Our journey began
last Thursday when we dropped Sebastian at school and hugged him goodbye. Emotions held back until we bid goodbye to
Mark's family and boarded our plane to Sydney.
We were a little apprehensive and yet confident that we had made the
right choices and we were about to embark on a special adventure..
Once we touched
down, we used public transport to get to the CBD and then out to North
Sydney. At Chatswood station, our
"Airbnb" hosts picked us up and took us to their amazing home. It was a long journey, but we made it and we
were pleased and proud of our achievements.
The next morning our
hosts cooked us a special breakfast and then took us directly to the Chinese
Doctor, waited over an hour for us to be finished and then brought us home
again. We couldn’t believe just how generous these wonderful people where to
us. The appointment went well and a
treatment plan was arranged and the acupuncture started. Mark also had a session with the Chinese
Physiotherapist who taught him some Chi Gong which he is to do twice a day to
help move blood and lymph around the body as well as stimulate the immune
system in between treatments.
Another two treatments were completed before
we left Sydney to head to the countryside, in the direction of Canberra, to
begin our "Quest for Life" retreat/workshop. By now we had begun getting quite comfortable
with using the public transport system as our hosts couldn’t possibly take us
to every appointment. We purchased
prepaid cards and felt comfortable getting around, especially when using
"phone apps" that map out the routes and provide up to date
timetables.
The train ride to
Bundanoon was peaceful, smooth and very
enjoyable. We ate our lunch, read books
and the two hour ride flew by. Again we
were picked up at the station and taken to the retreat, which was literally
only 100 metres away. I had felt anxious
all day and once arriving at the retreat, my anxiety levels peaked and I wanted
to run away.
We were shown to our
room and left to settle in, the program starting in 2 hours. I couldn’t explain why I felt so
uncomfortable, but somehow I felt overwhelmed with uncontrollable emotion.
Words can't explain
the experience we had at Bundanoon, but I can say that layers of ourselves were
slowly peeled away and we uncovered our true selves. We shared a special bond with the most
amazing people and we learned how to love and trust in ourselves. We learnt
about the physiology of the body and how we can make positive changes to the
chemistry in our body through meditation and living in the present. This week has been one of those pivotal
moments you have in life. A time when
you are faced with a crossroad and you choose the path you wish to take and
commit to it. Life will be different now
and it will take work, dedication and commitment, but the result is and will
continue to be rewarding, fulfilling and give peace to what would otherwise be
a traumatic time.
We now feel so
happy, so fulfilled and ready to face whatever comes next. Mark has been so very well the entire time we
have been away. He has been sleeping well, sometimes better than me and every
day has been a mini marathon either physically or emotionally, but he has
handled it all with smiles, enthusiasm
and optimism. And now, we just
want to get home and hug our boy until we all fall down…and then hug him some
more. He has faced his own challenges,
but just like his father, he has handled them with the grace of a boy far
greater than his years.
The future now looks
different, regardless of diagnosis and we will continue this journey in the
knowledge that every day is special and every day is a gift.
If you would like to know more about Quest for Life and the incredible work they do, or you would like to make a donation, please visit; http://www.questforlife.com.au/
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