Behind the Scenes: How ‘FixedWithGold’ was born.
There are many reasons I’ve chosen to write this blog. Because it’s my form of therapy - a cathartic experience where I can get out what I need to say without having to burden those who are already supporting us so much. To say the things that are easier to type than to speak? Possibly. But mainly, I’m writing this blog to give others who are going through something similar HOPE. To let them know that they are not alone, and as awful as it seems just now, there is light at the end of the tunnel, even though the tunnel feels bloody long at times. I spent a long time after Pete’s diagnosis wondering how other families deal with things like this, and for all there are great support sites out there, I wanted to hear it first hand from someone who had been through it. So if only one person reads this, and that one person is comforted that they are not alone, then this blog will have served its purpose. I also wanted to document this journey because it’s something I’m so proud of Pete for. How he’s coped with getting dealt one of life’s totally shit hands. How strong he is, and how much I love him. And how it’s made our little family stronger, and shown us how amazing our support network is. This is something I can only do because of the unconditional love and support of our family and friends. And for that, there will never be enough thank-yous.
The name Fixed with Gold came from an empathy card I’d ordered for Pete in the aftermath of his diagnosis. In Japan, they have something called Kintsugi, which literally means to repair something with gold. If pottery is broken, they repair it with a powdered gold paint, which makes the object unique and interesting looking. Their belief is that repair should be treated as a beautiful thing, and part of the history of the object. I’d like to think of our journey as being Fixed with Gold – what is happening just now won’t define us, but it is something we will look back on in years to come and we’ll understand that it’s a unique part of our family journey, something that may not be celebrated, but that will be appreciated for what it is, and its lessons never forgotten.
