THE QUIRKY MEDIUM IN SPAIN. THE EX-PAT LIFE!
The ex-pat life!
Now Spain really is feeling like home. Rather than carrying on with so many posts from social media, I thought I would sum up what it’s really like moving to another Country. I have been set up as self employed (autonomo) now for 8 months and they don’t make it easy here for those who are working for themselves. Most people move here to retire, but as John and I are too young yet to receive our government pensions, one of us has to work, and that would be me then! My husband is hard of hearing so no-one will take him on as he can’t hear on the telephone. Also as I am now autonomo we can receive full health care and we are both covered. Neither of us knew at this time how critical this would be. But of course spirit did – and I am so glad I listened to them.
I had to build my ‘business’ up (oh how I hate to call it that…) from scratch, so I have been networking, advertising on Social Media and again spirit were so right when they said to me ‘Don’t worry – they will come’. And come they did. I haven’t been here long but already what I do is being passed on word of mouth and I am steadily building up my spiritual practice having met some fantastic people along the way.
We get caught up in the tradition of the place, such as the Easter parades during Semana Santa (Holy Week), to the heat of the summer, BBQ’s, and swimming in the pool to cool down from mega hot and muggy weather. You can hear fireworks going off in celebration but we don’t always know what for! As any excuse for a firework display here.
THE BIG C
We have made good friends, feel as if we are living the dream, and yet one of the biggest blows in life hit us with no remorse as John started to feel unwell. The doctor here said he had hemorrhoids and gave him medication for this when John explained it hurt to go to the toilet and he sometimes bled. I could see how tired my husband was getting, how grey his face started to look yet each time at the doctors he was prescribed more of the same cream that was absolutely no help whatsoever. John was now bleeding a lot, so off went to the doctor again with our friend who interpreted for us. I told the doctor that I insisted he saw a specialist as he is in a lot of pain and has no energy. The doctor looked at John’s pale face and finally agreed to send him to the hospital. That evening, my spirit guide said to me in meditation “Alison, you have to be very brave” and I knew what the outcome would be.
A date was given, and we went on the Friday to the hospital. John had a blood test and a scan straight away. On the Sunday, the hospital rang me and told us to arrive at the hospital the following morning. I asked if there was anything to worry about and she just said “You come for appointment. Ok?”. I just knew it wasn’t good, but even when you feel prepared, as we sat in a small office with an unsmiling female doctor on the Monday, nothing is worse than hearing the words “You have cancer”.
John was then given an urgent appointment with an Oncologist who told us the tumour was too big to operate, so he would have to have a few cycles of chemotherapy as well as radiotherapy every day, and so it began. He had an operation to fit a port into his chest for the chemotherapy line to be attached to, containing the bottle of chemotherapy liquid. This meant that he could be sent home rather than staying in hospital, but it was so uncomfortable for him. He had to go to bed with the line and bottle attached and couldn’t turn over.. The bottle was drained by the morning as the chemo had gone into his body and John was absolutely drained, too. For the next few days I had to watch him feeling lethargic, sickly, and feeling extremely unwell. Even so, every single day we had to travel to a different hospital for his radiotherapy, leaving at 6.30am.
During this horrendous time in our lives I was doing my best to be positive and upbeat with him as it helped John to plod on, and to to stay positive throughout. Every few weeks we have to go to yet another hospital for his nuclear scans to see if the tumour had started to reduce in size. After each scan and blood test we had an appointment to see the Oncologist who is lovely. Despite his illness John joked with her each time we were there, and she loved his positive attitude.
After a few weeks, John was burnt to cinders and he was in incredible pain. He had to sit on a soft doughnut cushion. Something he said he would never use! but it helps him sit down at least.
All we could do was take each day at a time. I gave John Reiki treatments which helped him feel calm and as upbeat as he could, and he said it did alleviate the pain somewhat. I had never prayed so hard and I had a vision of my my spirit team and guardian angel with their hands over their faces like omg, here she is again!.
A few weeks later I prayed so hard to them as by this time John was in literal agony. He couldn’t sit down, and was crying – to see my brave husband in so much pain was too much to bear and I knew something was drastically wrong when he said he wanted to die, as he couldn’t take any more.
We got an emergency appointment at the radiotherapy hospital and on our arrival I told the nurse that there was no way John could receive his treatment at that time. The nurse said they can’t break off the treatment half way through but she sought the advice of a specialist doctor who came in to examine John. She took one look and said “No radiotherapy today – you have a bad infection, no wonder you have been in such pain”. She went over what to do with me – how to apply the cream she prescribed with a spatula and she wanted to see him at the end of the following week to see if they could carry on with the treatment by then.
This was a massive set back in his treatment – and I prayed again to my spirit team and the angels asking for their healing, love and light. My message came that night when my main Spirit Guides showed me an image of them throwing John up in the air as if they were doing a ‘Bumpsadaisy’ with him’ – and they all had big smiles on their faces. I knew in that instant that he would pull through.
