From This..To?

From this...

On 5th December, 2005 I entered St Vincent's Private Hospital, Darlinghurst, Sydney to have this 'monstrosity' removed. As is the case with many things in my life, my tumour, growing on the outside, was considered to be just a 'little unusual.' I felt very blessed to have been referred to Dr Paul Crea who made suitable arrangements to act expeditiously;  the tumour was growing very quickly. It went from a pimple sized spot to a growth measuring over 6cm in only weeks. It seemed to be receiving a daily dose of  some sort of 'growth hormone.'

To this...

Given the 'monstrosity' Dr Crea was working with, it came as a huge surprise to find the end result was a nice, neat incision line, which would go on to heal nicely. There is no doubt, it is the work of a 'master craftsman!'

'There is a light in this world, a healing spirit
more powerful than any darkness we may encounter.
We sometime lose sight of this force
when there is suffering, and too much pain.
Then suddenly,
the spirit will emerge
through the lives of ordinary people who hear a call
and answer in extraordinary ways.

Mother Teresa

I awoke in recovery at approximately 5pm, after nearly 4 hours of surgery. Dr Crea explained that there was an unusually high number of blood vessels to be tied off. We are fortunate to have insurance to cover the costs associated with a stay in a private hospital. What that insurance does not guarantee however, is an appropriate rooming companion. All I remember of that first night in a shared room was a constant stream of doctors, nurses and a very vocal patient; my 'companiopn,' having undergone major back surgery, was in in pain! It was 'painfully' obvious that alternative arrangements should have been made for one of us! Somehow, we both survived that first long, painful night.


Night two I did my usual 'early to bed' in anticipation of sleeping soundly. It was not to be! At 9pm my inconsiderate companion decided it was time to make her very personal phone calls. The clock ticked slowly and the phone calls seemed to go on... and on... and on. The following morning I suggested to her that the arrangements were not working for me and it was my intention to approach the nursing staff in order to ask about relocating. My room mate was appalled and suggested I do nothing; she would make every effort to be mindful of her actions in future.


My five day stay in hospital went well from then on. It surprised me to find the food was good.  I was able to 'slip' (not literally) downstairs to have my hair shampooed and dried. The coffee shop allowed me to 'grab' a coffee to be enjoyed in the sunshine. Life was good - the future looked bright!