10th February 2019 - A welcome visit from my oldest friends

I woke up on Sunday morning pretty much in the same way as the day before, feeling extremely sorry for myself but happy that I would receive the visit of Gherardo and Cristiano.

Whilst I was waiting for them, I started thinking in a bit more detail about what my next steps should be.

Regarding my plan to fight the cancer, I first had to choose the best possible oncologist. I already had the recommendation of one doctor from my gastroenterologist but I was determined to get more than one opinion, so I started doing some research on the Internet and tried to get as much information as possible from my circle of friends and colleagues. I ultimately came up with an additional oncologist and one surgeon. But I would need to undertake the biopsy before firming up any appointment. And I had no idea how long that would take.

The rest of the day was made quite cheerful by the arrival of Gherardo and Cristiano, whom my children have known since they were newborn babies. My old friend Ana, who studied with me in Florence and then moved to London more or less at the same time as me, also came over for lunch.

We were laughing and joking in front of the children and later, when the kids went to play with their videogames, there was time for more serious conversations about my situation. Countless words of encouragement followed – that would be the only positive thing I could hold on to for the next few weeks. I am completely convinced that such an overwhelming support from my family and friends hugely helped me to find and maintain the strength to fight.