Now Officially a Teenager

Yay, I'm finally a teenager. Today I turned 13.

Over the weekend I went on a camp with Canteen to a place called Attunga, which is near Canyonleigh in the Southern Highlands. I had a great weekend talking to other girls who had someone in their family with some form of cancer. I made some new friends. On Friday afternoon, Mum and Dad dropped me at Sydney airport where we met the Canteen girls. From there we went to Wollongong, and then to the camp, picking up other girls on the way. Yesterday, Mum and Dad and Georgia picked me up in Canberra, and we came home.

http://www.canteen.org.au/

What A Week!!!!

What a week we've had this week!

It all started last Sunday, when Dad, Mum, Kristen & Aimee ran the City to Surf to help raise funds for Cure Our Kids. They ran as part of the Cure Our Kids team, which had about 350 people in it, and was the biggest fund raising team in the race. While they ran the race, our friends Bridget & Sarah came to mind me at the unit at Bondi Junction. We talked, played Scattegories, watched tele and talked some more until Dad and the girls got back early in the afternoon. It was the first time any of our family had been in the City to Surf, but I'm sure it wont be the last. Dad and Aimee ran together and their time was 91.02 minutes. They crossed the line together. Mum and Kristen ran some and walked some, and their times were 113.56 for Kristen and 115.32 for Mum. They had a great day, but they were all pretty sore for a few days. They said it was well worth the trouble though, and are very grateful to all the wonderful people who sponsored them. The sponsorship page is still open, so anyone who wants to, can still support Cure Our Kids. Just click on the Woods Family City to Surf link on the left of this page.

Top: Mum, Aimee, Kristen & Dad with Camperdown nurses Stacey, Justine, Scott, Nicole & Mel.

Right: Dad & Aimee at the start.

Below: Kristen stretching before the start; The view down William St after the start; Mum sets a cracking pace up Heartbreak Hill.

Bottom: Kristen & Aimee recovering at Bondi; The Woods Family Cure Our Kids City to Surf team at Bondi Beach.

Kristen and Aimee went home on Monday because Kristen had to work and Aimee had to go to school. Mum and Dad and me, went back to Westmead, where I had to have my fortnightly blood tests done. On Tuesday, Dad played in a Ronald McDonald House Charity Golf Day at Castle Hill Country Club. He had fun, but he said it was a pretty challenging golf course. On Wednesday, Dad went to work, and Mum and I had appointments with the dietician and the RMH Tutor. Her job is to see if I need help to catch me up with my school work. Then, today (Thursday) I went into surgery at 10.30 am to have my central line removed. This is a big thing for me. Now I can go swimming again and I wont have the risk of picking up an infection in the line like a did a few weeks ago, putting me back in hospital for a week.

Tomorrow, I'm going on my first trip with Canteen, on a girls camp in the Southern Highlands. Mum and Dad will take me to the airport tomorrow, where I will catch the bus. Then I will meet them again in Canberra on Sunday. This will be the first time I have been away from both Mum and Dad for nearly a year.

I have an appointment with Dr Shaw next Wednesday and then a bone marrow biopsy on 7th September. I hope to learn soon after that, that I can return to school.