Dear All,

Things are happeneing at such a rate we feel we must send you more news, Jake’s news is still not better we are sad to say.  Within a day of recovering from a life threatening lung infection, still needing oxygen support, he has been transferred to the Atkinson Morley wing of St George’s Hospital awaiting brain surgery to treat a big infection on the right side of his brain.  This infection has already badly affected his left hand, fingers, shoulder and arm.  He cannot move his shoulder or arm with any accuracy and has real difficulty in controlling fingers in his left hand and the neurosurgeon cannot say whether any of these faculties will return after the operation. Jake has asked for a few days to see whether the antibiotics alone can deal with this infection because the operation is not without its risks and the surgeon has agreed to wait until tomorrow (Tuesday) but expects an op will still be necessary. The surgen says the fitting might continue ‘indefinitely’ because of the scarring from the abscess or surgery.
Jake is devastated and rather numbed by the awfulness of this news.  We find it difficult to comprehend how anything so cruel could happen to such a wonderful and talented person.  There are many places such an infection (the consultant said to see it as something like an abscess) could develop but the area affecting his hands arms and fingers must be one of the worst for him.  We are at a loss to find positive things to say in this nightmare scenario…all we can say is that he has gone 24 hours without a fit or vomiting which is a record over the past five days.

We are hoping the straight-talking and worse-case analysis of the neurosurgeon is wrong but that his surgical skills are brilliant, we know you hope with us and are so grateful for so many messges of support.

Cherry, Jonathan and Jacob