Wow, another week has gone by.   On the one hand it has been beautifully uneventful and on the other hand it was been quite a week.

Uneventful because Sean has been doing great.   The only thing that remains of the shingles is a red scab and a couple of tiny marks which may be scars.   If they are little scars then they can just join the other ones that he has received over the last 16 months.   There haven’t been any other niggles at all and he seems just a little more animated and lively than he was even just a week ago.   He seems quite happy most of the time.

Catherine went to friend’s 40ths down in Christchurch over the weekend.   Helen and Paul both celebrated their 40^th together.   She enjoyed her trip away, although she did lose her voice and seems to have come down with something nasty.   Any other time and I would have gone too, but Sean is still delicate and not yet to a stage where we are happy to leave him with anybody else for a couple of days, so I stayed home and we had a boys weekend together.   It really was great and I even got the multiple medications at five different times during the day off down pat.   I’ve noticed that since we have had Sean home I have been spending (investing?) more time with the boys than ever before.   Like I said many months ago; I’m looking for the good to come out of this.   Sean said he really enjoyed the fireworks display I took them to on Saturday night (we have been every year since he was born).   Cameron has been very helpful around the house and Sean has been following his lead!

Catherine wrote a substantial blog entry late last week, and she emailed it to me (what did we do before technology!) and I thought, “Great I’ll post it tomorrow” which would have been Thursday.   Well before I could post it we had some more news from the hospital; Sean’s doctor, Dr Ann Mitchell has resigned.   Big shock.   Many of you will be aware of the challenges facing Wellington Hospital in trying to keep the children’s cancer service operational and how these challenges were exacerbated in July when one of only two paediatric oncology specialists resigned.   Well, now Anne’s going too and that really let the cat among the pigeons as they will have no more qualified doctors come January.   So, on Thursday morning both our cell phones were ringing with the media wanting comments.   Catherine did a great job talking to them (among the two of us, she is now leading up this area) and we had news crews from TV1 and TV3 here and we were on the main evening TV news on both channels that evening.   Once again Beth from TV1 bought along Lego for both the boys – thanks Beth, you are very popular!   So, some excitement with more cameras at the house, but of course our spot was small as the story was about the situation here in Wellington, not us.   It’s very interesting that half a dozen news organisations including two TV stations ring us for comment and background material whenever something happens.   Here's links to TV1 and TV3 news stories as they were aired.

We are concerned with what is happening to the service here in Wellington, but mainly for other parents who are about to make this gruelling journey, as we are now largely through it.   It’s not a good thing having Ann leave in January as she knows Sean better than anyone else; however it shouldn’t impact on us too much.   Have to wait and see.

Yesterday was the first day of home education for both the boys.   I took them and we did maths in the morning and investigated time and calendars in the afternoon.   Great fun!   I’m looking forward to many more days like that, and no doubt Catherine is too – as soon as she gets over whatever it is that has laid her low at the moment.

I’m now in training for riding around Lake Taupo with the Oilers and Hinges at the end of November.   We are a group of overweight, middle aged, lycra wearing Dad’s who got together to oil the hinges of friendship and along the way enter the Lake Taupo Cycle Challenge and raise money for two worthy charities – the Child cancer Foundation and the Mary Potter Hospice.   The group first got together in February and I can remember thinking it would be a good challenge for me, although I had no idea what the year was to have in store.   In late February Sean relapsed and we have been back in hospital pretty much continuously since then, up until recently.   One thing I did do way back then was book the Child Cancer Foundation holiday house in Taupo – so we have a week in Taupo coming up at the end of the month!   Hopefully I won’t be too sore from the ride to enjoy it!   Sean is really looking forward to this week as he loves it up there (all the volcanic activity).   And I think we really deserve it too.

Be awesome,

Mark

Here's TV1...

and here's TV3...