What Hugo Did Next
On the 18 September 2018, after 3 years, 2 months and 5 days, Hugo finished his treatment for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia. 6 weeks later he had his port-a-cath (bumpy) removed and rang the End of Treatment Bell at Great Ormond…
End of Treatment Bubble
It has now been three weeks since Hugo took his last dose of chemotherapy. So what does life on the other side look like? In many ways it doesn’t look very different to life on treatment. There has been medication…
The Big Questions
After three years of treatment, I suspect many people are a bit lost with Hugo’s illness and treatment. Here are some of the questions I have been asked and a few others that I thought people might want answers to. …
Leaving Normality
A couple of months ago, on the way back from a hospital appointment, Hugo asked me what it felt like when I had my bumpy taken out. Bumpy is our name for Hugo’s port-a-cath/central line. The little device that sits…
Day in the Life – Side Effects
During the early phases of treatment Hugo suffered with many of the side effects synonymous with cancer. His hair fell out, he was sick, tired and pale. He lost weight, his light dimmed and he looked ill. Now, in this…
Day in the Life – Medication
I often get asked if Hugo is still on chemotherapy. Has he finished, or is he due another cycle? Treatment for blood cancers can differ from other cancer treatment plans. It is often long, in some cases life long, and…
Day in the Life – Bloods
Once a week a community nurse comes to our house to take some blood from Hugo via his bumpy. This blood is then sent to the lab and later that day, or the following day, we get a phone call…
The Long Version
Over the last few weeks we have had a couple of little blips. Small bumps along the road of our new normal. We have these every so often. I don’t tend to write about them, because everything turns out to…
Bring it on 2018!
So, we have reached 2018, the year Hugo will finish treatment. It feels significant. The countdown can well and truly begin. I remember, just after Hugo was diagnosed, reading that treatment for his type of leukaemia would last just over…
Things I Have Learnt
It has now been 2 years since Hugo was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia. 24 months of our strange, new, cancer filled life. The learning curve has been steep and I’m pretty sure it’s not done yet. Here are a…
