After nearly a year with my freaky friend – Bennie, the stoma – was evicted. And for damages done to the property, his deposit was not refunded. Even after a two year period where the entire world went into lock down as a result of a pandemic and people seem to want to duel toContinue reading “Honesty On Living With An Ostomy”
Author Archives: Mel Norval
Little Anchor
We recently went to a jeweller to have my wedding ring cut off… a spell of dehydration caused some water retention that turned my fingies into nice pork sausages. The idea of cutting it caused me some heartache and anxiety, which is silly (I know). It was very uncomfortable and somewhat painful. We knew weContinue reading “Little Anchor”
An Impostor Among Us…
For the last couple of months I have been grappling with some pretty big self-doubts. Having survived and conquered the cancer mountain has left me feeling like I am operating in existential limbo. Everything has returned to a relative state of normalcy, but I no longer feel normal. With everything that changed, I don’t seemContinue reading “An Impostor Among Us…”
MY 2021 IN NUMBERS
2021 was a strange year for the world at large, and also for me personally – for non-Covid related reasons. We are nearing the end of the second month of 2022 and I am still daily processing everything that has happened since 08 December 2020. I’m on the other side of one of the biggestContinue reading “MY 2021 IN NUMBERS”
Little ones
Little hands, little feet Little people we’ll never have the chance to meet Kind smiles, kind tugs We’re counted out from a lifetime of hugs Never were, never will The futures we hoped for forever frozen still Ever mourning, ever enduring While the dreams for you start slowly obscuring Silently watching, silently aching For whatContinue reading “Little ones”
A Legacy
As human beings, I think anyway, we all have an inner need to leave a great legacy after we are gone. For some, their idea of a great legacy is being remembered by thousands for their accomplishments, while for others it’s just to make sure the ones they leave behind know that they were loved.Continue reading “A Legacy”
Regression to the mean
We’ve been in the eye of a pandemic for almost two years now. It significantly changed everything in a comically short amount of time, and everything seems to keep changing the more time passes. Even more strange for me, is that it has almost been a year since we found out I have cancer. AllContinue reading “Regression to the mean”
Early detection is key
September has always had a special place in my heart. Not only is it my birth month, but it is also the start of spring in South Africa. I am a winter person in my heart of hearts, but I adore the fresh beauty that comes with spring time. Nature is rebooted. Everything that layContinue reading “Early detection is key”
Tattoo
Tattoos are fascinating. They are a form of self-expression that helps to tell your story and show the world who you are, while also representing the artist’s unique talent. Hubby and I had a deal that we would get tattoos once I passed my postgrad diploma, which I did – but then the pandemic struckContinue reading “Tattoo”
Goodbye to those who never were
For as long as I can remember I have been on the see-saw of potential motherhood: hopping between being excited for one day becoming a mother and being too terrified to even want it. I am convinced that I would have been a good mom, in the sense that I would have been wholly committedContinue reading “Goodbye to those who never were”
Shattered Warrior 