Sunday 19th of May 2013 - Time now for us to say farewell... and thank you.

Joseph's port site has healed nicely thanks to the antibacterial honey wound gel our dear friend Angela sent over from New Zealand. In its raw form honey has incredible healing properties both internally and externally, therefore I would recommend giving it a try for any sort of ailment. When the community nurses attended on Monday to check Joseph's port site there was very little they needed to do. When I told them I had been applying honey, it transpired that their team had also just started using it. It apparently has been particularly effective in treating a young lad with a wound on his foot which refused to heal. Miraculously, wound dressing infused with honey, has well and truly done the trick. Fabulous stuff!

There was disappointment in the Bowen household this week following the decision by CLIC Sargent not to aid us with the initial outlay costs of publishing the blog into a book. I was hoping the fact we have raised in excess of £87,000 for the charity and the promise of a return on the investment, through sales of the book, might sway them towards agreeing to help, but sadly no. As a result, I have been left feeling fairly disheartened and wondering whether my request was an unreasonable one. Having had a few days to digest the decision and discuss it with Steven (who is far more level headed than me!), I have simmered down somewhat and, to a certain degree, am now accepting of the situation. I can only assume, as a charity, it is not within their remit to commit themselves to anything involving financial risk. As they provided no reason, I can only speculate. I shan't ponder any further however. CLIC Sargent may have chosen not to support us with our book venture but we will continue to praise and highlight the excellent work they do to support children with cancer and their families. They have played a very valuable part in our journey and we want to thank them for everything they have done for us.

Following CLIC's decision, we were subsequently faced with the dilemma of how to go about coming up with the money to make the blog book a reality. It just so happened that I was discussing our predicament with Nick from Absolute Running in Gosport when retired police officer Paul Bowers, a man I had never met, was in the shop and joined in the conversation. As he had not previously heard of Joseph's journey, I left him with a blog card before we parted company. The following day we received an email from Paul, expressing his wish to help. A meeting with him and his wife Sue followed shortly thereafter and I was soon to be rendered speechless as it was revealed how they wished to help us. 'Pay it forward' is a concept which has been round for a long time but has never touched my life until now. It simply involves asking the beneficiary of a good deed to repay it to others instead of to the original benefactor. So, as a result of Paul and Sue's incredible kindness, we have overcome that one and only obstacle which now means there is nothing in the way of us going ahead with the book. To say I'm completely over the moon is an understatement. What a wonderful wonderful couple who seem to be just as excited as we are about what their money is to be used for. So people, do something amazing and consider 'paying it forward' to three people who are in need. It doesn't necessarily have to be financial. They then do the same for three other people... An ideal way to spread some love and goodwill in this troubled world in which we live.

We couldn't be without a pet for long so our beloved Raymond has been replaced by eight week old Earl - a Bengal/Russian blue cross. He's a wee pickle to say the least and appears tough enough to deal with heavy handed cyclone Jobo. We are really chuffed with him and, even in the short time we have had him, he has helped to partially fill the gaping hole Raymond's passing left... particularly where Isaac is concerned.

This week we received a lovely surprise in the form of a thank you card from the Chief Executive of Anthony Nolan, Henny Braund. He wrote:

Dear Celine, Steve, Isaac and Jobo,

I wanted to write and thank you all for the amazing work you've been doing in the past year. Your blog is both inspiring and humbling and by having such a massive following, raises awareness of what it is like for patients and their families. The huge number of recruitment drives you've run across Hampshire will bring hope to many with blood cancer, and your campaign to change HR policy for donation for the police in Hampshire is inspired.
Thank you for being such a terrific family and for supporting Anthony Nolan so wonderfully. I wish you all well on Jobo's journey. Henny

For those within the police family who fall into the 16-30 (inclusive) age bracket, please do check out the main blog page for dates and locations for the rest of the Hampshire police recruitment stem cell/bone marrow donor drive. 45 staff and officers have joined the register since the drive commenced. Here's to many more choosing to follow suit. Certainly one of the pros of being part of such a large organisation, packed full of young healthy blood!

Yesterday I was honoured to be one of the photographers for the wedding of Amy and Jonny, a couple we met on Piam Brown a few weeks after Joseph was diagnosed. Their wee girl, May, is now in remission after battling an optic pathway Glioma - a tumour separating her optic nerves causing partial blindness. Seeing her yesterday and witnessing how far she has come since those early days in hospital when she was so dreadfully poorly, was undoubtedly the highlight of my day. Yesterday was not only the official uniting of two very special people but also a celebration of the conclusion of a tremendously stressful journey for them and their loved ones. We wish them well and hope the future proves to be a little more plain sailing from now on. They certainly deserve it.

Living with Joseph's illness hasn't been at all easy, however it has allowed us to accomplish things that could not have been possible had our lives not been plunged into the world of childhood cancer. After much soul searching and identifying the need for us to re-establish some sort of normailty, it's time now to take a back seat and move on from a situation that has governed every aspect of our existence for so long and, to a certain extent, prompted me to disregard the feelings of the one person I should feel inclined to listen to more than anybody else. Too often I've spread myself too thin, trying to prove to the world how strong I am as a wife, mum, full time police officer, author, social media queen and fundraiser; constantly striving to make a difference. It is no surprise that Steven has been left feeling both neglected and frustrated... particularly when he has been the one to pick up the pieces when life has got too much for me. Time now to consolidate and focus on what is most important. We are confident we'll be able to find our way back on track, whether it be tackling the issues ourselves or with a little bit of professional help. We owe it to each another and to our beautiful boys.

I appreciate there's going to be a number of people who will be disappointed with our decision to conclude the blog, particularly those who have been following the journey since the very early days. A line needed to be drawn at some point however. Our boy is well now, free of cancer. Of course, his journey will never really officially end for us. That fear of him falling ill will forever loiter in the background but we have no intention of allowing this to inhibit the rest of our lives. Joseph will continue to be heavily monitored through blood tests and echocardiograms, the results of which we will feature on twitter and Facebook. In the event he requires hospitalisation or, God forbid, he relapses, the blog will continue as before.

Thanks to all Joseph followers who have continued to support us through a period in our lives no parent should ever be expected to face. It has been a most unique experience to have so much love and hope showered upon us by complete strangers. Our faith in humankind has well and truly been restored. We hope we will get the opportunity to meet a number of you at the end of treatment black tie event on the 21st of September at HMS Sultan, Gosport. Details of the event will be posted on twitter and facebook in due course. All being well, we will also aim to launch the blog book on that date, the proceeds of which will go to all the charities who have kindly helped us over the past two years.

And finally, a massive thank you from the bottom of our hearts to all the medical professionals at Piam Brown, the QA and the community nursing team who worked so hard to save Joseph's life. We will forever be indebted to you. When the wheel falls off, the NHS really know how to deliver.

The blog reached 300,000 views today. An incredible milestone. Thank you.

Love to all... always X

Sunday 12th of May 2013 - A week of highs and lows..

After doing our utmost to keep Joseph's port site as intact as possible between our emergency visit to the QA on Saturday and his scheduled surgery for the device to be removed on Tuesday, it still managed to expose itself even more. By the time we were due to leave for the hospital on Tuesday, it was a gaping hole, protected only by a large vacuum dressing. There aren't many things in this world which make me feel squeamish, but admittedly the sight of that virtually put me off my brekkie!

Upon our arrival on Shipwreck (the paediatric surgical ward), one of the nurses advised me Joseph's line was to be taken out under local anaesthetic. Yes, you did read right! The words 'over my dead body' sprang to mind, but I was a little more diplomatic. We were soon being seen by the surgeon, Mr Sutton. He confirmed there had obviously been some sort of mistake with regard to the local, confirming Joseph would most definitely have his line removed under general anaesthetic. Upon looking at Joseph's port site, Mr Sutton exclaimed there was very little effort needed on his part to take it out! Wilf also met with us to take a look at Joseph's port site, as he had heard about its condition through the grapevine. Although he has been an Oncology nurse for many years, he had heard of a port breaking through the skin but never actually encountered the scenario himself. As it is evidently a very rare occurrence, he requested that I take some pictures for staff training purposes. As if he needed to ask!

 

It was quite an emotional walk down to surgery, mainly due to the fact it would be the last time Joseph would be placed under anaesthetic for anything relating to his Leukaemia. After two years, he is so completely institutionalised, he quite happily waltzed into theatre, handed Mr Sutton his Jelly Cat (cow) and then proceeded to clamber up onto the theatre table. Fortunately, although his port wasn't looking overly healthy, it was still fully functional, allowing the team to administer the anaesthetic through it. No need, on this occasion, for a cannula to be fitted. Half an hour hadn't even elapsed before I was being summonsed back upstairs to recovery. There he was, quite happily being passed around amongst the recovery nursing staff. Jobo squeezes are quite popular you know! All the while Jelly cat remained on the bed with an oxygen mask. Following the procedure we were required to remain on shipwreck for an hour and a half to allow Joseph the opportunity to fully recover from the procedure. It wasn't long before he was devouring as much food as possible and running around as if nothing had happened. How he does it, I'll never know! Just as a precautionary measure, we were sent home with a course of antibiotics. His wound site has since cleared up very well with no hint of infection.

 

The feeling of sheer elation at the fact Joseph has no more evasive surgical procedures to contend with was unfortunately overshadowed by tragedy when we arrived home. A note on our front door directed us to visit the neighbour who subsequently broke the news that our beloved cat Raymond had been killed by a car earlier in the day. I can't begin to describe how I felt at that moment. Raymond wasn't just a cat... he was Isaac's emotional saving grace. So, as you can well imagine, he was (and still is) devastated. We certainly haven't had the greatest of luck with our animals; being forced to re-home our dog and two cats shortly after Jobo was diagnosed and now the passing of Ray. This has left so many pieces to pick up where Isaac is concerned. The question is... Do we risk getting another one? Oh, and by the way, Ray, according to Isaac, died of natural causes. We felt it would alleviate some of the trauma.

On Wednesday the Hampshire police force wide Anthony Nolan stem cell and bone marrow donor recruitment drive continued, this time in the north of the county. As Karen Archer was unable to attend, her colleague Emma Parsons came along in her place. We were also joined by Chris Lewis, an inspirational man who was the recipient of life saving bone marrow six years ago after being diagnosed with stage four Lymphoma. The disease was so advanced he was given a very poor prognosis, therefore chemo and radiotherapy alone would not have sufficed. The only option left for him was a bone marrow transplant. Thanks to a 22 year old male donor from London (who has since wished to remain anonymous) the procedure was a success (as Chris is still around to tell the tale) however it has not been without numerous complications, leaving Chris unable to resume the lifestyle he had before the illness took hold. A successful business man who spent a great deal of time travelling the world, he has been forced to slow his pace right down and now devotes much of his time to charity work and speaking to various different audiences (including medical scientists) about his transplant experience and how it has subsequently impacted on his life. It was such an honour to meet him and witness for myself how somebody, who has been given that beautiful second chance of life, embraces every moment. He is a man who exudes so much gratitude, positivity and enthusiasm, it tends to rub off onto those around him. If only some of the public I police could get a dose of Chris Lewis. People just might think twice about allowing those unimportant, trivial issues to affect them in such a way they feel inclined to get the police involved. My colleagues and I would have our workload virtually halved! Please take the time to visit Chris's blog: www.chris-cancercommunity.blogspot.com and follow him on twitter: @christheeagle1. I do hope we get the opportunity to meet again.

The intention for Wedesday's recruitment drive was to spend the morning at Aldershot station before moving on to Basingstoke for a couple of hours in the afternoon. Unfortunately it didn't quite go to plan as the courier failed to show at Aldershot with the spit kits until 10 minutes after we had left for Basingstoke. It meant turning around which then delayed us. A minor blip (although poor Emma didn't think so!) but we still managed to recruit 13 further Hampshire officers and civilian staff onto the register, bringing the grand total to 43 since the drive began. I'm confident this figure will increase tenfold once the drive gathers momentum... and the couriers, who we often rely so heavily on, don't make any further faux pas!

 

A week chocka full of highs and lows... But then, that's how the Bowens roll.

As it's international nurses day today, I have put together a compilation of photos to music featuring an incredible group of people who have played such an enormous part in our lives over the past two years. They don't receive nearly enough credit for the work they do. A massive Jobo squeeze to every single one of you lovely ladies.. and Wilf! x 

Love to all. X

Sunday 5th of May 2013 - The port finally breaks through...

As we were expecting guests this evening, I was ever so organised and had today's blog entry virtually finished by mid morning. Unfortunately, in true Jobo style, a last minute dash to the hospital meant much of what was written had to be discarded. How I haven't gone completely grey remains a mystery to me!

This week I was contacted by Wilf (our specialist paediatric oncology nurse) and advised Joseph's port removal was to be delayed until the beginning of next month due to busy surgical lists. I immediately expressed my concerns about this as the port site hasn't been looking 'normal' for quite sometime, appearing as though it might possibly break through the skin. This is obviously not a complication we wished to face therefore asked if Wilf could use his powers of persuasion (and they're good!) to try and get Jobo in for surgery sooner, even if it meant heading over to Southampton to have the procedure done there. He was successful - after much to-ing and fro-ing between Joseph's consultants and surgical staff - and the port removal was brought forward to this Tuesday. Well, that was the plan until I noticed this afternoon that there was a half centimeter split in the skin covering the port, partially exposing the plastic device. Completely mortified I immediately contacted the children's assessment unit at the QA. The registrar advised to keep it covered and closely monitor for any further tearing. Upon feeding this back to Steven, he recontacted the hospital outlining the fact he wasn't happy and insisted Joseph be seen. We probably wouldn't have been so concerned had Joseph had limited mobility. He is, however, like a bull in a china shop and keeping him still is next to impossible. The more he moves around, the more likely further tearing will occur, leaving us with the real possibility of a gaping wound.

Upon arrival at the QA and examination by the duty registrar, it was felt the port needed to be looked at by a Vascular surgeon as he had never encountered such a scenario before. He expressed a couple of concerns - fairly major ones at that. The port sits very close to the heart so if it was to become more exposed, this could potentially pose a mammoth problem. It must also be taken into consideration the fact Joseph's been on the verge of neutropenia (minimal immunity) for the past few weeks. To have any sort of break in the skin could place him at serious risk of infection. The Vascular surgeon who came to examine Joseph was very nice indeed. He confirmed the port had evidently been eroding the skin for quite some time mainly due to the fact Joseph has grown so much since it was first put in. Although not ideal, he deemed the port safe to leave in until surgery on Tuesday as long as it was properly cleaned and a vacuum dressing placed on it for protection. He told me he would much prefer for a paediatric consultant and anaesthetist to perform the procedure rather than the staff on duty over the bank holiday weekend who have very little experience with children. They would only to it if absolutely necessary. Roll on Tuesday so we can be free of central lines once and for all. I know they're necessary but the worry they have caused a phenomenal amount of worry for us during the journey.

Although I wasn't overly happy about being in the hospital, Joseph lapped up all the attention and kept everyone very much entertained. Our dear friend nurse Mahbuba (whom we've known since she was a student nurse) was on the ward. As you can imagine, her name isn't the easiest to pronounce, particularly for a two and a half year old child. So, Joseph has resorted to calling her 'Boobies'... at the top of his voice. It was very funny indeed.

A very large glass of wine was on the cards for me upon returning home. Extremely relieved we evaded an overnight stay in hospital. We sincerely hope beyond hope that we experience no further blips as I really don't think the nerves are in a position to take much more.

This week Isaac turned eight, which we intend to celebrate more fully tomorrow. So, thank goodness we managed to get out of hospital tonight. I would have felt awful had we been forced to stay in,
forcing the lad to spend yet another special occasion hanging around in a hospital. To those of you who kindly sent gifts, Isaac is absolutely over the moon. Thank you for your thoughtfulness and generosity.

I visited HMS Sultan here in Gosport this week and met with Les Heyhoe, one of the biggest names in charity fundraising in this part of the World. He showed me around the senior rates mess and I immediately knew it would be an ideal venue to hold Joseph's end of treatment black tie event. At present I am still waiting to learn how much the tickets will be. I have been advised it will be in the region of between £50 and £60. If you are interested in coming along, please do either DM, FB message or email me so I can pop you on the list. We have received a number of enquiries already. With only 230 tickets available for the meal, don't delay or you may well miss out on what is going to be a fabulous evening... and the conclusion of the Bowen family's fundraising efforts.

This coming Wednesday Karen Archer from Anthony Nolan and I are off to Aldershot and Basingstoke police stations as part of the  Hampshire police force wide recruitment drive. Times and locations are featured on the main blog page beneath Joseph's picture. If you are a force employee or friend/relative of an employee and aged 16-30 (inclusive), please do come along and spit into a tube. You could well save a life one day.

It looks like we escaped the Pox....

Love to all. X

Sunday 28th of April 2013 - It's a BIG one!!

As a result of Joseph's exposure to Chicken pox and the fact the incubation period for the illness is between 10-14 days (we're currently on day 12), the removal of his port, scheduled for tomorrow, has had to be postponed. This is purely in case he does happen to succumb to the illness, which would mean the requirement for a course of IV anti viral drugs. As I have mentioned before, it makes sense to leave the port in situ for that little bit longer rather than subject him to the discomfort of having a cannula fitted. He has now been given until the 13th of May to show off his pride and joy. He seems to take pleasure in lifting his top up in the presence of complete strangers and exclaiming "this is my port".

Upon speaking with Wilf this week about the prospect of Joseph contracting chicken pox; I was told that he will be susceptible to it in the future even if he does happen to get it now. At present his body doesn't have the capability of building up any immunity to the disease so, it will mean the poor chap having to go through the spotty process all over again. I learnt this week that a mother, who knew her child had been exposed to chicken pox, allowed them to then come into contact with Joseph without forewarning. This person believed that it would do him no harm as (we have often heard people say) 'the more nasties Joseph is exposed to, the better his immunity will become'. This may well be the case for somebody who is fortunate enough to have a healthy immune system. For an immunocompromised person, particularly a child, it has the potential to be very dangerous. I feel more disappointment rather than anger towards this person. All she needed to do was check rather than assume.

The community nursing team are due to attend again tomorrow morning to access Joseph's port and take a further blood sample. This is due to the fact his last set of results revealed his neutrophils were a little on the low side. A little bit of a mystery really as he had quite a lengthy break from his chemo following his stay in hospital. This should have allowed his neutrophil count ample time to replenish. He has been fairly well in himself since his last stint in hospital but then you never know what his wee body might be trying to fend off behind the scenes.

The editing process has now begun in preparation for the blog to be published into a book. Josh Henderson from Zest publishing and I have had a couple of conversations about how we're going to go about it. Lots of planning is evidently involved but we're confident it will all come together quite nicely. We are aiming for August/Septemeber time as I wish to include details and pictures of the end of treatment black tie event.... which I should really start planning now that the marathon is over and done with!

Josh had kindly written a piece about why his company (www.zestpublishing.com) has chosen to help us in such an enormous way..

Hi my name is Josh Henderson, I run a publishing company and I am a bone marrow donor. I heard about bone marrow donation a couple of years ago whilst at University. I learnt how people can save lives and cure cancers such as leukaemia by donating cells. I was particularly interested in bone marrow donation as there was a lot of stigma surrounding the issue and I wanted to explore the possibilities for myself. Comments have been made about how painful the procedure is but it didn’t faze me, in fact it spurred me on. I simply do not understand how some people can comment on physical discomfort over the loss of a loved one. If I give a little time and experience some discomfort to save someone’s life and keep their family and friends from immense emotional pain then it is simply a small price to pay. It was a no brainer decision for me. 

I have been on the register for a couple of years and have been selected as a potential match for a person in Sweden but they had a better match. So I am waiting for my time to come and trying to promote bone marrow donation to friends and family. There is still an immense need for donors and there really needs to be a change of thought surrounding this type of donation. 

The donation system is fantastic, because as well as a national database it is also international. It really is magnificent to see how far medical treatment has come, how you and I can save someone’s life on the other side of the world, it just amazes me. Donors are needed now more than ever before and I just think if more people knew what they were capable of (to save a life) then more would donate. 

How I got involved with Joseph’s journey was an odd one. I run a company that publishes and markets books. One of my jobs is to find future publishing opportunities and I identify people who talk online about what they want to achieve etc. So I was doing my usual client finder routine and I saw a lady wanted to publish her son’s blogs about their journey. I approached Celine and I was simply blown away. I talked to Celine (Inspirational Mother as I am sure most people would agree) and got to know a little about what they were going through. It was surreal to see that I could help someone who was in need, especially in the area that I feel quite passionate about. I am very lucky to be in the position that I am in, I can help someone with just a little effort on my part.

I believe, as many people would agree, it’s not what you take from life but what you give. If I can give an opportunity or give someone a break then I am honoured to do so. I think publishing this blog is just fantastic. We can promote an inspirational story to help others through their own personal challenges and raise money at the same time. What’s not to love?

I am very glad that I have been involved with this story and I look forward to getting the message out there. 

It's so refreshing to know there are people out there like Josh who are willing to offer their time and expertise to help people like us - without the intention of making any profit, I must add. We are extremely grateful. In addition to what Josh wrote about bone marrow donation; Only 10% of donors are required to provide bone marrow (extracted from the base of the back whilst under general anaesthetic). The majority purely donate stem cells through giving blood which is far less invasive. If you would like to know more about how to become a donor (if aged 16-30 years inclusive) and what the process involves, visit www.anthonynolan.org

Well, for three days following the marathon, I walked as though I'd messed myself. I wisely took a couple of days off work to recuperate and then anchored myself to my office chair for a further two days as there was no way I was in a fit state to exert myself. The tenderness has now finally subsided and I'm fighting fit. So much so, I intend to tackle a run tomorrow evening.

Well, we got a rather nice surprise in the post a couple of days ago. Thanks to Jess Mahoney getting in touch with the Jaffa cake team at McVities, Joseph received a very special gift. There were expressions of pure joy on his part and he couldn't wait to get his gnashers into the 'BIG one' - a product McVities have only just released. Apparently it serves 12 people. Joseph clearly doesn't agree. The rest of us were extremely lucky to get a slice!

I finally got round to compiling some photographs of Joseph's journey accompanied by a very fitting song. Please click here to view.

Love to all. X

Monday 22nd of April 2013 - A weekend the Bowens will never forget

On Saturday morning Steven and I dropped the boys off at our friends the Burdens along with Joseph's last dose of chemo before heading up to London to prepare for the marathon. As soon as we left them, my mind started going into over drive; Had I done enough training? Would my injury rear its ugly head and stop me from completing the race? Would there be another terrorist attack? Would I finally succumb to the life threatening strain of man flu Steven has been tackling for over a week now? Every little sneeze and cough filled me with dread and I went to bed on Saturday night adamant I would wake up feeling like death. Fortunately the truck load of Eccinacea I consumed leading up to the big day did my immune system the world of good.

Although I went to bed early on Saturday, the nerves tended to get the better of me (as did my bladder) and I was waking up periodically throughout the night. At 3am I felt the urge to have a quick look at my fundraising pages to see if any further donations had appeared. Well..... I almost fell out of bed! Somebody, who evidently wishes to remain anonymous, had sponsored me a whopping £1,000! An absolutely incredible amount of money, taking me well over my £3,000 target. Whoever you are, we want to convey our sincerest thanks for your generosity. It boosted my spirits no end. So much so, there was no chance of me getting anymore sleep.

In true Celine style, my prep first thing yesterday morning went rather pear shaped.. just when the taxi was due to arrive. I had methodically laid eveything out before going to bed to prevent any further anxiety leading up to the race. This went out the window when I accidentally threw my tracking device in the bin! It was found just in time but not without some hyperventilation. Steven does despair of me at times. Can't blame him really.

Due to the increased security following Boston, my taxi was unable to drop me close to Greenwich park which meant having to walk a couple of miles to the 'green' starting area. On route through the park I met Kerry, a really nice lady, running for her local children's hospice in Ipswich. As she and I were aiming for exactly the same finish time, we thought it might be nice to keep one another company. Just prior to starting we encountered 'Foamy', the fire extinguisher, who was starting in the same zone as us. It never ceases to amaze me how these people run marathons lugging huge costumes around with them. Foamy's aim was to beat the world record of 4 hours 15 minutes. He seemed pretty confident he could do it!

My first six miles were fairly comfortable and flew by as a result of Kerry and I nattering. She was just what I needed to help alleviate the nerves. There was a lot of dodging of people for quite sometime, particularly when all three zones merged into one. Kerry and I managed to stick together until mile seven which was when I started to feel a bit queasy, forcing me to slow my pace down. I'm pretty certain it was due to the unexpected warm weather; something I'm not used to as all my training has been in much cooler temperatures. I could tell I was holding Kerry back so told her to crack on without me, which she eventually did. After thoroughly hydrating myself and taking it easy for a couple of miles, I began to enjoy the run and the incredible atmosphere. Sadly I didn't see Kerry again even though I have since learnt she finished only a minute before me.

If you haven't run a marathon yourself, it's virtually impossible to describe the exhilarating feeling the crowd provides as they cheer you on. Hundreds of people shouted at 'Jobo's Mum' to keep going which helped instill that belief that she could make it, even when her feet didn't feel like her own. Steven warned me not to take sweets off strangers, but that woman who kindly gave me the handful of jelly beans at mile 21 honestly saved me from keeling over.

I finally 'flew' across the finish line at four hours, forty minutes and 31 seconds accompanied by four black toenails, two bleeding blisters and chaffing in areas I didn't know one could chaff. My one and only marathon, a lifelong ambition, firmly ticked off my bucket list... and I couldn't have done it for a more worthy charity. Oh, and I beat Foamy... only by ten minutes though! He didn't crack the world record but he's still a legend in my eyes.

After ducking and diving through the crowds with the limited energy I had left, I met with the CLIC Sargent greeting team who conveyed us to the Northumberland hotel for the charity's reception. There I was fed (although I wasn't overly hungry) and treated to a post marathon massage by one of a team of masseurs tasked to put us all back together again. It was touch and go whether I could bring myself to have one as my emergency knickers and leggings hadn't quite made it to the hotel before it was my turn. I didn't have the heart to tell the lovely chap the real reason why I was completely saturated. It wasn't my intention... but every single portaloo on route had a queue a mile long. Apparently professional athletes don't stop to relieve themselves. Look at Paula Radcliffe! Now, my Mother-in-law advised me it was probably best I left that particular piece of information out of my entry... but my feeling is that, although rather gross, it was part of the whole experience. I have no doubt I wasn't the only one who thought 'what the heck!'

At the reception Steven and I were joined by Nikki Walker and her parents along with Diane Lane and two of her children. Nikki and Diane have been following Joseph's journey for quite sometime and it was quite something to have them come to London to cheer me on in person. Lovely people!

 

It was soon time to head back to the Burdens to pick up the wee men before heading home. Judging from the photos God Daddy Trevor and Hayley took, the boys had a tremendous time. It was certainly a load off our shoulders not having to convey the boys up to London.

Nurse Theresa arrived first thing this morning to access Joseph's port and take a blood sample. Joseph, of course, was kitted up and ready to dispose of her rubbish. I asked her if she looks after any other children like Joseph. Her answer? "No, Joseph is very unique." We tend to agree! Surprisingly the blood results were back by midday. They revealed Joseph's count is fine, however his neutrophils have dropped. So, once again, he's on the verge of becoming neutropenic. As a result, Wilf wants another count done next Monday. Until his neutrophils start showing signs of improvement, he will need to be closely monitored, which is understandable. Although treatment has finished, his immunity is still very poor, leaving him susceptible to picking up all sorts of nasties. It would be nice to be able to stop worrying about him so much. But, that probably won't happen... ever!

Wilf and I also discussed Joseph's port removal. We currently face a dilemma. It is scheduled to be removed on the 29th of April, however the incubation period of chicken pox falls beyond that date. If he does start to show symptoms of the disease he will need a course of anti viral infusions which would be much easier to administer with the port in situ. So, it looks like surgery may well be delayed for a little bit longer. To be perfectly honest, we would rather that happen than have the wee man endure the discomfort of having a cannula fitted.

A week of ups and downs but we're still standing... Well, I am kind of. It's not likely I'll be moving far from the sofa tomorrow. A MASSIVE thank you to everyone involved in making Sunday a reality... from friends who kindly watched the boys whilst I trained to all those who sponsored me, believing that I could do it. And, lastly, a special thank you to my wonderful husband, whose life I don't make particularly easy at times. He said to me, following the race.. "There are sayers and doers in this life Celine, and you're a doer. I'm really proud of you." That comment in itself has made all the pain worthwhile. 

Photos from the past couple of days have been placed on Flickr. The professional ones can be found by visiting: http://results-2013.virginlondonmarathon.com/2013/ Enter my bib number: 27698. Click on my name and then the 'my race photos' icon.

Love to all. X