This Week's Blessings

Our family has grown this week - by two. Not twins but two little boys born on opposite sides of the world, and on the same day Canberra-time.

In 1976, we had two babies born into the family. My brother and his first wife gave birth to their third child, a boy, in March. In November, my eldest sister gave birth to her third child, a girl. These were my third nephew and my third niece. I was nine years old and already had some notoriety for being an aunt at an age when my friends were more likely to be welcoming new brothers or sisters than nieces and nephews. I remember Tony being born in a hospital on the north coast of New South Wales and leaving school early in the day to drive the couple of hours from Sydney to see him. I don't have as clear a memory of Linda's birth eight months later - although it is possible I was also able to leave school early in the day to visit my new niece.

Some 32 years later, Tony is a father for the first time. His wife, Lisa, gave birth to Bailey in Canberra in the early evening of Wednesday. A few hours later, we heard that Linda had given birth to Rowyn in Canada. Rowyn is Linda's third child, her first boy. And although the birth dates are different due to international date lines, the closeness of the births reminded me that I have always thought of Tony and Linda as being linked in some way. Probably this is because, until they were born, my nieces and nephews arrived annually - 1971 Vanessa; 1972 Donna; 1973 Geoffrey; 1974 Gary. Tony and Linda upset the pattern and shared a birth year.

Bailey and Rowyn are continuing another pattern too. Since Jack was born nearly eight years ago, all the babies born on 'my side' of the family have been boys.* And there have now been seven of them. Until Jack's birth, my nieces and nephews were evenly divided, my great-nieces and great-nephews more of a mix.

Happy birthday, Bailey and Rowyn.

* Families being the complicated things they are, this statement may not be correct. Gary has, I think, two children but for reasons known only to him, I haven't had an opportunity to meet them. Nor has anyone else in the extended family. Gary, Garoldo, GET IN TOUCH!

"Every Day is a Blessing"

Jane and Glenn McGrath on ABC's Enough Rope in 2004

I have been deeply saddened by the news of the death of Jane McGrath on Sunday. Surprisingly so. I didn't know Jane. I don't know her family. I only knew of her through her appearance on ABC's Enough Rope and through the many magazine stories I read last year as I went through my own treatment for breast cancer. She was a constant presence in the magazines and, perhaps, a more realistic 'role model' for breast cancer patients than Kylie or Belinda Emmet.

The news of Jane's death has made me think of many things. It has plunged me back into the maelstrom of my own tussle with cancer. Most days, these days, I can almost forget that 12 months ago I was down a breast, hairless, and in the middle of chemo. Most days, despite the breast form and the short hair and the daily tablet, life is 'back to normal'. Jane's death is a reminder that cancer is a serious opponent and that once it has entered your life, you are never quite free of it. Even if you are one of the lucky ones who only have to battle it once.

Jane McGrath used her experience and her "celebrity" for good. The McGrath Foundation aims to fund breast care nurses in hospitals across Australia. In the ACT, we are lucky to have three breast care nurses funded by the ACT Government. I cannot sing their praises enough. My breast care nurse was and continues to be a tremendous resource. It was Bethel who lead J and I through the medical maze that you enter with a diagnosis of cancer. She explained procedures. She gently raised the possibility of a mastectomy, preparing us for the surgeon's recommendations. She showed me photos of mastectomies and breast reconstructions so that I wouldn't be completely horrified by what had happened to my body after surgery. And more than 12 months down the track, she is still only a phone call away, answering my questions, providing referrals, and advice, and an ear. Everyone who is diagnosed with breast cancer should have access to a Bethel ... and the McGrath Foundation is a very practical recognition of this.

Mostly, though, I have been thinking about Glenn McGrath's tribute to his wife. I've been thinking of their children, James and Holly, facing the rest of their lives with only memories of their mother. I've been thinking about Glenn's comment that he never took for granted his life with Jane, that "every day is a blessing". Every day is a blessing ... even when work is frustrating and a small boy is insisting on doing things in his own way, in his own time. Every day is a blessing and we should celebrate each one with a smile, a laugh, and the joy of being alive.