Lorraine's Diary Year 2021

22 March 2021 - I Came Back

Between the years 2001 and 2007 I had been quite actively involved in many activities. I was learning to play with guitar the entire rock opera ‘Tommy’ by The Who which required regular practise; I was writing songs, both lyrics and music, for my two albums ‘Catharsis’ and ‘Out in the Country’; I was playing guitar in bands from the Evening Rhythm School and performing in concerts at various local venues; I was listening to The Who’s works of music and Pete Townshend’s solo works of music; I was providing feedback via handwritten letters and email to www.petetowndhend.com; and developing my own website using html. I had hoped that these favourite pastime interests of mine which I was engaging in as a therapy after experiencing a stress reaction from work would help to wean me back to work. Along with that I was handling family and domestic responsibilities at home, as well as taking courses and looking for employment. But my aspirations did not go as planned.

At the end of 2007, I decided to take a break from performing in concerts with the Evening Rhythm School. I was feeling extremely tired and I was experiencing excruciating side effects on my ears, making it difficult for me to hear and a feeling of ear numbness, from the high decibel levels while playing at band practise and at concerts. I was essentially hearing noise in my ears. By the end of July 2008, nine months had passed since band practise at the Rhythm Evening School. The side effects on my ears had disappeared.  Being interested in playing in a band once again, I had planned to either enrol again at the music school or find another band who especially liked rock ‘n’ roll music after the summer vacation was over.

But instead, I developed an extremely high fever and fainted a few times while at home. I made an appointment with the doctor, who initially prescribed me an antibiotic. But, it turned out that the antibiotics had no effect on my condition. It was not a bacterial infection, but a viral infection. I was keeling over and extremely sick. The doctor sent me to the emergency room. After weeks of diagnoses, mid autumn 2008,  the hospital staff finally diagnosed me. I had contracted  Hodgkin's disease lymphoma, a terminal illness if not treated. I spent the entire winter months of 2009 in and out of the hospital being treated with the brutal but life saving treatment of Chemotherapy. It was not pleasant, but I followed the doctor's prescription and the treatment saved me. I went to screening for 5 years afterwards, but there were no more signs of Hodgkin's disease lymphoma. I was cured, but suffered psychologically and emotionally.

I spent the following 12 years from 2008 onward without The Who’s music which I loved, without playing guitar which I loved, without playing in concerts, and essentially living like a hermit in my garden getting a lot of fresh air and physical exercise. I mostly only had appointments with doctors. In the year 2022 by the miracle of doctors and the coincidence of The Who on a 2 year tour in the USA and UK, I picked up my guitar and played just like yesterday. And you bet, I am playing guitar again along with The Who via streaming, only this time in my room.