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…
Happy and Sad Tears
Tomorrow Hugo will take part in his school sports day. It’s his second one, but his first since finishing treatment. This upcoming event has brought to head a mix of emotions that I have been feeling for a while. Firstly…
Finding the Balance
I started to write this blog post a few weeks ago. I was full of excitement and enthusiasm for the start of the new year. We’d been waiting a long time for this, for our first cancer free calendar year…
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…
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…
What happens next?
During our last appointment at GOSH, our oncology nurse specialist answered the all important question – ‘what happens when treatment ends?’ I’ve asked many questions relating to this along the way. Always hesitantly, not wanting to look too far ahead,…
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…
Broken Pieces
A couple of weeks ago I found myself at our local hospital. Not a particularly unusual occurrence given Hugo’s situation. However this time I wasn’t there for Hugo, I was there for me. I’d been to the doctors that morning…
My Other Child
A few months ago I posted a photo of Henry on Facebook. We were on a day out, just me and him. A treat day to spoil him a little, because it’s tough when you’re the sibling of a child…