On the 17th July we had our 75th Celebration Party! Our 10th wedding anniversary, my 30th birthday and Djerk’s 35th birthday. 10 + 30 + 35 = 75! 🙂
It was at the Broadway Hotel in Letchworth and it was filled with family and friends from all different parts of our life. We had an AMAZING night, thanks to all those who came! It was great to celebrate some milestones, but also to celebrate the end of chemo! Woop woop!
I was due to begin radiotherapy on the 19th July, a couple of days after our big party. Things changed…
Facebook:
Hayley Geurts is about to go on a loooong journey to Mount Vernon hospital (nr Watford) during early morning rush hour traffic. Radiotherapy prep = BLAH!
16 July at 07:19Hayley Geurts Check me out, I’m getting a tattoo!!! Haha!
16 July at 09:12Hayley Geurts went all that way for nothing. Radiotherapy has to be moved to September now. PANTS! Oh well, on with the summer hols!!
16 July at 11:32Hayley Geurts feels very relaxed. Radiotherapy pushed back to Sept, Willow Foundation break in October and party tomorrow!! God you are so good to me!
16 July at 14:53
Email to all:
Hello everyone,
Apologies for not contacting you in the last couple of weeks. Since my final chemo session a couple of weeks ago I have been feeling so much better, full of energy and ready to get back to normal life! I’ve had a very busy couple of weeks and by the looks of my diary it’s only going to get worse! :o) I love it!!!
The effects of the last chemo were minimal, praise God! I was up and about very quickly and was soon into the realm of “overdoing it!”. By now most of you know me well enough to know that I don’t rest well. :o) So, now I’m back at the school working hard on getting the last bits of IT sorted for them, I’m also busy preparing for my party next week. If you haven’t already had an invite, then please see attached! You are ALL welcome to come. We are celebrating many things, but mostly just celebrating life! It’s going to be great! I have a lovely floor length dress to wear, so please come dressed up too! I don’t want to be the only one!
I am going to be running in the Race for Life today. I say running…. it’ll be more like a stroll really… Haha! If you would like to sponsor me, there is still time! http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/maizymoo I’m hoping the sun won’t shine too much today as I shouldn’t really be out in the sun too much due to the chemo. There are lots of girlies running with me and I have been blown away by the amount of sponsorship I’ve already had. Thank you to you all!! :o)
The next step for the cancer treatment will be radiotherapy. Unfortunately, the start date I was given originally, 19th July, is no longer happening, as Addenbrookes couldn’t fit me in. So, I will have to wait for another date and possibly from another radiology department at another hospital. It’s a shame I can’t start sooner and get it over and done with, but I will have to exercise some patience (another thing VERY hard for me!!) I will have to start the Tamoxifen drug at some point in the near future. I’m not really looking forward to that as it could very well throw me into early menopause. Joy. Well, we will see what happens.
I am so thankful to God that I have come out of this part of the treatment so well. He has been my rock and my shelter throughout this. I cannot imagine going through such seasons without Him. I have had so much encouragement from you all too. Thank you so much for all your support and love. I am so blessed by your friendship.
Right, best go get ready for the Race!
I will update you all soon once I know when the radiotherapy will start. Please pray that the start date is arranged soon and that it will be close to home!
Love you all!
Hayley
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I Raced for Life with my Mummy and some other great friends (Faith, Jenny, Robyn, Liz, Bairbre, Sacha and Juliet) and I raised £510 for Cancer Research UK. Fantastic day!!
Some Facebook updates:
Hayley Geurts chemo number 6, here I come. Final one! Woop woop!!
28 June at 07:20Hayley Geurts has the poison running round her system but is feeling relatively ok. Now watching The Netherlands whoop the Slo’s. :o) Hup Holland!!
28 June at 16:30Hayley Geurts chemo number 6, final one, went ok, no drama, no pain, no sickness. Slept well last night. Feeling drained today, but doing ok.
29 June at 12:01Hayley Geurts has taken up an amazing and generous offer of a weekend away by friends from old that she hasn’t seen in years! God’s kingdom astounds me!
30 June at 00:54Hayley Geurts is feeling ok today! Drained for sure, but nothing like previous times! Praise God! No more chemo! Say it with me! No more CHEMO! Woop woop!
30 June at 11:29Hayley Geurts is still lacking energy, but the poison is almost gone and I’m meeeee again! Woohoo!
01 July at 10:55Hayley Geurts tired tired tired…
01 July at 21:38Hayley Geurts is on her way back… Tiredness slowly going! Watch out world, Hayley’s nearly back!!
02 July at 10:31Hayley Geurts wants to cry. It’s nearly over, but now just drained and every bone in my body aches. 24 hours more? I’m nearly there…
02 July at 19:08Hayley Geurts is relieved. Feeling at about 75% now. Praise God for bringing me through this!!
03 July at 10:58Hayley Geurts is so happy to be up and about, playing Mariokart with her beloved and having a glass of rose!
03 July at 22:32
Email to all:
Hi everyone,
Well, chemo number 6 is imminent. The nurse is coming around 1pm today to give me the last, final, concluding, ultimate chemo treatment! Woohoo! I am strangely looking forward to it!! How is that?? LOL I am so glad that this will be the last “bad” week I have to endure. It’s not going to be pretty, it never is, but I think I may deal with it better knowing that it’s the last time.
I am also going to deal with it much better knowing that my God is with me. Also, the knowledge that a multitude of people have been praying and will continue to pray for me. I went to St Faith’s church in Hitchin yesterday to see my good friend Bairbre’s two girls take their first communion. It was a lovely service, very different to my usual church experience, but they were a very welcoming, friendly and God-praising community. I was waiting for the service to start and I began to read the weekly notices. At the top of the second page was a note saying: “Please remember in your prayers….” and within a list of people was my name! So, the service began and I had tears in my eyes. Then, about half way through the service they had a section for Prayer and Intercession. A man got up and began to pray for various things. I then hear my name being spoken out in the service!!! At this point the tears begin to flow freely. I could not believe that a church, who for the most part has no idea who I am, will lift me in prayer each week! It touched my heart in such a powerful way.
Last night I was chatting with Navaz D’Cruz from Word of Grace church in Pune, India, part of Newfrontiers. Djerk and I were introduced to us by Djerk’s parents a few years ago. I have only met her a couple of times, but yet she, and the entire church, are praying for me!! She asked me for a picture so that the church could put a face to a name. God’s Church is such a beautiful and marvelous thing to behold! Thank you to EVERYONE who is lifting me in prayer. God hears! I am flying through this treatment cycle so fast and the “down” weeks are actually going ok and I’m not too sick, just very very tired and drained. When I compare the reaction some people have to chemo and how I am coping with it, the difference is huge! I put it all down to the supernatural energy and support I receive from my heavenly Father, fueled by the prayers of friends, family and even strangers!! :o)
On a whole different note and looking towards the future (woohoo!) I have a couple of things to ask of you all. I have attached the invite to our party on the 17th July. You are ALL invited!! If you haven’t received the “snail mail” card in the post yet, please let me have your address and I will send it through. I would love to see as many of you there as possible!! You have all been such a support to me. Thank you so so so much. There will be a bar, snacky food, cake, a faaaabulous DJ and me! A great reason to dress up and party with friends and family. Can’t wait!!
The other thing is to ask for all your money!! Not for me, but for Cancer Research UK. I am “running” (read WALKING there) in the Race for Life in Stevenage on the 11th July at 11am. If you would like to join me I believe that you can still enter – http://www.raceforlife.org/ If you can’t be there, perhaps you would sponsor me? My sponsorship page is here: http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/maizymoo.
Right, off to work for a couple of hours then back for chemo 6. Bring it ON!!!
Lots of love to you all,
Hayley
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Email to all: 3am!
Hi all,
Yes, I know this email is being written at 3am in the morning, but the fact is that I can’t sleep and I feel I would like to share a couple of things with you all. I’ll go to sleep after, promise!
My 5th chemo session was last Monday, only 6 days ago and today I feel like I’m me again! Hurrah! I have had the usual week of feeling down, tired, drained and generally meh. But through this week, and especially today, I have had some great moments and lots of things to make me smile. I would like to publicly thank a few people for that. My Nan, Doreen to most of you, is just the best. She has been coming over to our home every time I have chemo and stays for a few of days to help out. (then goes home to rest – poor thing!) She cooks, cleans, takes care of my boys and is a great companion to me on my “sofa-bound” days. I love you Nan, thank you so much. My Mum has also been a rock, checking up on me during the week and sending me a little card in the post. Then today she and Dad came over and she cooked us an amazing roast beef dinner with all the trimmings and apple pie for dessert! What a woman! Thank you Mum!! There are also other members of the “meals on wheels” crew, Sue, Grace, Aletheia and Faith! Thank you for your dinners this week. You guys are simply amazing. You all take time out of your very very busy lives to provide for our family. May God bless you mightily in return for your blessing to us.
I want to say a big thank you to all recipients of this email. Many of you reply to my emails with the most amazing and encouraging words. It is an immeasurable comfort and support to me to know that you are following my progress through this season I’m going through. It is also an incredible blessing to know that many of you are lifting me, Djerk and the boys in prayer. I can tell you one thing, God is listening!!
Some people wonder why on earth I feel ok with sharing my journey with so many people and so publicly. Many people on this email list will know me well and some will know me just a lil bit. I am an open person by nature and often tell people how I’m feeling. I think living in Holland for 9 years kicked the British part of me out. You know the part, the one that always answers “I’m fine” to the “How are you doing?” question… The Dutch have a great knack of being straight with you, honest and up front. I love it! So, hence me being up front and honest about what I’m going through. Hope that’s ok. :o)
I hope that the account of my journey through this cancer treatment encourages people but most importantly, glorifies my heavenly Father. I would not even want to imagine what going through something like this would be like, without the knowledge that God is with me every step. I have a hope for the future that is unrivaled by anything else. I’m not talking about a wishy washy maybe something will happen or an unsure “I hope it will….”. The hope I am talking about is a confident expectation, a sure certainty that God’s promises are true and will happen! Promises of joy, love, peace, grace and so much more! I pray that each of you know that kind of hope. If you don’t, go find it in Jesus! You won’t be disappointed! :o)
I love you all very much.
Speak soon.
Hayley
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Some Facebook updates:
Hayley Geurts - chemo number 5 today. Bring it on! Lord, only with you can I handle this.
07 June at 08:51Hayley Geurts it all went ok, chemo is in, doing it’s thing. Now in bed resting/sleeping off the initial side effects.
07 June at 14:17Hayley Geurts thinks her hubby @dmgeurts is one in a million! I love you so much! Thank you for looking after me and the boys through this tough time. X
07 June at 17:53Hayley Geurts can’t sleep. Arms so achy, pins and needles type of ache. Please, if you’re still awake, pray for me?
07 June at 23:44Hayley Geurts I’m awake but feeling like I haven’t slept properly. Blah!
08 June at 11:29Hayley Geurts is tired and drained from chemo number 5, but soldiering on…
08 June at 19:13Hayley Geurts still tired but is finding supernatural energy to keep going.
09 June at 10:04Hayley Geurts is trying to rest. Come on girl, you remember how…
10 June at 12:43Hayley Geurts would really love to just go to sleep and wake up when my energy has come back fully. It’s horrid waking from a nap still feeling drained!!
10 June at 16:27Hayley Geurts had enough energy to rustle up a Spanish sweet potato tortilla for lunch. Yum!!
11 June at 13:02Hayley Geurts would like to thank Sue Harrison for a scrummy meal this evening! You guys are spoiling us! Thank you thank you thank you!!
11 June at 19:09Hayley Geurts is at the achy, can’t get comfy in any position stage of chemo number 5. Means it’s nearly over! Looking forward to my 2 good weeks again.
11 June at 21:32Hayley Geurts is getting there. Fatigue is almost gone, life almost back to “normal”. Lord, strengthen me today.
12 June at 10:55Hayley Geurts had a wonderful meal, cooked by Grace (thank you!!) and had a half strawberry from her very own garden! Woohoo!
12 June at 18:47Hayley Geurts had the most amazing meal ever!! Mum (and Dad) came over, took over my kitchen and produced a scrummy roast beef dinner with apple pie!
13 June at 22:01
Email to all:
Hello everyone,
Well, chemo number 5 was yesterday so I’m on the home stretch now! Only 1 more to go on the 28th June and it’s over! Woohoo!
I’m feeling very tired and drained and unfortunately that won’t get much better until about Saturday/Sunday. I’m getting used to it now in a way and even resting like I’m supposed to! Except now…. on the laptop, working! Heehee!
I hear more about my radiotherapy on Monday 14th June. All I know at the moment is that it will be starting on the 19th July and will be every day for three and a half weeks in Addenbrookes Hospital, Cambridge. Hopefully it will mean lots of shopping trips and nice lunches out in Cambridge! Haha!
For those who have sent their addresses to me, thanks! Please could those who haven’t, do so! I have some nice invites to our party on the 17th July ready to go in the post to you all!
Big hugs!
Hayley
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Life defintely carried on during the good weeks. I am a “doer” and I find it very very hard to rest! A lot of people have recognised this trait in me and many of my Facebook friends would ask me to slow down a bit! Hehe… Never!
Hayley Geurts just had a great time of prayer! Feeling released and revived! God is GREAT!
27 May at 23:06Hayley Geurts can’t believe that her little boy is 7 years old today! Madness!
28 May at 16:50Hayley Geurts is praying that the Holy Spirit leads worship tomorrow, not her.
30 May at 00:00Hayley Geurts Let my lifesong sing to you! Jesus, I want to sign your name at the end of this day, knowing that my heart was true.
30 May at 09:13Hayley Geurts is so full from church bring and share lunch AND birthday BBQ! No food needed tomorrow…
30 May at 18:39Hayley Geurts just played Cluedo DVD game with family, what fun! Anyone else fancy it?
30 May at 22:15Hayley Geurts wonders where the lovely weather has gone?? It was gorgeous yesterday (if a bit windy) for Sam’s BBQ. Sigh…
31 May at 13:03Hayley Geurts is arranging flowers! Love it!
03 June at 10:18Hayley Geurts is tired. So so tired…
03 June at 21:47Hayley Geurts is off out with my girlifriends. Looking forward to some good food, wine and great company!
04 June at 20:04Hayley Geurts is opening her home up from 5pm tonight for BBQ! Wanna come? Bring meat, food, drink and chair!
05 June at 12:35Hayley Geurts had a lovely afternoon with family.
06 June at 20:42
Some Facebook updates:
Hayley Geurts has chemicals running around her system. Still feeling ok though, thank God!
17 May at 14:40Hayley Geurts is still feeling ok-ish. Had a mighty long sleep from 5pm til 8am! Hoping that the sickness and tiredness stays away today.
18 May at 09:32Hayley Geurts Nanny has arrived to nurse me through the next couple of days. Bless her. I am so blessed by amazing family and friends. I thank God for you
18 May at 11:45Hayley Geurts wants a lightening bolt of energy now please… Still feeling very drained.
20 May at 11:18Hayley Geurts is in desperate need of divine direction right now…
20 May at 23:22Hayley Geurts is sitting in her garden feeling very tired and drained of all energy but has a peace that only Jesus can give. Thank you Lord.
21 May at 11:53Hayley Geurts is once again sitting in the garden, watching Djerk brick up his BBQ and the kids playing, praying for energy.
22 May at 11:12Hayley Geurts loves watching Time Team. Is that wrong??
22 May at 14:37Hayley Geurts has just sent her Sainsburys order, via @dmgeurts, including wine and chocolate. He’s such an amazing man, knows me well…
22 May at 18:48Hayley Geurts is looking forward to see her mumsie, who is on her way! Yippee! Mummy-hugs!!
23 May at 09:29Hayley Geurts just received a note from her eldest. “We all love you very much!!!! You will never leave this family, will you?” I cried…
23 May at 17:51Hayley Geurts has been awake since 5:21am. Not sure whether I will get through the day…
25 May at 08:15
Email to all:
Hello everyone,
Well, I’m a week through chemo number 4 and I’m feeling really good! The bad week was actually not as bad as it has been, which is a real answer to prayer! My energy levels are now back up and I’m back to being busy with lots of things.
The 75th party invites will be sent out soon! I’m sooooo excited about the party. It’s going to be so amazing to have everyone under the same roof together! Yippee! Please could you all email back with your postal address please? I would like to have all of your addresses anyway, but it would help for the sending out of invites too! If you know that you reeeeeally can’t come to the party (if you live on the other side of the world then ok, I can accept that!) I will send you an email invite anyway!
Just a reminder that it’s on the 17th July at 7:30 in Letchworth (nr Hitchin!)
The other invitation I would like to put out there is for the 5th June. Djerk has finished building his BBQ (pic attached!) and we would like to invite everyone to come to our place on Saturday 5th June from 5pm for a bring and share kinda deal. Please bring food to throw on the BBQ, to keep Djerk (and the men who will naturally gravitate to the shrine) busy… other food stuffs and a bottle of something. Would love to see you there! Please let me know if you fancy coming along, just so I have an idea of numbers. :o)
I hope you are all well.
Lots of love,
Hayley
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