October 27th, 09 – Jake 7(3)

Dear everyone,

Jacob’s first bout of treatment in hospital ended in the remission that was hoped for. He had a couple of weeks break and has now started the next.

These 4 weeks of chemotherapy have meant driving 150 miles daily up the M25 for treatment lasting anything from half an hour up to 10 hours. It is exhausting for us all, particularly Jacob who usually has to sleep as soon as he arrives back home, leaving very little of the day to enjoy. He still of course very much prefers this to being an inpatient at the hospital as it means we have time to spend together as a family once again. Jonathan’s mother is also living with us as she fell over and broke her arm so we are a full household once again with Ben also with us half the week teaching tennis at Jacob’s old school!

On the 23rd of October after treatment Jacob came home and, after complaining of feeling sick, went for a rest as usual. He came downstairs and was beginning to do a word puzzle with his grandmother when all of a sudden he lost control of his arm, fell unconscious and began to have a fit. The ambulance was called immediately and Jacob was rushed to hospital where he was eventually admitted to the Haematology ward and put on intravenous antibiotics to treat a suspected infection. Jacob has now been transferred back to the Royal Marsden Hospital where he is awaiting further scans and investigations in to what could have caused him to have a seizure like this. He is feeling quite well apart from having a bit of a sore tongue which he bit quite hard during the fit. He is keen to carry on his treatment as soon as the investigations are over and it is deemed safe to do so.

Friends, the moral, emotional and spiritual support you have given us is so gratefully received. Never have we been more aware of the way friendship closes warmly in around us in times of need, gently keeping our heads above water and providing firm ground to stand on. We continue to receive cards, fruits, jams and meals supplied by a bevy of culinary experts, shopping, offers of lifts and meals out, mystery bouquets and chocolates on the doorstep, instrumentalist friends dragging down cellos, flutes and clarinets to play with him, other friends just to be with him, and recently a marathon runner who did a sponsored run in the Amsterdam marathon in Jake’s name.  Donations, concerts, cake and book sales have already raised £1250 for the Marsden since Jake has been here, so thank you for your contributions for that.  The hospital has been so good to us.

Jacob hopes to be back on the road to recovery as soon as possible

With lots of love from all of us

Jacob, Jonathan and Cherry

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