2022…a recap, and plans for 2023
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
The older you get, the quicker time seems to fly by. And this past year has certainly rattled through at a mighty pace!
I’m not going to overplay my hand here; you know me, I don’t like to go on and on about the fact that I’m not a well man; but 2022 was my first full year of treatment. There have been a few different side effects, my thyroid mainly, but I can’t really complain. I can feel tired sometimes, I’ve put on weight, migraines hit me more regularly and my joints ache (particularly my knees). But, I’m a chubby 48-year-old, so all of those symptoms can be put down to that too, I suppose.
It has been nearly two years since this whole…journey…started. My scheduled CT scan that found the anomaly in my lymph nodes was carried out in January 2021. A lot has happened since then, although it barely seems like five minutes ago.
A lot has happened…
I think about that little statement and I feel a bit stupid, to be honest. Relatively speaking, I am not desperately ill. My life hasn’t changed apart from the trips to the hospital for treatment, scans and blood tests. I can still do everything that I want to do; my only limitations being that I’m old and fat.
Whenever I’m at the Headland Unit for treatment, seeing the other inpatients, I feel like a bit of a fraud. Yes, I know the situation that I’m in, but if you didn’t know I just look like a fat bloke with fetish for women in nurses uniforms and the smell of disinfectant.
My treatment is now every six weeks, and if all goes to plan, I can be in an out within ninety minutes. Most of the time I can be waiting a while before I am called through, but that really isn’t a hardship that I can complain about.
There are people on the ward that are infused over hours at a time, for days on end. They experience a wide range of side effects that take away their appetite and strength. They can lose their hair, their skin can be affected, mouth sores, neuropathy.
My aching joints, headaches and niggles aren’t so bad really.
My CT scans since starting treatment have also shown that the dodgy lymph nodes have shrunk slightly and remained stable; so, contrary to what Richard Ashcroft once said, thankfully the drugs do work.
All in all, health wise, things are pretty good. And long may it continue.
A Year of A Goldstitch Christmas
So, for those who haven’t been with us from the start, here’s a brief history to fill you in.
After the scans and tests of 2021, and then discovering that the cancer had returned, we decided that we wanted to do something positive. And, as a fan of Christmastime, I thought that doing something around the festive season would be perfect.
We set up a JustGiving page and hoped to raise a little bit of money to be able to donate to a local foodbank, or put together a few Christmas hampers to help with dinner on the big day. Within just a few weeks, the generosity of friends, family and colleagues blew us away, helping us smash our initial target.
We managed to raise more than £3000 in cash and donations, with help also coming from local businesses who donated toys, packaging for the hampers, books and shopping vouchers. We put together around 50 hampers, hundreds of toys and games for local families and the childrens ward at the Royal Cornwall Hospital, festive goodies for the staff on the cancer treatment wards, selection boxes for Hayle Foodbank and a donation into St Petrocs.
We were really pleased that we were able to support so many people, and the kindness and generosity of our family and friends, local businesses and complete strangers who donated too, is appreciated more than I can ever properly express. I am truly grateful.
Before I go into the 2022 fundraising, maybe I should explain quickly how we came up with the name, A Goldstitch Christmas.
As I’ve mentioned, and as Cornwall Live recently stated “David Gold really loves Christmas”, I really love Christmas. There’s a certain magic around the season that only comes at this time of year. I love the Christmas decorations, Christmas music, films and television specials. I love almost everything about Christmas.
I wanted to come up with a catchy name for our fundraising and toyed with a few different ideas.
There are certain rules when it comes to Christmas films. They must be Christmassy, cheesy and sentimental. Humour, drama or action would be a bonus. Some of the best are produced by Hallmark and have titles such as, Christmas at Reindeer Lodge, A Town called Mistletoe or A Christmas Proposal. They usually star the same ensemble cast, with similar storylines, but are exactly what you want from a Christmas movie on a cold winters afternoon.
My old pals back in Birmingham used to call me Goldstitch (amongst other less family friendly names) and so when I created my Facebook page when I was first diagnosed in 2018 I called it, Goldstitch: The Year of the Bowl. So, for the sequel I thought I’d incorporate it again. After some deliberation, A Goldstitch Christmas, came to me. It sounded as though it could’ve been a Hallmark Christmas film. It had a nice little ring to it, I thought. And so, A Goldstitch Christmas was born.
The plan was always to continue to raise funds and make Christmas the focal point and we have been lucky to have been supported generously again.
In July, Hayle Football Club, gave us the opportunity to be involved with their annual pre-season game between their Over 30’s and Under 30’s players. All of the money raised from ticket sales came to us and we received a number of donations of raffle prizes from local companies which helped us reach the grand total of £400 for the day.
Friends at work arranged for a Halloween day, paying a small fee to come in fancy dress. We also had our top bakers selling cakes and biscuits which all helped to raise around £150 for us. And those same friends and colleagues in the Tolvaddon office donated toiletries, gloves and more for us to take in to the St Petrocs charity for the homeless just before Christmas. In total, more than 300 items.
Our new JustGiving page and many other generous cash donations helped us to push the total for 2022 to over £1700, which we think is fantastic considering the state of the economy and how we are all struggling to pay our bills at the moment.
So, who has benefitted from your generosity this year? As mentioned, we delivered into St Petrocs a few weeks ago and we were told that those items would be put to immediate use. We took seven sacks full of Christmas gifts and selection boxes into the Royal Cornwall Hospital, on behalf of Santa (obviously), and gave shopping vouchers for Hayle Foodbank to distribute as well as some other vouchers that were sent out as Secret Santa gifts too.
The aim of our fundraising is to try and help put a smile on the face of people who may need a little extra support in these tough times. Although I watch the news, I never really knew the extent of the problems that communities up and down the country face. It is also extremely heart-warming to know that there are so many foodbanks, organisations, businesses and individuals that are willing to help those who find themselves in a tough spot.
I put a post out on our social media a week or two ago after realising that in just over 12 months (together with the £400 that we raised in 2018) you have helped A Goldstitch Christmas raise over £5000 in cash and donations. It’s a fantastic amount an without your generosity, none of this would have been possible.
So, thank you to everybody who has donated cash or items for our collections, bought raffle tickets, baked cakes, offered raffle prizes, or liked and shared our posts. I honestly can’t thank you enough.
New Year, new me?
I’ve never been a big fan of New Year resolutions. They’re not legally binding for a start, and they’re easily broken. Unless you are ready to stop drinking so much, or lose weight, or start exercising more, it doesn’t really matter if you make a New Year resolution or not. If you’re not ready, or the will power to make the change is not fully charged, you will back to your old ways before the end of the first week of Jan.
If you want to be a new version of yourself, why wait until the New Year? Why can’t it be…New Week, New Me?
We’re a funny old species really. If we want to start exercising more or going to the gym we’ll say, we’ll start on Monday. If we want to start a new healthy diet, we’ll start it on Monday. And if something happens that means that we can’t start ‘it’ on Monday, do we put it off for 24 hours? No. We schedule the new start date for the following Monday.
I’m as guilty as anybody for this, my will power is not always solid.
Announcing a New Year resolution to the world of Facebook also puts a lot of pressure on you and, depending on your personality, this can sometimes be the worst thing to do. Other people see it as encouragement, or an extra incentive to follow through on the promises made to the Gods of the New Year. But, my advice, if you’d like it…don’t make resolutions. If you want to make a change, or do something differently, just do it. Don’t wait, just do it.
Plans for 2023
The start of year is a good time to make some plans or set a few goals to aim for. Like New Year resolutions though, it’s a time to be realistic and set yourself up for immediate failure. However, if you do make plans, or set goals, see it as a suggestion rather than a blueprint. Use it as a starting point that can be changed if necessary, amended as required. Don’t commit to any timescales, unless it’s plans for Valentines Day, birthdays or Christmas.
So, with that in mind, these are my goals for 2023.
• Continue to be the top man, head honcho at home. Maintaining the love and respect of my family and always being on hand to provide help and advice when I am called upon.
• Increase likes and follows on the A Goldstitch Christmas website and social media.
• Continue fundraising throughout the year by arranging:
o Sponsored events
o Raffles
o Other unspecified events (Music? Comedy?)
• Charity football match (if Hayle FC are up for it)
• Post weekly blogs
• Delve into the world of podcasting fully
• Get in contact with some legends and either meet them in person or beg and plead for a video message for our social media. Top targets will be the Christmas triumvirate of:
o Roy Wood
o Noddy Holder
o Shakin Stevens
• Investigate the possibility of extending the reach of A Goldstitch Christmas to other areas. Can it be scaled up?
• Get the merch on the website!
So, there we are. The plans for A Goldstitch Christmas in 2023. Ultimately we want to raise as much money, and receive as many donations as possible, so that we can help as many people as we can.
If anybody would like to offer any suggestions on how we can raise more money, or have any thoughts on possible sponsored events we’d love to hear from you. If you are a business who would like to provide any sponsorship, raffle prizes or support us in any way at all, please get in touch.
Thanks again for all of your support in 2022, and we wish you a happy and healthy 2023!
