Tuesday
Feb 21st 2006PeterPost Hospital
It has been a quiet few days over the weekend. My parents came down to look after me at the weekend while Felicity was away, and a little more work was done on the conservatory footings, but Sunday was really wet down here, so not much progress was made! However yesterday was brighter and the base wall up to ground level is almost finished!
I was looking back through my diary yesterday - this time last year I had just returned from my first trip to the US for 2005 - and the first for some six months after the last self donated stem cell transplant in October 2004. I was at a meeting in London - little did I know then that 12 months on I would have been through another major procedure to ‘lick the lymphoma!’ I went on to do another 5 trips to the US up until July, when that particular project came to an end for me - a shame - I like Washington DC and made some good friends over there!
Talking of friends, I’m not sure if I have ever said how much I have valued the support I have been given over the last 6 years while I have been fighting the lymphoma. I have been particulary fortunate - one friend in particular visited me most days during my hospital stay in October 2004 when I was ging through a tough time after the radiotherapy (a change in personal circumstances meant that they weren’t able do the same this time - but I remain very grateful!) but the support I had this time was fantastic - and it really did make a difference to my recovery!
Where is this leading? Well, it became clear to me very early on that not everyone in my situation is as fortunate in having such a wide support network. A cancer diagnosis is a great shock, and emotional support both immediately after diagnosis and during the treatment phases is very important. Fortunately there is a charity, Leukaemia Care, that does provide emotional suport for patients and their carers; there is a link on the blogroll to their website. The reason I mention it is because I am a volunteer worker for the charity, and the support and strength I have received from all of you who have helped me, re-enforces my belief in the importance of charities like Leukaemia Care. Please take a moment to look at the site, and can I ask you to consider supporting it when you review your charitable donations for the year?
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