Just a reminder if you shop on-line at stores such as John Lewis, Amazon, Play.com and HMV, then please go to them each time via http://www.buy.at/radiohillingdon In doing so, you will still only pay the usual price for your goods but Hospital Radio Hillingdon will receive commission. Ta!

Ann and K had a great time fishing today as the sun shone! They went to the father of a friends house "somewhere near Andover" according to Ann, where Jonny taught Kiera how to angle! As a result K caught a couple of salmon and Ann three brown trout. They were all fortunate enough to be thrown back! Jonny has given K some of his old fishing tackle so no doubt we'll be off somewhere else with a lake soon. Thanks to Jonny and John for fixing it all up.

Mike Hamblin completed his 8.2 mile run in 62 mins 52 secs and has raised around £900 for Momentum. Thanks to him for doing it and to everybody who sponsored him. A fantastic achievement!

Tomorrow we're off to McLaren in Woking, then Tuesday and Wednesday we 're off to London Zoo. Next Saturday K has a chocolate fountain party so quite busy and hopefully we're not cramming in too much before the chemo starts!

 

Don't know if you've seen the film "Kinky Boots" but it's about a shoe making company in Northampton that, to make money, starts to make big boots for "men that dress as ladies". Well, it was based on a true story and the hotel I'm in as I write this was host to the cast and crew of the film. I'm in Northampton for the National Hospital Radio Awards, it's about 3am and I'm on a bit of a high after receiving the "John Whitney" award, which is presented to a person who has made an outstanding contribution to Hospital Radio. It's sponsored and decided by The Radio Academy so I'm really chuffed to have been only the third person to recieve it. Gerard Conway, also from Radio Hillingdon won the silver award in the best male presenter category.

I also had a chat with the Mayor of Northampton. Spent 20 minutes talking to him then asked if he could get me a ticket for the British F1 GP that's held in his county. Guess what? He doesn't even get one! What a waste of 20 minutes! Anyway a few pictures of me getting my award may appear here soon!

Nighty night!

Kiera continues to be in "good health". We really are surprised but pleased that she continues to be active and able to do things that a few weeks ago she couldn't. Today she went to the King Charles Adult Education Centre in Surbiton to do some pottery and throw some pots. You can see from the photo that she had a really good time. Thanks to Momentum for arranging this and also to Derek for showing how it should be done! We are taking advantage of her good health at the moment as, once the chemo starts on 16th April, her health will obviously deteriorate. On Sunday, while I recover from the National Hospital Radio Awards in a hotel room in Northampton, Kiera and Ann are going.......trout fishing!  While we're doing these things, Mike will be doing the sponsored run for Momentum and so far he's reached £760. If you're planning to sponsor him, please do so, don't put it off! Click here! It would be nice if we could reach £1000!

On Monday we're having a visit to the McLaren site in Woking (guess I'll go to that!), and on Tuesday Kiera has been granted her wish from Rays of Sunshine and we'll be at London Zoo. So lots to keep her occupied and of course, I'll let you all know how things have gone.

Have a good weekend and thanks for your continued love, support, kindness and best wishes!

 

Kiera had her last blast of radiotherapy to her head on Tuesday and yesterday had a bone marrow biopsy. The biopsy involved a general anaesthetic and then removal of bone marrow from her pelvis, through two small holes in her back which is still a bit sore from the op. Over the last few days she has continued to improve in her strength, morale and general demeanour and it's been great watching her draw, paint and do general arty stuff that's been beyond her capabilities recently. The radiotherapy is a gradual process and we hope that it's a good sign that she is making a recovery but there is still the chance that she may go "downhill" as it takes effect. Her chemo is scheduled to start on 16th April (a day before her birthday) but it will allow us to have some quality family time together over the Easter holidays.

Thanks to everyone once again for your messages and support. You continue to give us the strength to carry on. Thanks also to everyone who has sponsored Mike on his 10k run. There is still time to do so by visiting the "Just Giving" site. Momentum have some big plans to improve the life of children in Kingston Hospital and you can be part of it!

Well, just one more dose of radiotherapy tomorrow and then after a weeks break, Kiera will start on more chemotherapy. The chemo is being funded by our insurance company which is good news! For the last few days she has been exceptionally well considering the amount of treatment she's received. Over the weekend Kiera and some friends went to the flower show at Hampton Court and they all had a good time, but she does still get tired very easily, a by-product of the treatment.

So last radiotherapy tomorrow and a small bone marrow op on Wednesday is the plan for this week.

Thanks to all who have so far sponsored Mike on his run on 1st April. The target of £200 was beaten and last time I checked it was over £500. Don't forget that all the money raised will go to Momentum.

A friend of ours, Mike Hamblin, will be entering the Kingston Breakfast Run on 1st April and will use this to raise funds for Momentum. If you'd like to sponsor him, please visit his "Just Giving" site here and sign up. Thanks, Mike!

MONDAY 12TH UPDATE! Thanks to all who have generously sponsored Mike so far. His initial target of £200 had been smashed, but please don't let that put you off if you're still planning to sponsor him. Plus, Gift Aid makes is swelling the amount everytime someone signs up.

Kiera's radiotherapy is continuing this week. She's doing "fine" but the radiotherapy is taking its toll and she gets tired quite easily. The shingles have responded well to the treatment and we've heard that our insurers will cover the chemo treatment should the PCT not, so all is going as well as we could hope for.

A few weeks ago I mentioned that Kiera had taken part in a short promotional video for Momentum. That video is now on-line and can be found here. (It's 18MB, so a broadband connection would help!)

Kiera had her first dose of radiotherapy to her brain today. Although the actual process of delivering it is pain free, there's a rather uncomfortable procedure that she had to go through first, and that was to make a mask of her face. This involved a "U" shaped piece of plastic that had a plastic mesh across it. This was heated up in warm water and while she was laying down, pushed over her face and down past her ears to the table that she was laying on. The plastic was then fixed to the table until it was set and then she had to undergo various scans and an x rays. The mask was then marked so that the radiotherapy machine will concentrate in the same area each time. There are more details about how it's done, here. The radiotherapy will be over 2 weeks this time, and then there will be some chemotherapy, which will be different from the last. It will probably be taken by mouth and it is not a registered drug so our consultant will need to apply to the PCT for extra funding for it. We may also have to fall back on to our private health care policy for it, but that's a few weeks away, anyway.

Her shingles are clearing up and she has been eating for England! She's doing well! Tonight shouldd be her last night in Kingston.

Thanks to everyone, once again for the comments, it is really helping her along!

This afternoon, Kiera was visited at home by Kim from "Save the World Club", a Kingston based charity who have been responsible for a lot of the wonderful mosaics that you see around Kingston. Kim and her colleagues have recently completed a wonderful mosaic at the entrance of the Children's wards at Kingston Hospital. It really brightens the entrance up and makes it more welcoming. It was arranged that Kiera would have a couple of friends over after school and they would create their own mosaic masterpieces. They all did a mosaic of their hand and Kim has taken them away to be finished off. Many of you will know that Kiera really enjoys this kind of activity so thanks to Kim and also Bianca from Momentum for arranging this diversion!

Kiera was due to have a bone marrow op tomorrow but that has been cancelled due to her shingles, which are responding well to the treatment. However, we'll still be going to the Marsden where her radiotherapy will be planned and, I understand, begin.

You wouldn't believe the afternoon that Kiera and her friends had today! Kiera had been told that they were going in to London in a mini bus, but that was a lie! They were met outside the school gates by a stretched limo and were ferried to the show in real style! They all received Mama Mia goodie bags and were treated like VIPs. It was so nice to see Kiera enjoying the company of her friends and it has made a real difference to her after all the recent bad news.

I would really like to thank everyone for this day! To Momentum and especially Bianca, to the staff and management at Mama Mia! and The Prince of Wales Theatre, to Wild Stretch Limousines and ichauffeur for providing the transport and to Mr Logan at school for allowing Kieras friends the afternoon off. Everyone was so kind to the girls and it has really made Kiera's day.

 

Thanks!

Kiera is back in Kingston hospital again. This time it's to treat a bout of shingles that have appeared on her arm and has been very painful for her. St Georges originally gave her anti biotics by mouth to treat it but they didn't work. Now she has to have an infusion through her Hickman line three times a day. The process takes about an hour and a quarter, so she can come out during the day...which is good news as it's Mama Mia tomorrow for her and 4 of her friends. In the meantime, she and Ann will spend the nights in Kingston.

 

Kiera's back home this afternoon, via Kingston where she had the staples in her head removed. Not too painful a procedure and soothed by the offer of £1 per staple, so that's probably the easiest £21 she'll earn!

She and some friends are planning to see "Mama Mia" in London on Monday afternoon, followed on Tuesday by a "Mosaic Party" at home with some friends and the team who are doing the mosaic in the children's wards at Kingston.

Wednesday it's off to the Marsden where she will have a bone marrow test, which involves another spell under general anaesthetic. Then later in the day she'll meet the radiologist where her next treatment for her brain tumour will be planned.

She's come home with more drugs than Boots which will see her through until the radio therapy starts. As for chemo, there will be more at some time.

It's been confirmed that the cyst on Kiera's brain is a tumour, in fact it's Ewings Sarcoma, the one that she had in her chest and had just finished an intensive course of radiotherapy at the Marsden. The Neurosurgeon at St Georges, Mr Stapleton has said that it is not in Kieras best interest for him to operate at this moment to remove it, as it would affect a substantial part of Kieras physical and mental abilities.

We've been told that it's extremely rare for Ewing's to move into the brain. Having spoken to the oncology consultant at Marsden today, we believe that there will be radiotherapy and chemotherapy involved in her treatment. We'll know more tomorrow. On the plus side, her bone scan has not shown up any problems and the tumour in the chest has responded well to the treatment.

Kiera is happy that she is not going to be starved for an op, and on finding out that it was Ewing's, she said "Well at least they know how to treat it!".

STOP PRESS! Had a text from Ann earlier this evening to say that they will be discharged from St Georges tomorrow (Thursday) and will be coming home prior to the start of the next treatment.

On Tuesday, Kiera started show symptoms similar to when she first had the cyst on the brain episode, so we promptly took her into Kingston, where a scan showed that the cyst was swelling and that there was some blood leaking as well. So she has been transferred to St Georges again, (she ain't chuffed!). Tonight we spoke to the duty neurosurgeon who has looked at the scans and believes that they will probably have to go in to Kieras head again and drain some more. They may leave a little tap there as well, just in case. Once Kiera was started on the steroids, anti biotics and pain killers, she perked up and was well enough to tuck in to a pizza.

We still have our meeting with the consultant on Wednesday, Ann will probably go to that while I look after K.

In the meantime, there is a picture of Kieras wound which is held together with about 20 staples. Kiera thinks it's funny that the surgeon who did them was Mr Stapleton!

Kiera and Ann arrived home this afternoon at about 4pm. Thanks to Jackie, Bizzy and Alex for bringing them back! Kiera is still in some discomfort as you would expect for someone who had neurosurgery just a few days ago but the quietness of our location, compared with a ward full of screaming kids, and the comfort of Moony her cat, will make such a big difference to her morale and recovery. Now we just wait for the biopsy result.

The last week has been really difficult for us and we all send you our thanks and love for the support that we've had. Thank you so much, it's been your thoughts and kindness that has kept us going.

Hopefully my next blog entry will be the result of the biopsy and what positive steps we'll be taking to get to the light at the end of the tunnel.

Kiera continues to amaze everyone with her recovery from yesterdays surgery! This morning, just after I got there at about 11, the drain was removed from her head and although she's heavily bandaged, she is now reasonable mobile. The surgeon came round and was so pleased with her that he thought she could be home tomorrow as long as her recovery stays on course, which really boosted her. He said that the cyst was about the size of a tangerine and that it must have been really bad for her. That's all behind her now, although there are still clips in her head that are keeping the bone and skin together. They should be out in a week or so. Now we just wait for the results of the biopsy before we know what form the treatment will take. We had a good run round the hospital in her wheelchair and fed the fish (again). The other positive thing is that the scans that she had on Monday didn't show up anything else, which we are relieved about!

Kiera went into surgery as expected at 10am and we were told it would take 2 hours, which it did! We met her in recovery just after mid day where she was in some discomfort and somewhat annoyed at having TWO cannula's in her arm. "Haven't they heard of Hickman lines?" was her complaint! She also has a drain coming out from her heavily bandaged head. As the afternoon progressed, both the surgeon and anaesthetist came over to check on her and they were both happy with her progress and the operation. We were expecting a 4 - 6 hour spell in recovery but this stretched to nearly 7 hours, by which time madame was climbing up the wall with boredom one minute and asking for more morphine the next. She has now been moved to a small 6 bed children's ward, much to her disgust, but when I left her at 8 this evening she was tucking in to pasta and complaining about the noisy football commentary coming from one of the other beds. Ann is a real star as well and will be staying with her tonight. Both the cannula's have been removed.

Tomorrow they hope to remove the drain and then we just have to wait for the result of the biopsy that performed this morning. It was mentioned that if she is well enough she may be able to come home until the analysis is completed. That will be a real bonus and fillip for her. At the moment though, we're in limbo. I'll be off to see them again tomorrow and I've printed out all of your messages for them to read. I really don't know how to thank you all for them, it really DOES mean a lot to us!

A reasonably quiet day for K with just one visit to the CT scan this afternoon. Bianca from Momentum visited her this afternoon which really perked her up and the some school friends came over. So we took the opportunity to go and feed the starving fish in the hospital pond!

Kiera is scheduled for her op tomorrow morning at 10am, so everything is crossed! Once again, thanks to all for the texts and messages, it's a real comfort to know that we have so many people rooting for us. I'm printing off all the messages left here and taking them in to Kiera and Ann. If you do leave a message, please leave your name as well as most people are coming up as "anonymous".

Ta!

While I was on the way to St Georges in Tooting, I started getting a shooting pain in my side and groin. Having experienced kidney stones a few times before, I rang Ann and told her that I was diverting to Kingston Hospital. By the time I got there I was in real pain. In the meantime, Kiera and Ann had managed to get some time out of St Georges and go out for lunch with Kieras Uncle Alex and Auntie Dianne. They came over to Kingston and the roles were reversed when Kiera and Ann came in to visit me in A & E. A short while later I went in for tests, an x-ray and some pain relief and I'm pleased to report that I seem OK now. I think I may have passed the stone as my water is no longer tinged with blood and there is no pain.

Anyway, back to the 2 ladies! I went over to see them this evening and K is quite understandably worried about the future. She is not suffering any headaches and so has been moved from the usual "emergency" slots in theatre set aside on Mondays and is now booked in for sometime on Tuesday. Monday will see her having more scans across her whole body area. The plan for Tuesday is to go inside, drain the liquid and then take a biopsy sample. We expect to know the result of that biopsy before the end of the week and that will form her next treatment.

Ann has been inundated with text messages of support, which we all appreciate. I hope you understand that it is not always possible to reply to them all as she has to devote her time to caring for Kiera.

I promise that as soon as I know anything, I'll post it here.

Thanks for your love, care and support.

 

Jeff

The latest is that it appears to be a fluid filled cyst which is probably malignant and will require draining. K has been told not to eat anything today (which makes her more grumpy than anything else!) as there may be some surgery later.

Latest at 11.25am. No op today! K is tucking in to breakfast (with a pizza delivery number on stand-by!)

I've spent the day with K and A, they've now been transferred to Nichol Ward, Rm 22 at St Georges in Tooting. K seems well but gets tired. Still no indication of what the problem is. K had an MRI scan this afternoon and the neurosurgeon was going to discus it at about 7pm but was called away on an emergency, so we're still waiting for the expert opinion.

For the last couple of days Kiera has been complaining of a headache, sometimes so severe that it woke her up during the night. This morning Ann took K to Kingston as she had also started to be sick. This afternoon, following a CT scan we were shown a dark patch that had appeared over a large part of half of her brain. We don't know what it is and of course it is worrying. K and A are in Kingston now and K is on anti biotics, steroids and anti-fungal treatment. The scans were biked over to a specialist and we're waiting for the next step, which could be a move to St Georges (oh joy!) in Tooting for further investigation.

When I left them this evening, K had picked up and was in bed, eating doughnuts and watching "The Lion King".  I will of course keep you all updated as we know more.

Love to you all!

Those are the words that Kiera wanted to hear today, and that's exactly what she was told. When she and Ann got to the Marsden, there were balloons tied to her sticker chart (she got a sticker for each day of the six weeks she attended, she didn't miss one!) and she also received some small gifts and a certificate signed by all the staff. It really does feel like another hurdle jumped! Now we have to wait for three months to discover what effect the radiotherapy has had, and in the meantime there'll be maintenance chemotherapy at three weekly intervals.

At the beginning, 6 weeks seemed like a long time, but now there's just one week left of the planned radiotherapy. Kiera is bearing up to it well but we can see some differences in her. She has been tired but managing to do at least half a day at school and continue to go to guides on a Friday evening, so a big thumbs up to her!

The radiotherapy continues but it seems to be affecting her recovery from the chemo sessions that run concurrently. She was due for a session a week last Monday but blood counts were below a required level. They're gradually improving and yesterday the Marsden called and asked for her to come in for chemo. The session is much shorter and the chemo seems less aggressive to the extent that her eye brows are starting to re-appear. Her progress is certainly encouraging!

The newly re-designed web site for Momentum has been launched. Lots of info and pictures at http://www.moment-um.org/index.html

 

Been a bit of a week this week. Although K appears to be fine, the effects of the continuing radiotherapy is taking it's toll. She's staring to get quite tired and her throat is hurting and if that wasn't enough she seems to have a bit of a cough and cold. If you don't have shares in Kleenex, get some 'cos she's going through them at a rate of knots! Anyway, nothing planned for this weekend so time to rest and relax before the fourth week of radiotherapy starts.

I've added a picture of what the radiotherapy machine looks like. Basically K lies on a table, it's lined up using lasers targeting small marks that were "tattooed" on her and the unit just rotates. A few minutes later the procedure is finished! Completely painless at source!

Today, Kiera and lots of other children who have been treated at Kingston Hospital took part in making a short documentary about Momentum, the charity based at the Hospital. The film will be shown at the Venetian Ball in February and will also be seen on The Community Channel (Sky and NTL/Telewest). Parents were also interviewed about how they felt when attending the hospital and how Momentum has helped them. Jacqueline Wilson was once again kind enough to visit and read to the children and be filmed. If nothing else, the hanging around and waiting has re-enforced Kieras desire not to follow in the footsteps of the other Keira from Teddington and pursue a career in acting! While she was there, Kiera had some blood taken as she's a few weeks since her last chemo and is doing OK. (This was also filmed!).

Well, either Ann or I have taken Kiera to the Royal Marsden each weekday since 2nd Jan and Kiera is a bit of an old hand at the radiotherapy malarkey! Straight on to the table, line up with the lasers and a few minutes it's all over. It's really strange watching this happen as there's no physical contact yet we've been told that it will result in the loss of 28% of her lung capacity at the end of the treatment. That sounds worse that it is as many people survive on just one lung! They've added a couple of extra days for the radiotherapy but this is normal. Kiera is remarkably well, all things considering. On Tuesday evening she went to see Kylie and enjoyed it thoroughly and continues to go to school as well.

        ***** VENETIAN MASKED BALL AND DINNER *****

 

                               FRIDAY 16^TH FEBRUARY 2007 (7.30PM)

 

                              LANDMARK ARTS CENTRE TEDDINGTON

 

 

Why not start of the New Year by planning a fantastic night out?  The Kingston-based charity, MOMENTUM, have joined forces with top West End theatrical events company, ACT ONE EVENTS, to arrange a fabulous VENETIAN MASKED BALL AND DINNER.  Tickets for this one-off event would be ideal for a special occasion or to entertain clients.  Why not buy a whole table?

 

The evening will be truly spectacular (as you would expect from a company who have worked on renowned stage shows such as MAMMA MIA!)  As you arrive at the Landmark Arts Centre in Teddington, you will be ushered into the stunning gothic interior of this former church, which will be completely transformed into a Venetian ballroom!  As you sip your complimentary champagne cocktail, you will be entertained by a live 12-piece orchestra!  You can then relax and enjoy a four-course banquet, after which you will have the opportunity to bid for fantastic, Italian-themed ‘lots’ in an auction, under the expert gavel of a Christie’s auctioneer.

 

Then dance the night away.  A glittering night to remember!

 

THE VENETIAN MASKED BALL AND DINNER will cost £70 a ticket and they are selling fast.  There are also a limited number of V.I.P. tickets available, seated on a raised platform in the Chancel, with a fabulous view of the evening’s proceedings and a complimentary bottle of champagne per pair of tickets.  These are £100 each.

 

Most important of all, all proceeds from this memorable evening will go to MOMENTUM, a registered charity supporting children with cancer and other life threatening conditions.  MOMENTUM’s next project is to completely redesign and re-equip the playroom and the teenager’s room in the paediatric unit at Kingston Hospital, which admits children from all over Surrey.

 

DRESS CODE – BALLGOWNS AND BLACK TIE (OR EVEN TAILS!)

 

 

To reserve your tickets please call 020 8255 0945

or e-mail contact@moment-um.org. 

 

We accept debit and credit cards.

 

www.moment-um.org

Registered charity no.1106677

Happy New Year to you All! We had a splendid Christmas and New Year without any need to go into isolation, which was our biggest fear over the festive period. On 2nd Jan, K went to Marsden for her next dose of chemotherapy and also to start her daily dose of radiotherapy. Understandably she was very nervous about this new treatment and it kept her awake for a lot of the night of the 1st Jan. But she overcame her fear and today she had her second dose before returning home with Ann. The chemo is quite low dose so we're hoping that she'll be staying away from Kingston over the next few weeks.

The radiotherapy is given everyday and K attends as an outpatient. It only takes a few minutes to administer and the real bug bear is going to be the daily "commute" but obviously it's all worthwhile! At the moment she's doing a backwards jigsaw and singing "Kung fu fighting", so perhaps the side effects of the radiotherapy are already showing!

Well, Christmas came and went and apart from a slight temperature on the morning of the 25th, K has stayed remarkably well. We all had a great Christmas Day at home and we were joined by our friends on Boxing Day. Today we went to the cinema to see "Zoom" (no, I'd never heard of it, either) however K enjoyed it. Made better by the fact that we were the only three in the screening!

We really happy that we've managed Christmas at home this year, with no hospital visit. It's possible that K has got over the worst side effects of the chemotherapy, that and the fact that it's a lower dosage. Next week sees another session of chemotherapy over 2 days and the radiotherapy will start on 2nd Jan 2007, every day, five days a week for about 6 weeks. It's going to be a strain, as it's done on an outpatient basis at the Marsden, but it does mean that the light at the end of the tunnel is, we hope, getting closer and brighter.

So, hopefully this is the last blog of 2006. We wish you all the very best for 2007!

It was a great weekend for all the family, with presents being exchanged and opened as if it was the 25th! On Monday we were all at the Royal Marsden for a kidney function test and also to have a planning session for the radiotherapy that starts in the new year. They have put three very small black dots on her which the radiotherapy scanner will line up on each time to ensure that the same area is being zapped! The dots were done by placing some black ink on her and then a small pin prick, just like a tattoo. School is now over and we don't know what lies ahead over the next few days. Going on past experience we estimate that there is a reasonably good chance of being in the isolation room at Kingston over the Christmas period, in fact the 25th is a good bet. We'll just have to wait and see.

I've said it here many times but once again, THANK YOU to everybody who visits the site to check up on Kiera. The support, love and affection has really touched all three of us. The past 12 months has been an emotional roller coaster, from the highs of Australia and Hong Kong, to the lows of diagnosis and the effects of treatment. But it has been made easier knowing that we have so many friends close by and around the world supporting us and thinking about us. Thank you so much! We hope that you all have a very Merry Christmas and that the New Year will bring you all that you desire.