It's All Write

I've been asked a few times whether I'd turn this blog into a book and I'd dismissed this for a long while. The main reason for not wanting to share the whole story as it were is because I would be publishing information about people and places, some of whom would rather I not share it. 
Although there is of course mention in this blog about where I was treated and it's not difficult to work out by whom, some of my experience wasn't pleasant and I have no wish to raise issue with either the hospitals or the doctors.
Originally I wrote notes to record what was happening to me, the blog grew from that as I felt publishing it would highlight both the disease and the need for better treatment and research. At no point, despite failures with my care, did I want to pursue a complaint, it wouldn't have made me feel any better.
I suppose what's been hardest to do is to have had to search for information about kidney cancer, push for treatment options, even plead for results. This is why my blog has been so important to me and has obviously been read by so many others, there's a need to know more.
A few months ago I began reading back through my blog and going through my medical notes in order to find a way to put it all into a book format. There was only one way forward and that was to fictionalise my account, a story based on true events. No real names or places means that I can elaborate on what happened and produce a comprehensive story, leaving nothing out.
While writing the blog I've been careful not to mention some events as they're either too personal to me or else to someone involved in my treatment. By novelising this I can bring individual characters to life - just not name and shame. It's also a little easier to write about some of the things I found it hard to publicise, the gory details.
It's not all medical terminology and surgery scars, it has given me the opportunity to give a bit of my back story, the fashion business that came before and which inspired my blog title.
My book An Unfashionable Cancer is now well under way and will bear the same tag line;
'From running a fashion business to waking up with kidney cancer, a journey from fashion victim to cancer survivor'
I've a long way to go still as although the pages are already there I am having to rewrite every part, no easy task. My own story is still ongoing but I'm over the half way point now, three and a half years into that goal of five years cancer free. By putting the whole thing into print I hope I'll be able to close this chapter of my life and finally move on. Unfortunately though many others are only just waking up to kidney cancer so the need to raise awareness of this will continue.
If I can help kidney cancer awareness either through the blog or the book it'll be a story worth telling.

For the Record

Today is the anniversary of my fathers death, he died 36 years ago very suddenly of a heart attack. I remember very little about him as I was only 12 at the time, I never had a 'grown up' conversation with him so don't feel like I know the real him.
There are so many questions I'd ask him, so much I'd like to find out but right now there's a very pressing question I need answering. 'What was wrong with your kidney's?'
The little I do know is that my Dad had problems with his kidneys, he had been hospitalised while still a young man and as he grew older suffered terribly with kidney stones. Family members know a little about his condition but nothing conclusive and so today I approached the NHS records office.
After my 3rd phone call I was put through to someone who said that his medical files would have been destroyed after 25 years, no joy there then. I've no one else left to ask and therefore may never know exactly what kidney issues he had.
My own medical records show that in 1975 and '77 I had procedures to investigate my kidney function by having  pyelography (Google it...it wasn't enjoyable at aged 10). Next to this information is written 'Kidney Disease', no explanation just those 2 words.
All of this I told to my consultant when admitted originally, all of it was dismissed without investigation.
I have another referral coming up, this time it'll be to the QE Hospital, Birmingham, I was hoping I'd be able to share some family history at this appointment. My biggest concern is that if there are any hereditary factors then my two daughters may also share this risk.
Without medical record evidence though I think I've reached a dead end, literally.