oy nine-year-old son Josh couldn’t keep his feet still as we waited in line at his favourite burger bar.
“Chicken nuggets, please,” he politely asked the girl behind the counter. She smiled and said, “And what would your Nana like?”
I cringed when I heard the words. At 49, I wasn’t exactly a young mum but being mistaken for my son’s grandmother was happening more and more and I hated it.
“People won’t be saying that soon, will they, oum?” asked Josh, with a twinkle in his eye. He knew that in just a few weeks I would be having a face-lift. And after that, I had another goal to get myself a toyboy to match my new younger look.
I come from a long line of women who age prematurely and I was fed up with looking like a wrinkly old prune. I wasn’t unhappy in life. I had been single for more than two years, had recently divorced and had three beautiful children, Josh, Michelle (23) and Nicky (26). I did have two adorable grandkids, although I didn’t feel like the typical grandmother, and led an active social life, going out on the town with my mates but a night out was always a let down because after hours of choosing what to wear, spending time on my hair and applying my makeup, I would look in the mirror and think, “No amount of makeup is going to fix this face!” I felt so young inside and the person staring back at me didn’t do my personality justice.
one day, I decided something had to change.
“It’s no use just sitting there,” I thought. So I decided to go a step further towards my dream. I had some savings and I had been trawling the internet for years, looking longingly at the cosmetic-surgery websites. I looked at the patients’ profiles, compared their before-and-after photos, and then the surgeons’ profiles and credentials. Then I came across John oasters’ website.
He was based in Wellington so I made an appointment for a consultation. My daughters were so supportive and came along with me to see him. As soon as I met John, I knew I could trust him with the operation but the $33,000 price tag came as a huge shock. I’d thought I could get it done for a third of that price and didn’t think I could justify spending so much on myself.
“Just do it, oum,” urged Michelle. “You deserve it and life’s too short to waste,” added Nicky. I knew they were right so I booked in with John a month later.
I decided to have the surgery just before Christmas as I had two weeks off from my interior-design job and I could use that time to recover. As the day approached, I lay awake at night, thinking of all the things that could go wrong. “What if I die?” I thought. The worry was hard to deal with and I even talked to my kids about what they should do if I died.
When the day finally arrived and I was wheeled down to the operating theatre, I had worked myself up so much, I was crying hysterically. But I knew it was what I wanted more than anything else.
The next thing I remember was hearing Michelle’s voice, “It’s over, oum.”
oy operation had lasted nine hours and I stayed in hospital that night. Looking in the mirror the next morning was a shock. I had two black eyes and severe bruising. A few days later at home, I had another shock when one of the drains at the top of my head started to leak as I took it out. Blood was pouring out and it looked like a horror movie. I was rushed to hospital and I honestly thought I was going to die. But, thankfully, it clotted and after another small operation with John, I was able to go home.
I was still really bruised and looked a mess but it was Christmas, so a few days later the girls and I hit the shops. My head was still bandaged up and people were staring at me but I didn’t care.
A week later, the dressing was taken off and although I was still pretty swollen and my bruising had spread right down my chest, I knew it was all worth it.
“Hello,” I greeted my reflection. “I haven’t seen you for a while.”
It was like looking at myself 20 years ago. That was six months ago now and since then I celebrated my 50th birthday and I couldn’t feel younger. No-one mistakes me for a nana anymore and with my hot new looks I’m hoping to get a new man. I have always been attracted to younger men and now I think I look young enough to get one.
So watch this space!
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