Back from holiday

Um, ok, been a bit quiet on here for a couple of months. A couple of months….I’m not quite sure how that happened. Partly it was to do with tech problems – wifi, computer running slow, phone playing up. All the various devices which can be used one by one went through hissy fits.

And then it was being busy.

And then it was our holiday.

But we’re back now. And fighting fit. And so we should be – Cal, Chris and I have just canoed 70 km along the Dordogne river, interspersed with lots of walking and food and drink. So despite being probably the most active holiday we’ve ever had as well as being great fun, we’ve also probably consumed the most calories ever. Meanwhile, Sylv sunned herself in Dubai. Because it was hot.

I’m just gathering thoughts for how to raise another £1500 for TKOE to mark 5 years in Sept and also because that way TKOE and Team Kilburn will have raised £50k. So in these hazy restful days of summer, have you got anything to suggest??

Because cancer carries on and people carry on needing help and support. 🙂 🙂

It’s good to be back.

Jo xx

Rosie – not forgotten

Hah! Thank you for the response to the Junior Doctors post. I’ve had a massive response and it’s good to know it’s struck a chord.  The thing is, this is our NHS. We all fund it and have a stake in it. It’s worth showing our support and lobbying where we can.

Now then, surprises are lovely things. These last few weeks there have been a lot of Rosie memories and mentions from all sorts of quarters. A particularly excellent contact came yesterday though from Peter Branson who is the Chief Executive ( is that his title? He’s Very Important, anyway.) of Forget Me Not Childrens Hospice in Yorkshire.

Rosie was very proud of her Yorkshire roots – she was born there and was half Yorkshire. And there is a glass brick in the hospice celebrating Rosie after some TKOE fundraising. Peter showed us round some time ago, but I never expected to get this – what follows are his own words:

“Hi Jo

I hope you and the family are well. It has been a very long time since I have been in touch, but I wanted to drop you a quick email. I have meant to for a while but something prompted me to do so now, as I will explain below.

I often think about something you said a long time ago about Rosie – that one of her fears was that she would be forgotten. I just wanted to let you know that in this small corner of Yorkshire her memory is still very much alive. The block in our Celebration Wall with her words on still shines brightly – and whenever I am showing the wall to anyone I always mention Rosie. But as well as that I thought I would let you know that her name is going to be mentioned next Monday somewhere special. You may have seen that a couple of years ago Princess Beatrice became our Patron – on Monday she is hosting a small lunch at Buckingham Palace for us (only the 2nd one she has done) and I am planning to mention Rosie in the speech I am giving at the event. I didn’t know her so I won’t be saying much about her, but I will be mentioning her briefly – and I thought I would let you know ”

Isnt that just so thoughtful and unexpected and well, just , heart-warming? So, a public thank you to Peter. I hope Monday goes well.

😀😀😀

Jo

 

 

 

Junior doctors

I’ve wanted to write in support of junior doctors for a while. Then yesterday Facebook kindly shared memories of 14th Feb over several years.  This included Rosie having her first internal bleed. Very romantic. So I read her blog for those days. And it reminded me

of the very sweet junior doctor in A and E. Who kept Rosie calm and interested. Who arranged tea and toast for me, at which point I knew this was pretty serious. Who patiently organised a bed on a ward. Who dealt with many more people. And who, several days later, came to find Rosie to see how she was, because she had been so worried about her. Who said hospital was no place for a young girl like Rosie, even though she was not much older herself.

Of the junior doctor who made the call on the night of Rosie’s biggest bleed that whilst she was terminally ill, she was only 19 and it was worth fighting for her to have a bit longer.

Of the junior doctors who answered that call and came in with the consultant that Sunday night, who were so eager and keen to do what they could. Who made Rosie laugh and told her what they’d really like to be doing at 3.00 am in the morning.

Of the junior doctor who was on duty the night Rosie died. Who treated us with such compassion. Who decided Rosie shouldn’t be hooked up to machines for her last hours. Who wept when she had to confirm there was no longer a heart beat.

At the time, it hadn’t really registered that they were junior doctors. But they were. All of them working in those death/life early morning hours, always on a weekend. Taking decisions which gave us those wonderful extra weeks with Rosie, and creating a place where Rosie felt safest. Not at home, but surrounded by people around the age she would be now.

Don’t you think the jobs they do, and the decisions they make are worth more pay than they would earn in a supermarket? Don’t you think they deserve all of us to nurture them and to make their working life as safe as it can be, so they can give the best treatment they can? Don’t you think the government should listen? I know I do.

Jo xx

 

Fundraising dog

The question is, how much can the TKOE puppy fund raise? As she is high in the cute stakes the most phenomenal number of people stop to stroke her. We counted about 40 people over the weekend, ranging from 2 to about 90 years old. Perhaps we should charge a charity donation for strokes. Or enter her for cutest puppy dog shows and pay any prizes to TKOE. Perhaps. 

And yes, it is four years since the TKOE art auction.

 

Jo xx

Edited with BlogPad Pro

Is it?

Wet enough for you?

Windy enough for you?

I know it’s winter and all that, and that last year we had all that terrible snow and ice in November. But really. Cal is very disgruntled because his swimming was cancelled because of flooding. Now, I’d have thought flooding was a bonus when going swimming. But no.

Sylv is watching Friends, because that’s what you do on days like this. Chris is outside doing something with logs, because he figures we’ll be huddling round the fire tonight.

The cats are bored because they are too cool to go out in the rain. So the kittens are tumbling around the floor, fighting, whilst the big ones sit on chairs and window sills watching them in a faintly irritated way. Last night one of them tumbled off a table next to the sofa and got jammed in between the two, upside down. He got out, eventually.

I’ve just come puddle-leaping back from the bank. Yes. With a solid load of help from our friends at Newent Community School, and from some more Zumbathon monies, we now are within £1582 of the £20k challenge.

I scared myself this week that maybe I’d been adding up and taking away wrong. But I havn’t. So do you think we can raise £1582 in  – just let me count up, oh, the  calendar is still in Sept because Cal isn’t here to notice it’s the wrong month, just a minute. . . – 40 days. That’s £39.55 per day. We should be able to do that shouldn’t we??

Because we managed to beat our bloodometer target which is now at 40. Yay for Andrea for rounding it up. So I think we shall. 🙂 🙂 🙂

Jo xx

I’ve been absent and I’m sorry :(

But have had a busy few days!

Saw Eddie Izzard yesterday! It was a thank you to Alex for offering her liver to me :). He was funny but I gotta say..not the funniest I’ve seen him :/. Was still worth seeing though..although I can’t remember any of the jokes or anything.. Err..? I like his joke about brown bread best though – I cant remember which dvd that’s on.

I think I’m going to get well into furniture reinvention – It’s on my CV and everything baha! I have a great idea for wooden chairs; you can get them for like £10 for 6 and I have an idea..But I’m not gonna tell you because you might steal my idea! Ahaha :). Still haven’t done anything more on my other chair yet because it’s been raining so I haven’t been able to spray it 😦 Will try to.

I went and handed my CV into GAP, Thorntons, Cadburys, Trespass and Hush Puppies today. Thats where the jobs are at the quays. I think Jenn (my Tesco boss) is worried about losing me because I told her I put her down as a reference and she started talking about all these extra shifts I could take at work.. I did tell her I wasn’t leaving.. Ooo she must like me if she’s getting worried! Nice!

I’m trying to save monies so that we can rent next year – I don’t know how likely it’s looking. I’m well up for it but I want to get a nice amount before hand so that I’m comfortable and not worried about getting in debt :). Sensible I reckon.

Does anyone have any old dominos they don’t want? Send them to me? I’ll pay :). It’s for TKOE (The Knock on Effect).

One of my chemo drugs is red apparently!

Early start again..

But I had a surprisingly better nights sleep last night. Am in horrible pain this morning 😦 Not fun. They gave me soluble tramadol..which was really like nothing i had ever tasted before end nothing i ever want to taste again..I nearly threw up.

So the woman next to me isn’t wearing any underwear this morning. I, however, am because they took my catheter out – so now I have to actually walk to the toilet 😦 bad times.

You guys best not be getting used to this 20 posts a day thing because I am going to start having a life again eventually..just to warn you yano.

Jolly old Anne is gloating about her bird..i.e bloody annoying noisy bed.

Why do pain killers taste so horrible? If they were nicer then I wouldnt mind taking them so much 😦 and if I could take pills then there wouldnt be a problem at all!! Pah.

Am seeing Toby todayyyy :)!

I’ll check in later.

Where is my anti-sickness??

Feeling rather ill now..but clean – had a nice wash and cleaned my teeth etc.

Time is going very fast today but nothing much has happened to talk about.. I got a clean bed and worked out that this is my 7th time in hospital..wait no it must be 8th time because I forgot bout hereford..did i go in there twice?? might even be m 9th or 10th.. I’ll ask mum later 🙂

Mum is cocky today because shes going to the Grand Designs show at the NEC/NIA (wherever) and thinks shes gonna meet Kevin McCloud..I told them to sell him a tshirt.

I reckon the new guy two beds over thinks he’s getting special treatment because they changed his bed whilst he was still in it… I’ve been there sonny jim.

Laters, i got injections to have.

Every couple of hours

I have to go for a walk..to get my wind circulating. How lovely.

Its blogging galore today 🙂

Stupid doctor

scorned at me because I told her I couldnt take pills.. Eugh. Its okay though because I outsmarted her by showing that I already knew what they were gonna do with my tubes today baha – big win!