A LONG TIME AGO,

IN A COUNTY FAR FAR AWAY...

In 1989 I contracted Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and was admitted onto Ward 8 of Treliske Hospital under the care of the Consultant Oncologist Dr Daily.  I was successfully treated with a combination of chemotherapy (at Treliske) and radiotherapy (at Freedom Fields Hospital)

In April 2013 I started getting bad headaches so I went to the GP and because there is a history of migraines in the family they tried me on tablets to treat migraines and with in a week the pain went away.

That October, while at work, I suffered a seizure and was subsequently was diagnosed with a brain tumour which was thought to be the size of an egg.  On the 19th November I was admitted to Salford Royal for surgery to remove the tumour the next morning with a projected stay of up to 5 days.

When I got into theatre things didnt go according to plan, turned out the tumour was over 3 times the size they thought resulting in the operation taking 2hrs longer than planned. When I came round i had lost the ability to move both my legs and my left arm.  When the dust settled Mr Legget came and told me that the tumour had been more invasive than originally thought but he assured me that he still had confidence I could make a full recovery but it would just take longer now.

I was transfered onto Ward H7, the first few days were tough for me mentally and physically but with the help of all the staff there I exceeded expectations and, on the 6th January, was discharged from Salford Royal to a rehab ward (Broadfield) at a local hospital.

I am back on my feet now more or less (with the help of sticks) but am about to undergo the second phase of treatment.  I'm due to start a 6 week course of radiotherapy which they informed me, back in October when this all started, would cause my hair to all fall out.  It was back then that I was talking to the ward manager, Elaine Bloomfield, because I had decided to try and raise some money for some bariactric equipment for the ward. It was then that she mentioned what the ward could really do with was a Bladder Scanner and that she already had some charitable funds put aside but it was slow going.

It was at that point that I decided to take an item from my bucket list (having a barbers shave with a cut throat razor) and turn it into a fund raising opportunity. Since I already knew what it was like to watch as your hair all falls out from the first time I was ill I decided this time I would just get it all shaved off :)