[Chirley]

Hi,

I didn't get to go to see the Eagles tribute band. My friend rang half an hour before she was going to pick me up. She had just received a phone call telling her that her brother who has metastatic bowel cancer had been admitted to hospital and wasn't expected to last the night.

You know how some people just have ongoing dramas through no fault of their own? Margaret has 4 brothers. She is the legal guardian for her intellectually and physically disabled brother. He lives in a group home in Sydney and she lives in Brisbane. He has had major problems with his legs and has had to have multiple surgeries on his legs and he also got MRSA in his wounds. Margaret has to fly to Sydney to attend her brothers hospital appointments and stay with him while he's an inpatient. Also, all of her other brothers have had bowel cancer and had to have follow up chemo. She is the only girl in the family so when her Mum got sick and subsequently passed away, the whole responsibility for coordinating care etc fell on her. Her daughter has developed mental health issues, recently separated from her husband and isn't coping, so Margaret has stepped in and been looking after her Grandson 3 weekends out of 4. She also works full-time shift work in the operating theatre, her husbands business went under and they lost their home and all their savings and still had debt. Her husband disappeared and she was left to pay off the debt. They have since divorced because she can't afford to keep supporting him. Within 2 months after their 37 year marriage ended, he had a Phillipino fiancé.

Makes me appreciate that my life is boring in comparison and I'm really grateful that she still has time to be loyal to her friends.