The Pants and Bra's Ball 2016

Wow wow wow! Did that fantastic night really happen?! 8 long months of planning and it went so fast!

We didn't get off to the best start though! Steve and I had to do a few trips to the hotel to get everything down there. All the other trips were fine but then towards the end, Steve came back saying there had been an accident. Just in case, we decided I would go down and get started setting up, while he would do the last trip on his own.
Unfortunately it wasn't that straight forward! We got as far as West Lane and then we were stuck behind ALOT of traffic! What should of been a 15-20 minute journey took nearly two hours..an hour and half just to get off the island!!! So panic stricken I began to madly set up the venue while Steve had to attempt a final trip! He didn't have his clothes for the evening, his laptop to provide the music and we still had a few bits to pick up!

I have to say though, the hotel staff were amazing! The hotel event co-ordinator Davina began to put chair covers on for us, as did my mother in law! While my Father in law got to work setting up the sweet cart!
Stacey was arriving by limo and she was slightly delayed along with the bus due to the traffic! When Stacey arrived (along with everyone else) I was in my Scruffs still madly trying to finish!!! My friends & sister instantly started setting up the last bits when they arrived, while Stacey did the meeting & greeting alone!

Everyone was welcomed into the room while I raced up stairs to get changed!!! I didn't want it to ruin the night so I insisted the meal started without me. By this stage, I wanted to be poshed up more than I wanted to eat anyway!! As soon as Steve arrived he got some music on the go and I came down a little while after. For the record ball goers...the room was missing 50 helium balloons but I think we coped without them!

Couple of things I have to mention, one being there was a young lad who helped me set up and he informed me it was actually his first day at the hotel. His first day and he was decorating the venue with knickers and bras!!! Poor lad!!!
Secondly, there was an awkward moment when two of the other young staff were staring at the table plan, looking horrified and whispering! Then I realised...

"It's not my underwear on that bored you know" I reassured them!

A look of relief spread over their faces!

  

The underwear we used to decorate was all brand new and donated by an underwear firm in China! Just so everyone's clear...it wasn't mine and it wasn't Stacey's!
At the end of the night we let anyone who wanted it to, take it home, and it all went!

Anyway, back to the rest of the night! So we're all there and everything's in full swing!!! I got down just as everyone was finishing their dessert which was perfect as this meant we could go straight into the auction.
EVERYTHING sold and some for higher than we expected! We were so lucky as we had a brilliant auctioneer in David from Race Night who donated his services free of charge to us. He was only meant to do the auction but he stuck around and did the raffle too (I think he was enjoying himself).
My lovely Steve did a couple of sets and all in all in all it was fabulous!!!

I unfortunately got very drunk on probably only about 4 glasses of wine! I haven't drunk for two years what with being pregnant, having treatment and then recovering from meningitis/surgery so I think it's acceptable to be a complete light weight! What was amazing was all the lovely messages and texts I woke up to on Saturday morning! Everyone has said how much they enjoyed themselves and what a success it was. I really hope it was and their not just being kind!

Something I didn't expect was the overwhelming sense relief, not that's it's over (I'm actually a bit sad about that) but that we did it! I've always known this is what I wanted to do and in the early days when I had this idea, I was having chemo and was very ill. If I'm honest, I'm not sure I thought I would live to see it!

But I did! I flippin well did! So have that Cancer!!! Not only that, the night raise £2340 for Cancer Research UK ...and the total still rising!!! I actually cried when we calculated the total! I'm over the moon, I feel exactly what I wanted to feel ...like I fought back! For the first time in a long time, I feel a part of the old me start to creep back. I feel stronger in some way...I'd like to say like Wonder Woman but in all honesty I'm probably more Harley Quinn!!!

Thank you so much to every one who attended, took part in the auction and all the lovely companies who helped us make it such a success! Stacey and I are more grateful than words can say! I will do a follow up post with all the companies we need to thank and a bit about them in the next few days.

I didn't take any photos unfortunately so I've pinched some of Stacey's and my sister's!

One thing I will say this is not the end of our fundraising its only the beginning. Xxx

One Week To The Ball & The Pink Bus!

Today is exactly a week until the ball!! I can not believe we are at this point and to be honest I don't think I've ever felt so nervous about anything in my life!

Sounds dramatic Perhaps, but it's so important to me that it's a success! I want to do the people I love proud for all the support they've given me and most of all I want to do the people that haven't been as lucky as me in fighting this horrible illness proud!

Stacey and I had a final stages planning meeting last night and although all so exciting there is still so much to do! It's funny because we are so different, Stacey does everything yesterday where as I will do everything tomorrow! Some how though it just works, we have pulled together something amazing and I am in no doubt we will raise a nice amount for Cancer Research UK!

As we sat there last night going through the ins and outs of everything, I finally asked the question I always wondered but never asked

"Stace..."

"Yep" ...she answered without looking up from the notes she was writing.

"Why did you decide to help me with this, I mean to just randomly help a perfect stranger".

She looked up from her notes, was silent for a moment and then replied with a smile.

"I don't know...I just saw what you wanted to do on social media and thought it was really cool! "

Now I know Stacey, I understand that to her it really is as simple as that! She's just one of these genuinely good people that you rarely come across in this life. She saw something that was important so in her mind why wouldn't she actively help? Would I have done the same the other way round? Helped a complete stranger arrange a charity event? If I'm really honest the answer is probably not. She really has put in as much effort, time and heart into this as me. I will always be grateful and I'm so glad to now be able to call her my friend.

Anyway, enough with the mushy stuff! Today Stacey has been down to Havant bus station discussing our very own pink bus! Colin Ashcroft of Stage Coach buses has kindly offered to donate their pink Cancer Research bus for the evening! How awesome is that?!

The Bus is a new addition to Stage Coach and we will be only the second people to use it! The first was the ladies who work for the company to take them to the race for life at Worthing this year. Naturally, we feel very privileged! Unfortunately neither Stacey or I will be able to arrive by it due to setting up and things but I'm hoping my Parents will be able to take my bus obsessed toddler on it! Colin has even said we can have "Pants & Bras to Cancer" and he had the idea of "Mason's Bus" or something with Mason's name mentioned in it where the number normally is. I got a bit emotional when she told me that bit! What a nice man, I look forward to meeting him and thanking him personally.

The bus is in memory of Colin's Mum Sandy Ashcroft who unfortunately lost her battle with Cancer this year. I hope we do her proud and raise lots of money for the charity.

I've read 2 stories this week of ladies who have recently lost their battle to cancer. Both of them around my age, one lady who lives local to me and one in Wales, who's story I have followed since I was diagnosed. I didn't know either of them personally but that doesn't stop me feeling sad. Well, actually I have experienced a mix of emotions by it all! I feel sad for them, then guilty that I'm still here, and then frightened. Sometimes I can shake all those feelings off and remind myself I'm lucky and just stick with that. because I am, I'm so lucky but then other times I just can't.

I had my review this week with the intensive care unit too which I think helped because they were so happy with how I've progressed. They started at first asking questions like "do you manage ok yet with stairs yet", "can you walk for long" and "do you have someone at home with you to help you"...she was a little surprised when I said explained that I went back to work three weeks ago and am basically back to how I was! Although this was just for the meningitis side of things, it does give me a boost and gives me a well needed shake. Most people who go so quickly down hill with Meningitis like I did don't get back up again. Less then 3 months ago I was laying in a bed in that ward with tubes and machines unconscious for days and now it's like it never happened.

I think it's only now it really hits me that I really could of died! Again, the lady talking to me was full of smiles and seemed genuinely happy at how well I'm doing. When you work in intensive care there aren't so many happy endings I suppose! I will never stop saying it but I'm so lucky! I do struggle some times with coordination still but not so anybody would really notice, my short term memory is terrible and sometimes when I try to concentrate I struggle, but it's nothing really! It may get better over time but it may not, if it doesn't it's not the end of the world!

While I was at the hospital I popped in on Chloe, the friend I made when I was in hospital. She unfortunately is poorly again so she had to go back in recently. She's back on the same ward we were in back in June and it was really bizarre walking back in there! Although I hated every minute of be there, waking back in was quite comforting and familiar!...perhaps because I knew I wasn't staying!!! 

Also I've finally got a date this week for when we are going to be in love it magazine! It's going to be out on 6th October 2016! It's been written for months but with all this meningitis rubbish they held off publishing it! I hope it doesn't come off as a 'poor me' article as I would hate that. 

Even with so much to do and even considering we haven't finished this event, I'm still playing around with ideas of what we can do next! This can't be the end of Pants (& Bras) To Cancer although we may have to rethink the name if underwear isn't involved! I'm thinking maybe a Christmas for kids but maybe that's being too ambitious when it's only 3 months away!!! 

Any ideas welcomed!