My Year of Hell

It all started just before Christmas 2005, my son had a really bad cough and he was having problems sleeping! So 3 days before Christmas, the doctor prescribed antibiotics to clear up any infection, but instead of getting better he seem to get worse, the day after boxing day, we took him to the doctors again, and were too told to take him immediately to the hospital as they thought he had pneumonia. After being admitted to the children’s ward, he was put on a ventilator to help him breath, and then underwent numerous tests, had a chest drain to drain the fluid from his chest cavity to help him breath more easily. The next day he look loads better, the day of his 16th birthday, then the doctor asked if she could have a word, she took us into a side room, where she explained that his chest wasn't draining properly, that it was filling back up again, she was referring us to QMC, where he would be examined for cancer! My heart raced as I struggled to understand what she telling us. This couldn't be right, he only came in with pneumonia, he couldn't have cancer, it was a nightmare, but NOOOO, it was no nightmare, just a living hell! We sat down and told our son together, what news to receive on your 16th birthday, the day you should be celebrating, not wired up to damn hospital machines, being told you may have cancer! His eyes welled with tears, and softly he sobbed "Oh Mum! Why me?" To this day I still can't answer that one tiny plea!

So the day after his birthday, we make the 20 mile trip in an ambulance to QMC, where he is admitted to the children’s cancer ward, the specialist explains that he thinks Alex has Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL), a kind of lymph cell cancer, but until they can stabilise his condition, and do more tests they won't be sure for a few days, The next few days are a nightmare, as he undergoes more and more tests, has yet another chest drain fitted, and biopsies are taken, he looked so small laying there, so pale and sad! I honestly believed that we would lose him, as he seemed to lose the will to fight.

But slowly as his breathing improved, he started to be more like his self again, and yes he was diagnosed with NHL on the 9th January 2006! The next 6 months I spent it in and out of QMC with him as he underwent the treatment to cure him, the chemo, the lumbar punctures and the blood transfusions, when his blood count was low.

The staff were brilliant, and we were one of the lucky ones, our son was given the all clear in Dec 2008, but others on the ward were not so lucky!

In Sept 2006 my son started attending school again, and slowly his life began to get back to normal, but in November 2006, cancer once more rocked our world, when my mother in law was diagnosed with stomach cancer after going into hospital to have her gall bladder removed. She wasn't so lucky and died 6 weeks after being diagnosed and was buried on my son's 17th birthday.

2006 was my Annus Horriblus or my year of living hell!