June Update

Colin went to see an ENT (ear, nose & throat) consultant today, had camera put up his nose to look at his throat. Result was one of the tumors is pushing on a nerve cluster in his chest which is affecting the vocal cords on the left paralizing them. The consultant was suprised at how well Col could talk considering the above. Hopefully the HD IL-2 treatment in Manchester will shrink the tumor that is causing the problem.

We will be off to Manchester again on 24th July for Col’s CT Scan to see if the treatment has worked.

Before that though we are off to Minehead (Butlins) on Monday for a well deserved holiday.

In memory of Colin’s brother David, Church Organist, a MEMORIAL CONCERT will be held on Sunday July 12^th 7.30pm. at Our Lady Queen of Peace, Bransford Road, St. John’s, Worcester.

The recital will be given by a very talented young man, James Luxton who is Organist at Sts Mary & John’s Church in Wolverhampton and is also Organ Scholar at St Chad’s Cathedral in Birmingham.

Race 4 Life - Finished in 52 mins

Well I did Race for Life on Sunday in the glorious sunshine and as you can see I did it in 52 mins side by side with my friend Mel (that's 3mins faster than we did it last year).

Didn't get sunburned thanks to my sister-in-law Rachel who was a volunteer and supplied anyone and everyone with sun cream by the starting line, Thanks Rachel :-).

Wyvern FM were there as usual and this year there were the Nivea Boys to help us with a short workout.

I have raised £351.50 in sponsorship this year which is my highest amount yet.
Between Mel, Jess, Ness, Hayley, Claire and myself we have raised £802.50. So a BIG BIG BIG thanks to everyone who sponsored us.
If you haven't sponsored me you still can at http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/colswife

Local Radio Interview...

Well I went to the Wyvern FM station yesterday to record an interview about why I am doing Race for Life. I think it was OK.
I was shaking when I got there and was still shaking when I got back in the car afterwards, so I'll have to wait and see what I sound like and if I waffled when they play it or email me the MP3. Hopefully, everything I said came out OK !!!! and yes I did mention the names of the friends doing Race4Life with me - Melanie Williams, Jessica Williams, Vanessa Hill & Hayley Bennett, you all got a mention.

Enjoying the sunshine

It has been 3 weeks since Colin finished his HD IL-2 treatment and he is looking more and more like his old self as the days pass, which is brilliant as he hasn't looked this healthy for at least a couple of years.
I will be doing Race for Life in 2 weeks time, so I am hoping this weather is here to stay for a while. If anyone wants to sponsor me please feel free to go to my sponsorship page http://www.raceforlifesponsorme.org/colswife
While I'm on the subject of Race for Life, I had a surprise phone call the other day from Wyvern FM (our local radio station) asking if they could record an interview with me about why I am doing Race for Life following an email I sent them a few weeks ago. I'm a bit nervous about this because I've never been interviewed before but hopefully it will be OK :-)

Recovering Slowly

It's a week since I picked Col up from Manchester. He is still tired but has been out for a couple of walks, which helps because if you don't do anything even though your exausted you still can't sleep so gentle exercise seems to work well. His skin is still very dry and itchy but is improving slowly and the anti-histamine stops the itching.
I'm off to Birmingham Symphony Hall on Monday night to see John Barrowman in concert ;-), which should be a good night!!!! oh and I've paid the balance of our holiday this year (I forgot last year).

End of Round 1 - Part 2

Col didn't have any more doses after number 8 so I went and picked him up today. His sister Rachel came with me, it was nice to have company other than Kieran in the car. Col was very tired again when we picked him up but didn't look quite as drained as he did last time.
I have been relegated to sleeping in the basement again as he has come home with a cough like he did last time (good job we still have the spare bed).
Now its a 5 week wait until his CT scan to see if its all been worth it. Fingers etc crossed that it has worked, only if it has worked it means going through it all again in a couple of months, but it will be worth it in the long term.
Thanks to everyone for their support & e-messages.

Round 1 Part 2 - Day 5

Col was awake most of the night, last night. This morning he had the "evil" nurse who stresses him out, then does his Obs and says his pulse is too high. After the shift change his pulse was low enough for dose 8 at 3pm. He should get at least one more dose in (hopefully 2 more) before they kick him out and I get to drive to Manchester again to pick him up - no visits to football stadiums this time though Kieran, my purse hasn't recovered from the last time yet.