That Time of Year

It's exactly 4 years since I was whisked off to hospital and discovered I had kidney cancer. It's a weird one because as anniversaries go it's not a particularly pleasant one but at the same time it's unforgettable and stops me in my tracks.
It should be the time of year when I'd  be having my annual scan but due to my haphazard hospital record, scans have been missed, forgotten and therefore later each time. I received a letter telling me my next appointment would be April 24th, I've had this date for several months. It occurred to me recently though that a scan date hadn't come through so I phoned to check it out. I was told that the April date was a mistake and the consultant hadn't asked for me to be scanned until June and so my appointment will be moved back until the results are in.
This is totally understandable and really not an issue, I mean scans aren't something to look forward to anyway. Why then, when I put down the phone did my tears come? I think it's the need to know that everything is ok.
Four years is good going and so close to that 5 year goal that I don't want it to drag on, I want my reassurance at around the same time I have that anniversary. It's the time I can't avoid thinking about it so it'd be good to get the scan and annual check up over and done with.
On that fateful day 4 years ago I was blissfully unaware of the tumour lurking in my kidney and my wardrobe held very little by way of comfortable clothing - ever the fashionista. I can laugh now about my poor husband frantically searching for something suitable to put me in as I flat refused to go to hospital in my jimjams. The only trousers he could find with an elasticated waist also had a lining - Gwen Stefani obviously didn't design them with emergency department urgency in mind. As John attempted to ease me into them I was sliding around the laminate floor in agony, oh the memories...
Fast forward and I not only possess a large quantity of lycra clothing but I've also diversified from alternative fashion to designing and making active wear and I love it. In keeping with my new comfort driven wardrobe I've been doing yoga for the past 3 years, I run whenever I can and eat more healthily than I've ever done.
For me this is proof that cancer, although being an almighty bastard that sneaks up and takes the legs from under you, can sometimes lead to more positive life changes. I readily admit that I'm one of the lucky ones, although still on the radar awaiting the 4 year all clear I'll only have 12 more months left till the 5 year goal.
It's also steered me to another passion, writing. Early ambitions of becoming a journalist never materialised and I'd more or less given up until I became ill. The need to keep a diary led to this blog which in turn I'm now putting into book format. To help with this process I joined a writing group and have been churning out short stories and poems ever since, who'd have thought?!
Cancer in a bizarre twist has given me a new lease of life, one where I'm finding real purpose in my work and being able to express myself through writing. It's also failed to take away my sense of humour and to mark this auspicious anniversary I chose those Gwen Stefani trousers to wear today. We've come a long way together and I reckon I'm prepared for anything now.

Continuity

I've faffed around with this blog for a while now. It's had about three different names and started as a Wordpress site before moving in with my other blog An Unfashionable Cancer here on Blogger.
There are numerous reasons why I've struggled to keep this blog consistent, most notably the fact that my business has altered significantly since I started to write about it. Even now the transition from pop and vintage to pop and fitness is far from complete. One thing I am relieved about is that I kept my business name, Missfit which will be around for the duration now.
Having so many different parts to my business had begun to complicate things a long while back which is why I decided to sell the stock as a whole two years ago.  A blank canvas was the perfect place to start afresh.
My website  however remains the same - apart from the fact I'd cleared the shop of everything, the look does not reflect my new direction. The next step will be to repopulate the website with my new fitness designs and to achieve that I need imagery. Here lies my next dilemma, as I began making new designs they started to sell, fantastic for business but not when you need to gather several pieces to photograph.
I'm almost ready now, most pieces are all sewn up, I've enlisted the help of fashion photographer Ali Lomas and the models are good to go. Once all the images are ready they'll be heading to Justin Robert Price for him to work his creative wizardry ready for publication to my website.
At this point I've taken a step back to have a good look at what is currently representing Missfit Creations. Apart from the Facebook page which I deleted nearly 4 years ago (I'm still not sure why or whether this was a wise move) there are a few social media accounts attached to my brand. Pinterest, Twitter and Instagram all have the header MissfitCreates with Google+ linked to me personally along with LinkedIn. It therefore makes sense to rename this blog Missfit Creates so that it's hopefully easier to find and associate with the rest of my business media accounts.
The content will invariably differ as I intend to blog about everyday life within my business and that changes daily. Having everything under the same banner though will at least give continuity to both my writing and the brand.