An angel called Julie

 

This is my dear friend Julie. She passed away this afternoon at the age of 46 after losing her battle with cancer. She leaves a husband and a 13 year old daughter. We have been friends since we went to antenatal class together and our daughters are best friends too. You couldn't wish for a kinder more selfless friend. She will be missed by so many. Rest in peace my friend.

Today got better!

Today might not have started off too well, but it has got better. Just after lunch I got a phone call to say Julie was home! She had her operation on the 26th January and she has already come home. To quote another friend, 'What a fighter!' Mohamed Ali has got nothing on her! Meg and I popped up to see her for a little while, and she looks great! The trip back from Manchester was without problem until they got to our street. Julie wasn't going to be defeated though - she walked the last little bit with a hand from her hubby Paul. She is still going to be recouperating for a couple of months yet, with no lifting -not even the kettle, but she is surrounded by those who love her which I am sure will help alot.

The Road to Recovery

Just a quick post tonight. Julie made it through 13 1/2 hours of Surgery and came round from the anesthetic yesterday evening. Her husband says she wants to thank everyone for their kind thoughts so I'm passing this on to everyone who read my last post. Thanks to Lynne and D.K. too!
I'm now off to make a Bon Voyage Card for the sister of a workmate who is off to New Zealand...

For Julie

Do you remember that Angel, Julie who cooked my Christmas turkey for me when the oven broke? Well, today she has gone into the Christie hospital in Manchester for MAJOR surgery. She first became ill a year ago and was told she had ovarian cancer. She went through chemotherapy only to be told that she had pseudomyxoma peritonei. You can find out more about it here. Tomorrow she will have a 12-14 hour operation. They will be removing everything she can live without and filling her abdomen with warm Chemotherapy in the hope of finishing off this awful cancer. We met at antenatal classes, and have been close friends ever since. We have watched our daughters grow up together as close friends too. So, whatever you are doing tomorrow, spare a thought or say a prayer for this incredible, kind, generous, brave, amazing, courageous woman, in the hope that she will make a full recovery.

There's an Angel by the name of Julie that lives up my road

There I was on Christmas Day cooking a fairly simple dinner ( just the 3 of us to cater for ) when a fuse blew and the cooker and Microwave went off. We went to the fuse box and switched everything back on one at a time and all seemed well... until I realised the oven was no longer steaming up my glasses and I couldn't hear the Duck portions sizzling any more. I have a cooker with a small top oven as well as a main oven, so I quickly got that going and transferred the duck. The problem that was causing me to panic was the fact that I was cooking Christmas dinner for seven on Boxing Day, and was staring at a huge Turkey that would fit into my top oven about as easily as Dawn French would fit into a size 8. I could cook everything else - roast potatoes, roast parsnips, carrots, brussels, broccoli, gravy, bread sauce, and stuffing, but not that one vital ingredient. I even looked at saws in the garage, wondering whether to chop it up and just roast a bit of it, or stew it in a big pan!

Anyway, after lunch I got a text from my friend Julie thanking me for their presents. I rang her back to see if she would be around on Boxing Day, and she immediately said she would cook my Turkey for me! I took it up there at 9am and Steve fetched it, swathed in towels to keep it warm at one o'clock. I think that must be the sign of a true friend - someone who would cook your turkey for you, and to perfection too! So, on Boxing Day our whole house toasted Julie, for saving our Turkey (or should that be Bacon)!
Thanks is such a small word, but means such a lot!