Who am I?

My name is Rachel and I’m 37. I’m pretty much an ‘average Joe’ (sorry if I have offended any Joe’s I told you you had to be be careful when writing things down). I am married to Ste partner of 14 years and fortunate enough to have two beautiful children D & A (one of each). I live in a smallish town in Lancashire called Darwen where generally people know your business. It’s not quite like Heartbeat however, where there’s only one doctor and policeman who also happen to be married to each other and are also brother and sister. Darwen doesn’t have the best reputation it is know for having many takeaways and hairdressers along the main road and very little in the way of promising hopes and dreams (it’s definitely on the up though I promise). However now more than ever this is a place that I hold very close to my heart. See I grew up in this town and have been lucky enough to have lots of family and friends here too. I have many fond memories from my childhood through to current day and I am also lucky enough to still have some friendships that still stand the test of time more than thirty years on.

I have one older bossy, but loving sibling S who is three years my senior, my gorgeous nephew L and a fantastic mum and dad who also live nearby. In addition to this I have multiple Aunties, Uncles, Cousins and 1/2 Cousins, friends old and new all whom make Darwen such a special place in my heart. Now Ste hasn’t always lived in Darwen nor did he probably ever put it down as his life long ambition to live here yet 14 years after a encounter of ‘fate’ on a holiday to Ibiza here he is and hopefully it is a place where he too now calls home with friends and family. Our other extended family reside in the more Southern parts of the UK where a jellied eels and a knees up are a regular event at the weekend. I am extremely lucky to have such a large family with three sisters, two brothers in law, mother and father in law and such loving and caring niece and nephews. All these people have been so supportive through many times in the past including more recently after my diagnosis.

I am a Quantity Surveyor/Cost Manager something I have done now for over 18 years. Was it what I set out to do in life? Definitely not but it has got me where I am today and for that experience I am grateful for. I also have some great work friends and colleagues who have made this last few months a lot easier to deal with. In addition to work I also have a number of hobbies and interest some which I intend on sharing on this blog. I love exercise in particular lifting weights, going to the gym, boxing, I’m trying to love running, yoga and walking with my dog. In addition to exercise I have recently been getting into cooking and nutrition something which my husband says is getting pretty good. I love craft, making and designing things, being creative, photography, classic cars all of which I intend to spend more time on.

So I suppose in a nut shell that’s pretty much me. Am I perfect no, am I exciting no, but hopefully my words and experiences of an ‘average Joe’ who has been diagnosed with cancer are something which other ‘average Joe’s’ can relate to or find helpful in some way or form.