One Small Thing

Introduction

This is For the Vocal "Passing Ships" Challenge challenge that you can read about below.

Music is "Ships In The Night" by Bebop Deluxe because, well y'kna

The prompt is:

Write about a small moment in your life that had a big impact.

Some time around 2009 (I am completely guessing here) I was being seen by a new consultant at the Freeman Hospital in Newcastle. This was probably something to do with my ITP or the fact I may have had a stroke when I last got hit by ITP around the millennium, but he is a really great guy and is one of my current consultants.

The life-changing moment was when he asked me if I would join a trial to test a treatment to stop cirrhosis of the liver (which I did not have at that point) which would finish by taking a sample from my liver to check the state of it.

I had never been on a clinical trial before and I said that if people did not do these sorts of trials I would not be alive today, so I said yes.

Twelve months later they extracted a lump of my liver with a viciously huge needle device, and I then awaited results.

When I next saw my consultant he apologised profusely and said he was awfully sorry but my liver was in a state of cirrhosis which means it has stopped repairing itself.

I told him not to be sorry because knowing this meant that I could take extra care of myself, and if I hadn't gone on the trial I would have passed into cirrhosis anyway and not known about it until irreparable damage was none.

Since then I have been on more trials and had regular scans until the COVID pandemic when I missed a year. Five years after the initial diagnosis another consultant told me that from the blood tests they had run if they didn't know there was something wrong, they wouldn't know that there was anything wrong. I was looking after myself and it was working out for me. I felt good when I heard that news.

On my return scan in 2021, I got a phone call to go in and see my consultant about the results of the scan.

I got in and said he was sad and sorry to tell me that they had found that I had liver cancer. Again I told him not to be sorry. I was in the best place in the world for cancer treatment, and I had walked in seeing people who were missing limbs, who were blind and some who may be suffering from dementia. I would be able to get up and walk out there and do everything that I want to do without any help and I felt physically fine.

Yes, it was a bit of a shock, but I felt that I was in a good place to fight this.

Everyone was incredibly supportive of me when I told them about it, though I had to keep it secret from my dad who I didn't want to worry. Fiona, Juliet, Kirsty and Mark were incredibly supportive and looked after me. Kirsty was upset at first, but Juliet (who has had a few brushes with cancer and come through) said I would be fine because the facilities in Newcastle were second to none.

Work was incredibly supportive all the way through my treatment.

My closest Vocal friends were there for me Les, Judey, Babs, Lena and many others who I have sadly lost touch with.

When I saw the consultant who was dealing with me she told me that the tumour was very big, but then said that was probably because I had missed a year.

If I had not signed up for those trials, I would probably not have been under the constant care regime that I am still under and may not have been able to write this story today.

So thank you to everyone who has been there for me and the Freeman Hospital who looked after me so well.

You can find out about the excellent treatment I received if you take a stroll through my Vocal catalogue here.