Made With A Stitch

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There is a discount code for all blog followers this is singlemummy10. I hope you work out how to see it! Thank you for taking the time to have a look, follow on Twitter and Like on Facebook!

A few of the products I am making and selling.

Three coloured felt flower

Petersham pleat flower

Tie coin purse

Getting Through the Dark Days for Lily

Today I have a guest post from Heather who is also a blogger. You can visit her blog by clicking here.

On August 4th, 2005, my beautiful daughter Lily was born, and things could not have been better. My pregnancy was relatively uneventful, and then all our friends and family surrounded us. With my husband by my side, I greeted the members of our “village,” and I had no idea what was to come.

I went back to work soon after Lily was born, but something didn’t feel quite right. I was breathless, and on top of that, I was tired all the time. I am an energetic person, and suddenly, I had no energy. It could have been the stress of having a newborn around, but I knew it was something else. I consulted a doctor, and then we were shocked with the results.

I will always remember November 21, 2005 as the day that I was diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma. This malignant cancer was caused by childhood exposure to asbestos, and all of my symptoms lined up with the symptoms of mesothelioma. This cancer attacks the lungs, which accounted for my breathlessness.

When I got the diagnosis, I was shocked, but then when I looked into the faces of my husband and my new daughter, my course was clear. Without treatment, I only had 15 months to live. Because mesothelioma is so aggressive, we opted for the most drastic measures possible. Leaving Lily with my parents, my husband and I flew to Boston. On February 2nd of the following year, I had a procedure known as a extrapleural pneumenectomy. My lung was removed and after 18 days in the hospital and 2 months of recovery, I started chemotherapy and radiation.

This would not have been possible at all if my parents hadn’t stepped in. They were with us in spirit, and they took Lily and began to raise her in our place. Because they worked full time, their church group ended up taking over some of Lily’s care, and even where they weren’t taking of Lily, this vibrant community continued to chip in, helping my parents with chores, food and support. This outpouring of love surprised and humbled me. While some people I thought I could rely on were nowhere to be found, other people I never would have expected to help showed up and asked to be useful!

I won’t say that there were never dark days. I was missing out on a part of my daughter’s life that I would never get back, and though my parents sent emailed pictures and the nurses adored seeing my new baby, some days I just had to hold back torrents of tears. I was fighting for my life and those pictures told me that I was right to do it!

Life isn’t easy, but it is so rich. I have embraced my life, and though my cancer experience was one of the darkest times in my life, I learned so much. I learned about myself and about the community that surrounded me, always willing to come through with love and support. 

Heather and her family

Sudocrem - Bruce on Tour Competition

WIN a family trip to Centre Parcs up to the value of £1,000

With NEW Sudocrem Mousse

Sudocrem Mousse is asking you to take their Mascot, Bruce the Moose, on the tour of his life this summer, capture a moment on camera and share your funny or original picture with the community! Only 100 lucky applicants will receive a toy and make it to stage 2, then have the chance to WIN the grand prize of a trip to Centre Parks up to the value of £1,000.

Stage 1 entry - For all entrants wanting to apply for their Bruce The Moose

To be in with a chance of receiving your Bruce The Moose toy 

• Step 1 – Go to www.facebook.com/SudocremMousse and ‘Like’ the page
• Step 2 – Click on the Bruce on Tour application, register your details and complete the sentence “I am going to take Bruce The Sudocrem Moose to.....”.  Make it fun, make it original, and you could be one of the lucky 100.
• Step 3 – We will select the best 100 applications for a Bruce toy and send him to you to take on your travels over the summer.

Stage 2 entry - For the 100 successful applicants

• Take a photo of Bruce  and upload it to www.facebook.com/SudocremMousse (remember to make it entertaining, inspiring and original)
• Sudocrem will select the 5 finalists and shortly afterwards announce their winner.

If you are the lucky winner, you will WIN a stay at one of the UK’s leading holiday parks, CentreParcs up to the value of £1,000. Four runners up will win a family day pass to Chessington World of Adventures.

Key Dates

Duration

Part 1 launch date (application for a Bruce) Tuesday 10^th July 2012

Part 1 closing date Monday 13^th August 2012 

Bruce sent out to successful applicants Thursday 16^th August 2012

Part 2 launch date (upload pictures opens) Monday 20^th August 2012

Part 2 closing date (upload pictures closes) Wednesday 19^th September 2012

Finalist selected and winner announced Monday 24^th September 2012

The Prizes:

1. 1^st Prize: Long weekend trip for a family of 4 to Centre Parcs up to the value of £1,000
2. Runners up: 4 x Chessington World of Adventure Family Day Passes

Good luck!!