Ashley's 40th

Happy 40th Birthday Ashley!! 

We had a great time at Ashley's 40th Pirate Birthday party yesterday! The pirate crew were in full swing and we had great fun and a fab BBQ...Thank You!

Ashley and Nicky have been amazing friends to us and we really appreciate all that they do for us....Thank You both so much!  Hope you both have a fabulous holiday in the States and we look forward to following your progress on your blog....

Andy's Visit

Andy, our pastor from church in Midleton came to visit for a couple of days this week.  We had a really good time with him and it was a real encouragement to us to have him here.  We got lots of chances to catch up and chat and to pray together and he was a huge help practically as well... Andy has a real talent for assembling flat pack furniture - even without the instructions!! Thank you so much to the church in Midleton for sending him over and to Andy for you willingness to come :)

I had my last radiotherapy on Thursday and all seemed to go well - it was tiring travelling in and out to London, especially for Dave who had to do all the driving! but we get a break now until the next chemo on Tuesday.

Radiotherapy usually takes at least 4 to 6 weeks to have an effect and can often get worse before it gets better but the results of the last radiotherapy were good so we will need to wait and see how this works.  At the moment I feel quite weak and tired and still have pain at night time, my walking hasn't improved that much but it varies from day to day.  But we've still been able to get out and about and do things so that's been good :)

A Very Special Day!

Today we had a visit from my Aunt & Uncle from Lisburn in Northern Ireland! We were so blown away that they travelled over especially to see us just for the day and we had such a lovely time catching up with them.

They stayed with my cousin in Bristol and we got to meet Sue for lunch as well...and a quick chance to see Lyla at the end of the day. Thank You so so much for such a special day and for all the effort you made to come and see us...it meant so much to us :-)

Radiotherapy has been going well and the hospital was kind enough to rearrange my appointments so that we could go in late yesterday afternoon for treatment and then first thing this morning so that we were able leave London early and get back to Swindon to meet Uncle Leslie & Auntie Grace.

We stayed in London last night and managed to tie it in with meeting Ralph for tea so its been a really lovely time catching up with friends and family. We are very blessed!

Out of Hospital

I was allowed home from my unexpected stay in hospital after breakfast, I had a comfortable night, and so far haven't had any side effects from yesterday's treatment :-). Thank You to the amazing nursing staff who looked after me so well.

We were amazed by how quickly this all happened yesterday and although it was a total whirlwind at the time it's great that it's over and done with so quickly and the treatment will be starting to work already. The consultant was hopeful that the gamma knife would improve the facial weakness but not certain if I will regain the hearing in my right ear. He said it's incredibly rare to find a tumour in the ear canal and of the thousands of tumours he's treated only a small handful have been in this area so it's difficult to know what the outcome will be.

We met up with some friends from the church in Swindon this evening and prayed together. It was a very special time and we are reminded again of the many many people, near and far, who continue to pray for us as we go through these difficult times. We are humbled and constantly amazed by all your love & support for us. Thank You!

Roger's Visit

Roger and Emma came to visit on Thursday and went back home yesterday - it was so good to see them and we had a great few days together.  We visited the outlet village, drove around Bath (too wet to get out and walk around!), went to ZaZa Bazaar in Bristol for an amazing meal, drove around Avebury and visited the bluebell woods in Marlborough.

I've now seen all my family in the last 4 weeks!!  It means so much that they all made such an effort to come over and visit and we've had really special times with everyone.  Thank you so much to all of you :)

Thank you too to Elaine for the fabulous lilies you sent up with Roger -  I love them!

Goodbye & Hello!

We had such a special weekend with all the family and lots of really lovely memories but it was tough to say goodbye to everyone yesterday morning :(

   

We are still stunned by the fact that Dad turned up and we are SO grateful to everyone for coming over to visit - especially with the long ferry trip and an early start for work and school this morning!

We've just returned from an overnight trip to Southampton where we had booked a cheap hotel deal back in December.  It turned out that our friends from Midleton, Mark & Bev were in Southampton for the weekend as well so we got to meet up with them this afternoon.

Cheers, Mark!

Enjoying the amazing weather on Southampton Common

We had a really lovely time together, sitting out enjoying the sunshine over a pub lunch and then chilling out in Southampton common.  Thank you SO much for taking the time to spend with us today...it was so good to catch up!

Speechless!

We got a lot more than we bargained for on Friday night when we went to meet Heather & Tommy & the girls!  Not only did they travel all the way over to see us but they brought my Dad as well!!  I was totally shocked to see him and still pinching myself that he's actually here!

Dad hasn't left Ireland since he came to see me in Spain 18 years ago and he vowed he'd never get on a plane again.  We've been trying to convince him to come over on the ferry for the last few years but I never imagined he would actually do it!

We've had a fantastic weekend and it's been so lovely to all be able to spend time together over the past 2 days.  We spent time around Swindon, went shopping, drove around the countryside, had some lovely meals, went to Eastnor Castle in Hereford (where Dad's brother used to work) and had a BBQ at Marilyn's this evening to celebrate Andrea's birthday today.  Happy Birthday Andrea!! 

To top it all off I got an amazing letter in the post on Friday afternoon - a report on my latest MRI scan which was sent to the Gamma Knife centre to review.  They said that compared to the Gamma Knife treatment on March 5th, the latest MRI showed a dramatic reduction in tumours and a significant response to treatment.  The best news we could have hoped for!!

Thank you SO so much to Bryce & Carolyn & family for the amazing tulips and chocolates you sent us yesterday....another wonderful surprise and reminder of what special, thoughtful & generous friends we have  :-)

Tommy, Heather, Lauren, Isabel & Leah

Best Pals... Dave & Leah

Friday Night!! 

Dad, Heather, Isabel & I at Eastnor

Grandad & Lauren! 

Visitors from Home

SO excited that Heather, Tommy and the girls are coming for the weekend!!  They should be on their way over on the ferry right now and we really can't wait to see them this evening :)

I haven't seen them since my quick trip home in February and Dave hasn't seen them since New Year so we are really looking forward to spending the weekend with them.  The weather here is amazing at the moment so hopefully we can get out and about and enjoy the sunshine over the bank holiday.

Wishing you all a great weekend as well :)

Latest Health Update

Thank you so much to everyone for the birthday wishes and all the texts, cards, mails over the weekend. After a really lovely Birthday weekend, we were back in London first thing on Monday morning for chemo.  Everything went well and we took the opportunity to detour via Wycliffe on the way back to see Russell, Katharine & Lowenna :)  We had a lovely time with them and it was great to see them again before they head off to Germany for the summer - Thank you for a lovely catch up & tea!! 

The good news is that the effects of the chemo seem to be much less the past two weeks.  They adjusted the dose very slightly but it seems to have made a huge difference and I haven't had any aches or pains or flu symptoms (so far).  I am taking quite a lot of steroids at the moment so that might be helping too :)  

As regards my leg, it seems to be getting stronger day by day and I have more sensation in my leg and foot.  I'm still walking with a stick but I'm getting around much easier now and although the progress is slow & sometimes frustrating it's great to see the improvement day by day.

The other issue I've been having is weakness on the right hand side of my face since I was admitted to hospital. The nerve controlling my eye, cheek & mouth movement seems to be affected so it's effecting my facial expressions (I can only smile on one side at the moment!!), my eating and my speech.  The good news is that nothing showed up on the brain MRI which can be causing this but it's a mystery as to why this is happening and it doesn't seem to be showing signs of improvement over the last couple of weeks... 

Visitors from Bath

We had some special visitors from Bath (and Swindon) yesterday!

Terry, Geraldine & Isaac

It was so lovely to see Terry, Geraldine & Isaac yesterday morning.... Isaac and I had a great time playing with his newly found space ship (a life size cardboard box!), which kept him entertained for hours!! And also doubled up as a bed when he got tired of flying to Mars, Mercury & Pluto :)

Space Travel is tiring work!

We had a great evening with Ashley & Nicky too - Thank you so much for the lovely meal and catch up :)

Another One Down :)

An early start this morning as we were back to the hospital in London for chemo at 8:30...seems like we're constantly there at the moment!  We normally go on Tuesdays but it was full this week so I was scheduled for Monday instead and we found that Mondays are surprisingly much quieter and calmer than the usual chaos on a Tuesday :)   All went well and we got back to Swindon by mid afternoon so I've just been resting up since then.

Great news is that Gordon has come through his surgery well and is stable & we continue to pray that he will have a good night and a quick & steady recovery over the next few days and weeks.

Special Friends

We are praying for our dear friends Gordon & Ruth Smyth today as Gordon faces heart surgery tomorrow.  Gordon & Ruth have been a huge encouragement to us over the past number of years and have prayed for us every day, faithfully follow the blog & encourage us with love and support. Please be assured of our constant love and prayers for you at this difficult time.  

Pictured with Gordon & Ruth last Christmas

As for me, I've been doing well since leaving hospital.  I haven't been in pain but still have a lot of numbness in my right leg and am not very mobile as yet.  I do feel that I'm getting stronger day by day and the physio exercises (below) are helping.  Progress is slow but I need to be patient and not overdo it... my achievement today was to be able to get up and down the stairs without a stick! 

It was lovely to be able to get out yesterday & sit in the garden in the amazing sunshine!!  It's great to see spring at last.....just two weeks ago I was wearing a fur coat! 

Visit from the Monkey Man!

 

I've been told I'm low in potassium and have been taking suppliments for the last few days, so under doctors orders we sent the monkey man on a mission to gather bananas this morning......which he did in style :-)

 

I had an even more special visit last night from Mary, who travelled up from Swindon to see me! We had a lovely time catching up and I so appreciate the effort she made to come. Thank You so much Mary!

 

Catching up with Mary :-)

 

My incredible husband, as always by my side!

 

Great news this afternoon is that nothing new showed up on my brain scan and the tumours seem to have shrunk from the last scan. They are sending the images to the Cromwell tomorrow morning (where I was treated from Gamma Knife) to double check but they don't think any further treatment is required at this stage.

 

I had my last radiotherapy this morning so I'm due to be discharged tomorrow morning at last!! They have been amazing here & I have been given the most incredible care but very much looking forward to going home :-)

 

The plan is to continue my chemotherapy from next Monday but in the meanwhile look forward to the break over the weekend!

Today's Escapades

 

It was really special to get to see Ralph yesterday evening as he's in London for work for a few days (sorry we didn't get a photo). Thank You so much for coming and for the flowers and a very special Thank You to Kalena for the beautiful card you made - your colourful drawings really brightened my day :-)

 

Hospital food? Today's lunch was Sirloin steak, tomato & grilled mushrooms! I'm definitely not going hungry in here and the food has been fabulous!

 

I am feeling stronger day by day & able to walk a bit more but it's still baby steps. I saw the occupational therapist this morning, sat out in the garden for a little while and this afternoon I've had radiotherapy and another brain MRI so it's been a busy day!

I just have one more radiotherapy session tomorrow and then I'm hoping they'll let me out on Thursday :-)

It's Me Again!

Deputy blog writer has been given a night off & I'm back to give you updates myself :-)

Thank you so much to my amazing hubby who has been keeping everyone continuously updated via blog, email, text, phone etc As always he has been the most incredible support to me and has hardly left my side for the last week - he continues to amaze me with his unconditional love & selfless care, especially at times like this.

I'm feeling good today, my pain has been really well controlled over the last few days and my leg feels stronger day by day. I've been practicing walking down the corridors & steps (with the aid of a stick) but it seems to be getting there slowly! It's hard to be believe that just over a week ago I was walking 2 miles and now struggle with a few meters! But the whole team here have been incredible, they got to the bottom of things very quickly & started treatment almost immediately.

It was so lovely to see so many people over the last few days. I was totally blown away to see Andrew & Orla walk through the door on Sat morning!! We had a very special weekend with them & I'm so thankful for the effort they made to come over!

 

It was great to see Russell, Katharine & Lowena yesterday afternoon & Lowena made a beautiful daffodil drawing with the Daffodowndilly poem...along with some beautiful dafs to go with the tulips Andrew & Orla brought. It really feels like Spring here now & the sun shines in my bedroom window first thing every morning :-)

This afternoon Paul came to visit and we had a very special time with him too. Thank you to everyone who sent cards & asked him to pass on their best wishes - once again we are humbled by the love, support & prayers from all our church friends in Swindon.

We just can't say Thank You enough to everyone who supports us in so many ways as we go through this rollercoaster journey, especially when the rollercoaster is heading downward... Just looking forward to travelling up the other side!!

Bring Me Sunshine

Another special day with dear family and friends. Andrew & Orla spent a second day with us before flying home late this evening. We took the opportunity for Sharon to leave the hospital for the first time in a week and venture across the road to sit in the sunshine and enjoy some fresh air.

We also had a visit from Russell, Katharine and Lowena and enjoyed a special time together. Thank You for making such an effort to pop in.

Healthwise, obviously some more walking today in between wheeled around. Other than first thing this morning, pain levels have also been very manageable. Back to radiotherapy tomorrow!

Both Sharon and I have received texts, emails and phone calls.... Sorry if we haven't replied yet. Thank You for your encouragement, love and support.

It's the end of a tough week, and looking back we are thankful to God for holding onto us in the middle of this situation and continue to trust Him for whatever the future may bring.

 

Great Weekend!

We had a great weekend with Charis and Claire!!  They had lots of different things planned, some were scuppered by the cold weather.....but we still have a great time together!  Afternoon Tea in Bath, Visit to the Jane Austen Museum, Trip to the Theatre Royal to see '39 Steps' and a visit to a local wildlife park to see butterflies, reptiles & meerkats, amongst others!

It was really lovely to see them for a few days and get to catch up properly :)  Thank you girls for all the chats, fun and laughs - it gave me such a great lift!!

And as an extra bonus we were even able to meet up with Ralph in London yesterday evening - it was so good to see you Ralph :)

We were back in London today for my second dose of chemo (Day 8).  It was a longer day as they were a bit short staffed this morning but we had stayed near Heathrow last night so thankfully we didn't have to get up at 5:30am this morning :)   I'll keep you updated on how I'm getting on with the side effects over the next few days as this was a very difficult one last time round.

Afternoon Tea in Bath

Visit to the Jane Austen Museum

Strolling around the centre of Bath

Comparing the Meerkats

Cork Girls Reunited!

It was SO good to see Charis & Claire yesterday!!  They braved the snow and blizzards on the way down from Birmingham and eventually made it to Swindon for 2:30am!  

We had a fabulous day together and we got to meet up with Russel, Katharine & Lowena who are just back from Sudan....It was amazing to see them again after so many years and to catch up with everything that has been going on in their lives.  Thank you all for a VERY special day :) 

It's snowing here again today so I'm not sure what the girls have planned for me?!

Another One Down!

We're just back from London for my 4th chemo session.  I tolerated the Ice Cap quite well this time and we're hoping that the side effects from the drugs won't kick in too strongly this time round.  The chemo is given as a divided dose - Day 1 (today) & Day 8 (next Tuesday) and the last time round I really suffered after Day 8.  They have decided not to reduce the dose and will monitor how I respond both this week and next week before making any further decisions.

In the meanwhile I'm SO looking forward to Charis & Claire visiting at the weekend....it's lovely to have something nice to work towards :)

PS.  Congratulations to Steve & Ruth who not only made it all the way round 26 miles in Rome - they both did it in a Personal Best time! Well Done!

Hello From Switzerland

No prizes for guessing that we made it to Switzerland and are delighted to be staying with Paul, Pämi, Alisha, Luana and Celina!

Healthwise, it hasn't been a memorable few days following Sharon's chemo on Tuesday, but it worked out that she was well enough on Wednesday to make the journey. Since then, things have been a struggle energy wise, and significantly more so than was the case last week. However, rest is the very much the order of the day and we have been very well looked after!

Right now, Sharon has woken up feeling much better than last night so is picking up.

Our plan is to all head away together to another part of Switzerland for the next few days. As we will be away from internet access, I don't expect the blog will get updated for a few days, but am hoping that we will have lots of photos to share next time.