June 28th, 10 – Jake 26
It’s now eleven months since this whole horrible saga began.

Ben has now donated every part of his body that seemed appropriate, and Jacob has gratefully received them. The astronomic amount of chemo and radiotherapy that had to be received first went as well as could be expected, and now we just have to wait for things to settle down. This means that:

His white blood cells have to hit rock bottom and then start to go up again to give him some immunity.
Ben’s stem cells have to agree that Jakes body is a nice place to be.
Jakes body has to decide that it like’s Ben’s cells.
His temperature has to go back to normal from 39.2 today.
Jake has to be able to swallow again. At the moment his whole gut from the mouth on feels like it’s full of broken glass. So everything including food, drinks and medications have to be delivered through a drip. He has a severe attack of mucositis, but it’s normal after a transplant.
The air conditioning has to be mended in the ward. The temperature in his room is 34 and the fan I stole from the chapel only stirs up the stifling atmosphere. He cannot have his door or windows open because of infection, and he’s not allowed out, but heaven knows what is brewing in here in this heat.
The medical staff have to continue to be absolutely kind and faultless in the way they look after him. Which they do.
He has to remain tolerant of this intolerable situation, which he is, and remains the most popular patient on the ward despite everything.
The mystery problem with his feet that makes it to painful to walk has to resolve.
The time has to go quickly til he feels better again. This is awful for him.

Cherry’s brother in law, Sam is going to do a bike ride across Norway for the new teenage and adolescent unit at the Royal Marsden Hospital in Jake’s name. The rest of the family is so grateful that they don’t have to do it. If you would like to cheer him on in a non-athletic way, this is the link. Thank you Sam.


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