Cancermoon. I’ve never heard this word before, I’m not sure it even exists. It seems like the sort of thing I would make up and then try and pass off as fact. (Like the FACT that sugary drinks are actually good for me and anyone who tells you otherwise is part of a government conspiracy)

The FACT is a cancermoon is a holiday you are fully entitled to following a cancer diagnosis and before treatment starts. A chance to leave your cancer bubble and do something you may not otherwise get to do.

I’d had many holiday plans this year. My best friend usually comes over from Singapore (where we grew up) once a year and I rarely get the chance to go there. The last time I went was when she flew me and the kids over after I’d split up with my husband so she could give me a hug (everybody needs a friend like Sarah!) This year was the year I had saved enough money to go there again. I’d chosen the flights and was just finalising dates when the dreaded lump reared its ugly head. What a bastard this thing is. All holiday plans are now cancelled for the year until treatment is over. (Although the week after my diagnosis Sarah had booked her flights to come with me to chemo. I tell you now, get a friend like Sarah!)

With all traveling hopes up in the air (no pun intended), this week I had my Cancermoon. I only have one free week with no hospital/cancer related appointments before surgery (seriously this disease is so needy!) Unfortunately this week was also the last week of term. Luckily getting cancer counts as an extenuating circumstance and the school authorised me taking my children out. There are some plusses!

The plan was to take my kids to Disneyland, I wanted them to have great memories with mummy before she gets too sick. It is as much their Cancermoon as mine. I was also bringing my sister, both for moral support and to try and erase the memories she has of me from childhood (posting spiders under bathrooms door to her, telling her to throw polos at ceiling fans etc). Although I fear trying to do that may be fruitless now, I’m sure its all on a therapist’s record somewhere.

Disneyland, however, was not to be…. Emily’s passport had expired and the urgency of the trip meant we couldn’t get a replacement in time! So where is the one place in the UK that can play second fiddle to Disneyland? Cbeebies land of course! Mickey? Pah! who needs him?!

I looked up accommodation at the park (Alton Towers) and was just about to book a normal hotel room when a couple of little words caught my eye….luxury and hot tub. Whats this?! A luxury treehouse! yes please! If you can’t go all out on your cancermoon when can you?! And my holy boob was it worth it!

We arrived to our own VIP parking space, a special checking in area (no having to mingle with the healthy riff raff), taken down in a buggy and shown our luxury treehouse. It had a living room, a kichenette, two gorgeous bedrooms upstairs, two double bedrooms downstairs, and the piece de resistance…a hot tub on the veranda. Our host was amazing and all the finishing touches (twinkling fairy lights in the headboards, pixie doors throughout, metal branches as door handles, you name it they’d thought of it) made it a really magical place for both us and the kids.

We could have quite easily spent 4 days in the luxury treehouse and been happy as a pig in the proverbial. But there was the small issue of Cbeebies land, adrenaline filled rollercoasters, extraordinary golf and a waterpark just a stones throw away.

The kids loved cbeebies land (as did my adrenaline-phobic sister) and I loved the hard core rollercoasters like Smiler and Galactica! I get good use out of my Merlin Annual Pass and would happily spend all day every day on rollercoasters. Unfortunately they may be off limits for the next few months while my breasticles recover, so I was delighted to take temporary retirement in style!

All in all the 4 days were perfect and exactly what the Doctor ordered (well technically they were self-prescribed but Doctors should order them!)

One of my initial thoughts was a cancermoon was a chance to get away from cancer for a bit. But it turns out thats not possible. Trying to get away from cancer is a bit like trying to cure tooth decay by closing your mouth. You cant get away from something that is inherently a part of you. But even though I couldn’t get away from the Cancer the phrase “money can’t buy happiness, but i’d rather cry on a yacht than a bike” could not have been more true.

Having cancer in a hot tub, drinking prosecco and watching the chase after a hard day at a theme park is much more enjoyable than having it at home with housework to do!

So to everyone out there, lets make Cancermoon part of our vocabulary! Now please excuse me while I go and plan my recoverymoon