My moment

Deanne

This time last year I was standing right here.

Up a hill behind Dingboche in Nepal. Just a few km away from the base camp of Mt Everest. It was extremely windy and the gusts were estimated at 80 to 100 km/h. It was exhilarating and the moment when I finally acknowledged that I had come further than I ever imagined.

This was not a bucket list situation. It was not a dream that I had ever had. It was just the result of setting myself a simple open-ended goal of trying to have the best quality of life possible after my active treatment ended back in November 2013. There were a lot of little things that lead me along this path but it was really just the result of setting myself small goals, achieving those and looking for the next one. 

There were some hurdles along the way. My first attempt at this particular goal ended before it had begun when the 2015 earthquake in Nepal happened just two hours after our flight left Brisbane. The second time cancer intervened and our trek almost did not happen. Just 2 weeks before we were to start, the leader of our trek was diagnosed with a second type of cancer (she had breast cancer in 2007).We still went but it was a difficult time knowing she was back in Brisbane undergoing surgery. Even though I made it all the way to Base Camp I felt disconnected, with my mind really with my friend back in Brisbane.

So, third time, and it all went like it should. There is my friend standing near the flags with the pink cap. I could fully appreciate just how far I had come since I finished treatment. Back then my first goal was walking for 10 minutes at a time on my treadmill. It was tough to do even that some days. Six months after treatment ended I took on a 10km Walk for Breast Cancer. I had never walked that far in one go even before bc!

But I did it and things just happened from there. A lot of my motivation was to raise as much money as I could for the Cancer Council. So, I guess my message is to just aim small and keep going. You never know how far that might get you and what opportunities might come your way. xxx

kmakm

Inspirational. Congratulations and well done! A lovely anniversary to mark.

wendy55

Thank you Deanne,
You must be very proud of yourself as would be your family, to be able to say I Did That, what an achievement, just what I needed to hear and see at this point in my cancer journey,
Wendy55

Deanne

Thanks @kmakm and @wendy55. I actually had that photo put onto a canvas. Whenever the going gets tough (as life always does) I remind myself to just take it one step at a time. Sometimes you don’t know what’s next till you take that next little step and the fog clears! xxx

SoldierCrab

You are my inspiration Deanne.... 

Giovanna_BCNA

Hello @Deanne amazing photo!  Well done

Deanne

Oh gosh @SoldierCrab. What you and so many of us go through when we don’t have a choice really was MY motivation. This was the hardest thing I could do to try and show others how hard it is to have your life thrown upside down and changed forever with a cancer diagnosis.

I can’t run, but I could walk. Surprisingly I can walk a really long way as long as I listen to my body and go the pace that I can sustain. The trek actually ended up teaching me a lot of useful stuff like that. I also learned to keep it simple. All I had to do to get there was drink lots of water, eat a little, walk slowly and get some rest each day. Nothing like treatment days or actual real, everyday life even! xox

Deanne

Thanks @Giovanna_BCNA. Photography is not really one of my skills but everywhere you look over there is a take your breath away image! You just have to hold still in the wind! 

Michelle_R

So proud of you @Deanne - you achieved the amazing not just once, but twice!  Recently we watched the film Everest, and recognized some of the places from your photos en route to Base Camp. You are incredible and invincible and a wonderful example to everyone on the site.  Michelle xxx

iserbrown

Deanne said:

 I actually had that photo put onto a canvas. Whenever the going gets tough (as life always does) I remind myself to just take it one step at a time. Sometimes you don’t know what’s next till you take that next little step and the fog clears! xxx

Wow!  That must look fantastic on a canvas and an opportunity to stop and admire, pinch yourself and say that really was me!  Congratulations, as @SoldierCrab said you're an inspiration 

Sending you a virtual hug xoxo

smokie08

Deanne you are an inspiration as the others have said.  It looks amazing!!!!

Deanne

It was the support from you @Michelle_R and others on here that kept me going and trying. I really kept waiting for someone to just tap me on the shoulder and tell me I was fooling myself thinking I could ever get there!

@iserbrown, if you look closely that photo is far from perfect. I think I did the pano a bit too fast or maybe I was just shaking so much because I was worried that I was going to drop the phone with the strength of the wind! But that makes it even more special. My life and even this trek were far from perfect too. Just the next day I came down with a terrible cold and actually spent 3 nights at this lovely spot

instead of getting to Base Camp with everyone else. But it didn’t matter because I was safe. I was well looked after by some Nepalese friends until the others picked me up on the way back down. I actually washed my hair and sat in the sun just inside those windows while it dried. I never felt so safe and so content. I was finally at peace with all that had happened in the last few years! What a place to experience that?! 

Hugs to you too and Michelle. Thanks for your support. xoxo

Deanne

It was amazing @smokie08. I was so fortunate to get this opportunity. This was a photo of Base Camp from the time I did get there.

And Mt Everest!

Finch

Fantastic. What an achievement . You are inspirational ! XXXX 

brightspace

Hi Deanne super inspiring and awesome photos thank you for sharing 
Xo Bright