Views into the next valley

An eventful few days, but we got back from hospital last night, armed with a bag of drugs. One of which was dexamethosol, the wonder steroid that got me back from Albania a month ago. And when I awoke at midnight I could already feel its effects - similar to a caffeine rush, hence my waking dream of running a cross-country race through marshy ground - 24 hours previously could only have dreamt of lying on marshy ground and slowly sinking.

Humanly speaking, our news is as bad as it could be. The cancer has returned quite aggressively, has spread to an adrenal gland as well as enlarging in existing sites - hence my weariness over recent months. There is further treatment possible, but with significant side effects, and potential of septicaemia, and hence earlier death. We have left the decision until a further consultation in two weeks time - agreed Tuesday with consultant that my body in no fit state to take extra punishment at present. The debilitating effects of the pneumonia would last two more weeks in a healthy person. Her prognisis is six months maximum, but clearly she has no way of gauging how fast the cancer will progress.

But we want you to hear this in the same context that we did. The only bed space in the hospital on Friday night was in the new Bristol Heart Institute, despite me being in a medical patient category. Ward 53, large with four beds only, mine against the 20' plate glass window looking out onto autumn coloured embankment and trees. Oh the grace of God.

Sunday a.m. I heard my neighbour (82 yr old heart patient) humming the baseline to the Remembrance Day hymns. I enquired of him if he had been part of a church choir, but he was not to be drawn. Later spotted a leather bound, yapp edged, gold leaf book by his bedside. Monday he was reading it, and I enquired if he was reading the "Good Book". Yes, he said, did I know it? I told him I'd read it cover to cover, something he could not claim, though he probably had, just not consecutively. Told me he was reading from the first book of Dr Luke (AV - did not get on with these modern versions). His visitor that day, clad in headscarf, pointed to 'exclusive brethren' beliefs - but one of His saints.

Monday night, some time after my sleeping pill had knocked me out a new (heart)patient took the other window bed opposite. Tuesday am we got chatting, and quickly established that he lived close to my place of work, and knew one of the ladies in my office since thay both attended the same church. Later that day, the new patient left to go home - he'd been moved up for the night from a ward two floors below. Another of the saints that surround us day by day.

(E-mail me on for more details of our conversations, or any other chat.)

So our sense of being in God's hands continues. Miriam is flying home this week-end for two weeks stay. It'll be good to be able to greet her upright loaded with steroids!!, rather than the horizontal view I presented when we visited her last month.

No Fireworks???

Dave may not have had fireworks on his birthday (Nov 5 ) but the next day made up for it.
He began the day compaining of a backache which we put down to him lying awkwardly then at about 1 o'clock this suddenly escalated to excruciating pain and a 999 call.
The emergency services were great as was the hospital care (and the morphine! was good too).
This was later diagnosed as pneumonia and with strong antibiotics Dave is recovering well and should hopefully be discharged Wednesday.
We see the oncology specialist on Tuesday so will blog again when we have more to share.
Psalm 23 v4 Even when we walk through the dark valley of death ,we will not be afraid ,for you are close beside us. Emmanuel.

No fireworks

Sorry to those of you who rely on these pages for progress reports. Maybe that's the whole thing - we see little progress, and my daily energy levels mean little time at the PC. So there's nothing actually to report today, other than a guilt complex!!

We rounded off Albania with a tummy bug on the day of our return flight which merely doubled my sense of exhaustion - Maki called out the doctor, and I discovered the wonderful effect of intravenous steroids - put me on an energy high for the next 36 hours. Am told such is not approved NHS procedure, but was thankful for it at the time - the Albania leg proved something of a physical endurance test at times, great as it was to see the girls, and to see Amelia progress from one step to eleven!!

Elaine had been signed off with stress just prior to our departure, but returned to work two weeks after our return. We see the consultant next week for the results of my first quarterly scan - a "no change" report will reassure her that this tiredness is just normal post-chemo reaction, and not the return of cancer symptoms.

So we live from day to day, enjoying those days when energy enables the occasional outing, and visits from friends that bring colour to day-to-day living. Will post again (promise) once seen consultant. Light a firework (or 58) for me on Thursday!! Dave

Postcard from Albania

Writing from hot and sunny Albania. We are having a very lazy time. Dave has not found renewed energy as we had hoped but we are glad to be able to see both the girls and their families. We had a slow start last week as Mim had a tummy bug for 3 days which was a bit worrying but she and baby are all ok now.


We have been staying with Ruth and Maki this week but tomorrow we intend going out to Sukth to stay with Mim and Besi and family. It is exciting to see the house progressing and the roof tiles are due to go on this week. The internal walls are now all plastered - soon it will be wall and floor tile choosing time very exciting!

Besi spends his time on the roof working full tilt before a possible change in the weather. as well as this he has to fit in buying materials, preaching and pastoral work and delivering stuff for 'Mission without borders"


Ruth and Maki have also had the builders in and painters with great improvements. All must be sorted before they leave in December. Amelia entertains and is delightful -very vocal in her own language. She looks on the brink of taking her first unaided steps - will she perform this feat before Granny and Grandad leave ?

Think that's all the news for now will write more fully when we return to UK.

...who only stand and wait

It's now the 3rd week since our relaxing time in Austria, and two weeks to our next trip to Albania. Sorry for lack of updates - I've found tiredness reluctant to relax its grip, and sit now at the computer knowing that before an hour is up, my body and mind will be craving the horizontal.

To catch up - the heavy rain forecast for Grossglockner did not materialise, and the first hour of that day glorious sunshine and high snow covered peaks as the coach wound its way up many hairpins to 2500 metres. Crossing the col into the next valley took us into cloud, and later some light rain. The visitor centre overlooking the cloud shrouded peaks did not appeal, so we took the funicular (250') and path (250') down to the Pasterze glacier below, every 50 vertical feet of the path marking 10 years retreat of the glacier. The tour guide had warned everyone against the glacier trip (you might break you leg!), but then I was the only one on the coach with mountain poles as both crutches and reminders of former exploits. The following day we walked for 40 minutes by the Achensee in glorious sunshine, and the day after visited a major waterfall.

The last two days we gently explored the centres of Salzburg and Munich. A holiday marked by God's favour especially re the weather, and sufficient strength to make each day worthwhile, although some of the early starts (8.30) I did find taxing. And we were able to smooth the stress of air travel by ordering a wheelchair at the airports - not only avoided standing for long periods, but gave (unwarranted) priority through customs etc. Though one did feel a little Matt Lucas like getting out of the wheelchair to walk through the metal scanner!

And so to the present, where we find ourselves a little wearied over the last few days. No dramas or crises, just a sapping of emotional strength. I guess its like the airport queues - I can cope at the airport provided I am walking with a stick - its the standing still that takes it out of me. And maybe that's how these last few weeks have felt - standing still - where we had expected to be making ground.

Paul speaks of the putting on the whole armour of God, "so that you may be able to stand". As that passage says in conclusion, "with this in mind keep on praying..." We thank you.

Mountain top experience

Spent this Sunday afternoon ín summit sunshine at over 6,000ft - courtesy of cable car whose top station at exactly 2,000 mtrs. The posters around town spoke of a free Johann Strauss concert there at 15:30, but while we could see the bandstand, and 200 seats arranged on the hillside, the band and the audience failed to show up - so we did 3/4 of the Telegraph crossword instead.

Stunning views down to the lake below, and clouds changing the whole time revealing and shrouding distant summits, including the 3,750 mtr Grossglockner where the coach takes us tomorrow - heavy rain forecast!!

But showers was today's forecast, and while we had a few spits on the top, blessed that the nightime thunderstorms that ended yesterday's sunny day of coach travel, and lakeside evening walk did not revisit.

This morning we walked straight from the breakfast table - a struggle given the copious quantities consumed to the 10am service at the town's "Evangelical Church". Proceedings entirely in German, which featured on neither of our school timetables, but the last two hymns included an English translation in the hymnbook so we could enter in there. The first clearly said 'Jamaican folk tune', but we first sang the 3 verses in the style to which the organist was accustomed, before the preacher stood up and sang out at twice the speed and with a little rhythm. 80% of the congregation appeared to be visitors, and 50% of them Dutch. But good to have time for quiet reflection and prayer.

A good day, or to be more accurate, a God day. Auf weidersein.

A Good Report

Tuesday afternoon saw us back at Bristol Oncology Centre. A familiar spot during chemotherapy but this was to receive the latest news of the scan Dave had had 2 weeks ago.
The consultant's first words were that this was a good report and went on to say that it was the best we could hope for at this stage. There was still talk of the next line of treatment -'when it grows back', but step by step, and this felt like a huge leap for which we are truly grateful.
We had both thought that Dave would be further down the road of recovery by now so this was a timely encouragement.
We are off to Austria tomorrow (leaving Bristol tonight). I ( Elaine) for one am needing the break though I have to say that the stress of packing makes me doubt whether it is worth while!? But I am sure that to be out in mountains and great scenery will greatly restore Dave's body and soul - mountains reach parts of Dave that nothing else can!
Will hopefully give a fuller up date on our return but felt we should share our good news with you.