Finley's sponsored no-more-brain-tumour-thank-you-very-much-athon.

 

UPDATE 30th June 2009

Finley had an MRI scan last week and we got the results today.  Unfortunately it shows that the tumour was not completely removed in January.  What remains is in a dangerous place (surgically) near the brain stem.  It's not big enough to cause any problems for now though so they will just watch and wait and see where it goes.  The next scan will be in 6 months.  We were also told that it may take a year for Fin to get back on course after all his procedures earlier this year.  This is actually quite reassuring as we'd been worried about his slow progress over the last few weeks.  We obviously just need to be more patient!

 

25th April 2009.

On 15th January 2009, at the age of 4, Finley was diagnosed with a brain tumour.  He was taken immediately to the specialist neurosurgery unit at the John Radcliffe hospital in Oxford.  The shock of this news to us, his family, was profound - but the help, support and encouragement that followed from all corners of the world was truly life-affirming.

In Oxford, Finley was treated with skill, care and compassion by the wonderful team on Robin's Ward.  So great was our reliance on the skills of these highly-trained and committed professionals that it can be hard to look beyond that to the more unsung heroes of Finley's story.

In particular, we have an enormous debt to the Ronald McDonald House Charity.  This provides free accommodation within the Children's Hospital for the parents and siblings of patients.  We were lucky enough to be allocated one of the precious few rooms in RMH on only Finley's second day in hospital.  It would be impossible to overstate just how great a Godsend this was.

Put simply, it allowed us both to be close to Finley 24 hours a day; to support him and care for him through all the traumas he faced.  Putting it simply isn't enough though.  It was a refuge; a place to spend time away from the ward with Finley's little brother Nathaniel; a place to meet and share support with the extraordinary and inspiring parents of other very, very sick children and a place to receive the total and unqualified support and assistance of the amazing staff who run the House.

Now that Finley is home and recovering well after his four operations, four lumbar punctures and innumerable scans, blood tests and other procedures our thoughts turn with gratitude to all who have helped and supported us and to those unknown parents who may have such a shock to come and who will desperately need that help and support themselves.

The RMH relies totally on charitable donations to meet its running costs and ultimately, they hope, to double the number of rooms available for parents (demand for the rooms far exceeds supply).

The spiel from Justgiving...
"Donating through Justgiving is quick, easy and totally secure. It’s also the most efficient way to support this wonderful cause: RMHC - Ronald McDonald House Charities gets your money faster and, if you’re a UK taxpayer, Justgiving makes sure 25% in Gift Aid, plus a 3% supplement, are added to your donation."

Thanks and love to all.