Hi everyone, thanks for visiting my JustGiving page.  The page is for me, my family and friends to raise money for Yorkhill Childrens Foundation, all of the money raised will go to Schiehallion Ward (Paediatric Oncology and Haematology) and Ward 66 at the Southern General Hospital (Paediatric Neurosurgery). (For details of the charity events my family and friends are planning please see the bottom of 'My Story'.)

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UPDATE 24/06/10

Hi Everyone, i can't believe that we have exceeded my target already!!  Thank you so much!!

I am in Schiehallion ward at the moment recovering from my high strength chemo and stem cell transplant.  I was very unwell for a couple of weeks but my blood counts are coming up now and i am getting better every day.  I will have more scans after my recovery and will probably then go on to have radiotherapy, but i should be able to go home and stay at home for any further treatment, which will be great.

I was at home for a whole 4 weeks before the high strength chemo and i had a lovely time with family and friends playing in my garden, going to the park and going out to cafes for babychinos!  I even got to celebrate my 2nd birthday with a jungle themed party.

Unfortunately my Daddy was unable to go on the cycle run as it coincided with my high strength chemo.  I would like to say a huge thank you to my Daddy's friends Steve Fraser, John Towie, Alan White, Colin Irvine and Craig Hull who completed the cycle run to raise money for my challenge.  I would also like to say thanks to Natalie Harran and the staff of Bruichladdich for giving the guys a VIP tour of the distillery and donating to my challenge.

I would like to say a special thank you to some other people who have organised events to raise money for my challenge:

   Marrianne Carson for organising a sponsored bounce

   Arlene Goodwin and Laura for running the ladies 10k

   Moira Gray and the Kilbarchan Junior Choir

   Students and Staff at QMA for selling cup cakes and having a charity football match

   Teresa Doran and Denise McGuigan for organising a raffle

Thank you to all who donated in memory of Paul Jackson.

My Mummy and Daddy will let you know dates for the Afternoon Tea Party and the climb of Schiehallion Mountain very soon.

My Daddy will be running the Great Scottish Run half marathon and my Mummy will be running the 10k on the 5th September with some friends (all welcome).

I will let you all know when i get home!!

Lots of love Aidan x x x

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My Name is Aidan Linden, I am nearly 2 years old.  On the 1st November 2009 I was diagnosed with a brain tumour. 

For a few weeks before I was diagnosed with the tumour I felt really unwell, I was being sick loads, stopped walking and talking and developed a squint.

The doctors took a scan of my head which showed a large tumour at the back of my brain (cerebellum), the tumour was blocking the flow of the fluid around my brain causing increased pressure.  I was admitted to Ward 66 at the Southern General Hospital straight away and had to go for emergency surgery to release the pressure.

The next morning I went for further surgery to try to remove the tumour.  The doctors managed to remove 90% of the tumour from my brain but further scans showed that the tumour had spread to my spinal cord.

A few days later the doctors were able to tell us the kind of tumour I have, it is called Medulloblastoma, it is the most common type of malignant brain tumour in children.  About 80 children are diagnosed with medulloblastoma in the UK every year, but usually they are a bit older than me (between age 3 and 8). 

After I recovered from my surgery I was transferred to Schiehallion Ward at Yorkhill Childrens Hospital for Chemotherapy.  When I arrived there I had to have another operation to have a central line inserted (which I call my wiggly).  I need to have five cycles of chemotherapy and then one cycle of high dose chemotherapy followed by a stem cell transplant.  I may also need to have radiotherapy after that.  

The chemo is quite intense, it makes me feel sick and have an upset tummy.  I don't really eat much food any more but have a special feeding tube that goes into my tummy to give me all the nutrients I need.  The chemo has also made all my hair, eyebrows and eyelashes fall out and it makes me more likely to get infections, so I can't have too many visitors.  My mum and dad are always with me and one of them stays over in my room at night.  My grandparents and aunts and uncles visit regularly and sometimes my granny or grandad stay over.

So far I have been in Schiehallion ward for 5 months (about a quarter of my lifetime).  A few days after the surgery the squint went away and i started talking again (now mum and dad say they can't get a word in).  I am not able to walk on my own yet but I love running up and down the ward holding my mum and dad's hand, or going on the toy tractors and cars. At first i was scared of the nurses and doctors but now i think they're nice, they tickle my tummy and let me listen to their stethoscope.  I also love going to the playroom and have lots of fun with the play specialists Terry and Linda. 

If my blood counts are ok I am sometimes allowed out a walk and my mum and dad take me to Kelvingrove Park.  I like going really high on the swings and throwing pennies in the fountain.  Sometimes I am even allowed to go home for one or two nights.  It is great when I go home, I get to play with all my toys (all at once!) and to sleep in my own bed! 

I want to say a huge thank you to the doctors, nurses and all staff on both wards, they do an amazing job looking after all the boys and girls.  Even  though all of the children are ill, we are not sad, the staff do lots of things to keep us happy and smiling and work really hard to make us better.

Here is a list of the events that my family and friends are organising:

   My Dad and some of his work collegues will be doing a charity cycle ride across some of the Scottish islands. The ride starts on the 10th June and lasts for 3 days, they will be cycling over 200 miles and will make their way across Arran, Bute, Islay, and Jura.

   My Mum is holding an afternoon tea party (date to be confirmed).

   My Uncle James is doing The Great South Run.

   My Mum and Dad are going to climb Schiehallion Mountain (date to be confirmed)

   My Dad and a number of friends (all welcome) are running the Great Scottish Run half marathon on the 5th September.

Finally I would like to say a thank you to everyone for all the lovely cards and gifts I have received and for your thoughts and prayers.  I will keep you up to date on my progress.

Lots of Love Aidan x x x

 

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