March 2020 shook the world. The COVID19 outbreak was no longer confined to China, Italy and UK COVID deaths sky rocketed and the disease truly became a global pandemic. We had just arrived back from an epic trip to Norway and Scotland, barely beating the disease back to Australia as country borders began to slam closed.
That month our little world shook too, but due to a different disease. The cancer for which I had been receiving treatment since late 2017 had resisted radiation (twice), chemotherapy (twice), immunotherapy and had evaded the surgeon’s knife. We learnt that a cure was no longer achievable and I was placed on a palliative treatment regimen of immunotherapy until it lost effectiveness, and since that time a chemotherapy program that sees me spending three Mondays out of four with a machine pumping a variety of drugs into my arm.
Until this time we had both been working, albeit dropping back to part time in order to fit in various treatments and tests. As we grappled with the uncertainty of this news we agreed that time was worth infinitely more than what we were earning, so after taking stock and rearranging things we quit work altogether.
Through all of this I was regularly disappearing with my swag on top of the Cruiser, exploring local National Parks and following any dirt track I could find on Hema maps. Although not on any prescription I considered some vitamin tree to be an important part of my cancer treatment so I partook as often as I could, and when not doing that I was laying in or under the Landcruiser modifying it for the next trip. I would come back from these trips brimming with stories to share and photos to show Suzzanne my exploits, but wishing I could share the experiences in the moment.
So, sitting in the hospital waiting room a plan was hatched – we’d buy a camper trailer and start overlanding as a duo, we’d become the Travelling Two!
Next blog – search for the perfect camper trailer…