Well, it’s certainly been a wild few weeks for us.
For those who have been following along, you’ll know that Craig was recently diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. What followed has been a pretty intense 3½ weeks in hospital, involving four separate procedures to get everything under control and, thankfully, get Craig to a point where the doctors can now move forward with the next big step.
And that next step is a big one.
Surgery Day — 24 August
On 24 August, Craig will head into major surgery to remove the tumour.
It’s obviously a daunting prospect, and there’s still a long road ahead of us, but getting to this point is something we’re genuinely grateful for. The procedures over the past few weeks have been challenging, but they have done what they needed to do and have allowed the surgical team to get Craig ready for this next stage.
The surgery itself will be significant, and afterwards comes a pretty tough period of recovery. We’re expecting the first few weeks to be very much about healing, resting and taking things one day at a time.
And then… chemotherapy.
Once Craig has recovered sufficiently from surgery, he’ll begin a rather full-on course of chemotherapy over the following few months. So, as you can imagine, life is going to look very different for us for quite a while.
What Does This Mean For NLM Events?
The simple answer is that NLM Events will be taking a break while we concentrate on Craig and his recovery.
This wasn’t a decision we made lightly.
We absolutely love what we do. We love putting these events together, seeing everyone arrive with their nervous smiles, watching strangers become friends, and seeing the amazing connections that happen throughout the night.
Most of all, we’ve been incredibly lucky to meet so many wonderful people through the lifestyle.
But right now, our priorities have changed.
There are hospital appointments, surgery, recovery, chemotherapy and everything that comes with supporting Craig through this. It is going to take pretty much all of our energy for the foreseeable future, and we need to give ourselves permission to focus on that without worrying about when the next event should be planned.
A Huge Thank You
We also want to say a massive thank you to everyone who has reached out, sent messages, checked in, offered support or simply let us know that you’re thinking of us.
It genuinely means a lot.
The lifestyle community has given us some pretty incredible friendships over the years, and the kindness we’ve experienced since sharing Craig’s diagnosis has reminded us just how special this community can be.
We’re not disappearing. We’re just taking a rather unexpected detour.
For now, we’re concentrating on getting Craig through surgery, getting him home, getting him stronger and then tackling the chemotherapy one step at a time.
We’re hopeful. We’re realistic. We’re a little scared. And, as usual, we’ll probably have a bit of inappropriate humour along the way because that’s how we cope!
We’ll keep everyone updated when we can, although there may be times when we go a little quiet while we concentrate on getting through the next hurdle.
Until Then…
There will be no NLM Events for the foreseeable future, but we hope there will be plenty more stories, laughs, friendships and dance floors waiting for us when we’re ready to come back.
For now, we’d love you all to raise a glass for us on 24 August and send some good vibes Craig’s way.
He’s got a big fight ahead of him.
And we’re going into it together.
Much love,
Craig & Mish ❤️
And yes… Craig has already been warned that recovering from major surgery does not mean he gets to boss Mish around, in fact, it will be quite the opposite! We’re negotiating the terms and conditions.
Praying for you.
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