyone was cool ‘cept me. Here’s to specky kids around the world! ♥