Nearly 3 years on.....

Right I have not blogged for a very long time. The last time I blogged was just after I finished treatment and I now feel the need to tell you all what has happened in the last three year.

I entered remission in April 2010 and the last three years have been very busy. I have had a lot of up's and downs. Lets start with the downs and end on the positives!

I lost my Step dad to Prostate cancer in September 2011 after a long battle which was one of the hardest things I have ever had to go through in my life, my Dad had a mini-stroke last year but luckily he was OK and is fit and healthy and i have lost so many friends to the dreaded  Cancer.

Like all post-cancer patients I still have down days but most of the time I am happy I have a great career as a teacher, a loving relationship and I play a sport at an international level (more on that later).

The main thing that still gets me down and I still some days find it hard to come to terms with is been an amputee it can be so frustrating some days and I have such strong emotions that it effects the way I am with people sometimes. I can go from been chatty and bubbly to not wanting to speak to anyone and over thinking things in the same day. HOWEVER most of the time I am happy and positive about the path that life has dealt me.

The main reason for this update is my involvement in Sledge Hockey. It is a Paralympic sport and allows disabled athletes to play a version of Ice Hockey. I began playing in July 2011 and now not even two years later I am part of the GB squad travelling to Japan in March 2013 for the World Pool B championships and we are going to try and push our hardest to finish in the top 3 and give ourselves a shot at qualifying for the Paralympic's in 2014.

The sport is a fantastic sport to be involved in and I have had the privilege to play with some fantastic athletes. I have also made some great friends by been involved in the sport. The sport has helped me to keep motivated to keep myself fit and healthy and allow me to have that team sport environment that I lost when I had to stop playing football.

I am still in remission and all been well I am due to be given the all clear in April 2015. There is not a day goes by were I do not worry about whether i will get through the remission period. I keep myself fit and healthy and I always tell myself I have already beaten the cancer and it is not EVER coming back.

Support GB Sledge Hockey next month and for anyone going through the cancer journey remain positive, keep yourself busy and surround yourself with the ones that you care about.

Thanks for reading

Matt