Chris Caton-Greasley
Chris's Restoring Health after Loss: 21/02/2015
Fundraising for THE CHRISTIE CHARITY
Story
Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page.
The full blog can be found here https://www.chrisatthepiano.com/post/here-we-go-again
My brother died of stage 4 pancreatic cancer (that one really hit me hard) and my dad survived colon cancer at 77 years
Pancreatic cancer stealing my brother hit me badly, the weight I had struggled to keep down post children suddenly piled on. I enjoy food, and when I am sad I enjoy quick food. I was there for my children and my parents but noone, not even myself, realised the weight was an outward sign that inside I was not coping very well.
Fast forward to Christmas 2020 and after lockdown which I managed by doing my usual, work and cooking, I (and much of the rest of the world) ended up more than the woman I was; in more ways than one.
Yes I had taken the exams I now required (that's another blog) and I was now qualified to do what I had been doing for decades anyway; I had to be as successful as my brother was. However I still had not dealt with the issues that caused the weight gain, no worries the gym will help avoid the reality.
It was not all bad, I could polish up ok but nothing fits ! and I have no money to buy new.
So, all is well. I stay at the Academy, wear jeans, tee shirts and baggy jumpers and I can fool all the people all, ok most, of the time. Except one, me.
Well I was wrong then, I still needed to sort my head out and that would come with knowledge and self awareness, not calorie counting, My Fitness Pal, cutting carbs or slim fast (tried them all).
I have proved that a personal trainer does not work unless I want it too, and I have also proved Gym and Swim membership achieves nothing if attendance does not happen. To be honest even with attendance nothing would have happened as my willpower is strong, especially when applied against something; in this case me.
Me working against me is not good. 2021 proved this.
I have proved that a personal trainer does not work unless I want it too, and I have also proved Gym and Swim membership achieves nothing if attendance does not happen. To be honest even with attendance nothing would have happened as my willpower is strong, especially when applied against something; in this case me.
Me working against me is not good. 2021 proved this.
If this carries on I will be with my brother soon by one means or another, self sabotage is not what was intended, its a side effect logic cannot resolve.
So I have worked through a few things.
So I have worked through a few things.
- Firstly, I am not my brother we always were totally different, but we were best friends.
- Secondly, it is not my fault, for not going to see him much (or at all) in Oxford, that he died. In fact it is about as much my fault as it is Simon Cowells (he was watching X Factor when he died).
- Thirdly, the best way to honor losing him is to be a better me for him. He lived in Bristol, my dad went to The Christie and survived, but even The Christie cannot battle stage 4 pancreatic and win.
- & fourth if my weight continues to move as it is, no matter how slow, I will either get diabetes, cancer or any others I do not want to think about my actions need to mirror my words, I want to live and achieve much in the time I have left. I am now and always will be, the age my brother did not make, I will live it for us both.My dad got colon cancer, that hit me hard too, I was convinced it was the end. He is amazing and pulled through chemo I do not know how, I had to take him for each 'saving' shot of poison. BUT he did it, it took time and he gave it his all to fight to live.
If he can do it at 77 years old, I can too. I am my father's daughter; rather too head strong and focused.So I have set up a Just Giving page, I aim to lose 100 pounds by the 8th anniversary of my brothers passing. 21st February 2023. 8 years being a complete octave I am hoping this eighth anniversary I will be able to stand and say I have done it.For every 1 pound I loose I will add £2 to this Just Giving page. If you would like to help me and donate to The Christie please donate too.
Maybe when I have reached £30 donated by me or £60 I will advertise it and tell people what I am doing, we will see. For now I feel terrible having let myself get to this place. This only positive is I can build towards a legacy for Martin, the brother I loved more than perhaps he knew; and I still do. (Trying to type through the tears that still fall is difficult - miss you)