Updates

After a cold and wet start today, I dropped the boys at school and with Vicki already at work, I too headed up into London for an appointment with my shoulder surgeon. It's a month today since I had the surgery to help stabilise my shoulder after dislocating it. I wanted to get an idea of how much longer my recovery might take so I can get back to work. Strangely at some points during George's treatment I'd reconciled that I might never get back to flying - a job that I obviously love - however this time feels very different not least because its me that's injured and I'm itching to get back now.

Unfortunately it turns out that he thinks that I will be unable to go back for another six weeks and that I have to increase my physio as much as possible from now on (I thought I was already, especially now that I'm back running and training for the London Marathon!!) I was pretty disappointed to hear that it would be that long but had to remind myself of just how George got through his rehab for much more and have a word with myself!

So with George also increasing his physio at the moment - perhaps there's some Daddy/George fitness routines that we can to build into my London Marathon training plan - any ideas are welcome!! (https://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/TheGiantPledge)

Fortunately I was still able to get back in time to collect the boys from school and go through homework with both of them as well as getting a lovely cuddle from George whilst reading. Whilst I’m gutted to not be going back to work as soon as I had hoped it’s always lovely to spend a bit more time with the family. Particularly when we look back at their sibling photo from today in 2017, both so tiny with George in the midst of treatment - it really highlights how fast they're growing up. Something which we never take for granted.

Between us we've got this.

#thebigpush
#aimhighstaypositive
#giantpledge

Donate or join the Giant Pledge team with your own fundraising event in 2020 at https://giantpledge.com/team

Buy one of our 'Tackle Childhood Cancer' tees or pick up your superhero cape in honour of the doctors, nurses and super brave cancer kids at http://giantpledge.com/shop

Sing along & share our charity 'Do a Big Poo' song, https://youtu.be/U3iOmhIIc_s or buy it here, https://giantpledge.com/buy

Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgeandthegiantpledge
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/giantpledge
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Or for help with any event you may be thinking of email Mari-Louise.White@rmh.nhs.uk and cc us at GeorgeandtheGiantPledge@gmail.com ... See more

Today George had the last of his pre school boosters / catch up jabs since his cancer treatment wiped all of the ones he'd previously had out. We may be 2 years on but now we're finally caught up on all of them! Today he had his last of the MMR injections with George popping out of school this morning and handling it like a boss / as if nothing happened 💪

Later today he then had his weekly disability swimming lesson. Being that he's only been going for just over a term we really are so impressed with his progress! It's amazing seeing how he and the other children become so free and dolphin like when they're in the pool swimming 🐬

Today also saw our #MustBeMarsden campaign that was aired on the ITV London News last night shared on the ITV.com website https://www.itv.com/news/london/2020-02-26/parents-fight-to-stop-cancer-hospital-being-stripped-of-children-s-services/. If you missed it on TV then why not watch it from that link. It would also be super helpful if you were to copy, share and encourage people to help in signing our petition as well as writing to their local MP ❤️ https://www.itmustbemarsden.org.uk/get-involved/

Between us we've got this.

#thebigpush
#aimhighstaypositive
#giantpledge

Donate or join the Giant Pledge team with your own fundraising event in 2020 at https://giantpledge.com/team

Buy one of our 'Tackle Childhood Cancer' tees or pick up your superhero cape in honour of the doctors, nurses and super brave cancer kids at http://giantpledge.com/shop

Sing along & share our charity 'Do a Big Poo' song, https://youtu.be/U3iOmhIIc_s or buy it here, https://giantpledge.com/buy

Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgeandthegiantpledge
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/giantpledge
And on Instagram: https://instagram.com/giantpledge

Or for help with any event you may be thinking of email Mari-Louise.White@rmh.nhs.uk and cc us at GeorgeandtheGiantPledge@gmail.com ... See more

I don't know about you but anyone else buzzing off of one too many pancakes this evening?! The classic lemon and sugar combo x4 for me means I've got the mother of a sugar rush while writing the post this evening! 🤯 As I started I had to laugh as I remembered I wrote last night about no more hospital trips for us for a while...well today I was back at the Marsden but this wasn't for George, it was for my penultimate psychology session!

It felt odd and somewhat unsettling to think I'll soon be losing a connection to something that's helped me claw my way through our childhood cancer experience along with all the trauma and leftovers as a result of it. With many mental health services only offering 6-10 weeks worth of sessions we're lucky The Marsden offers patients and carers a psychology service for up to 2 years post treatment, all heavily funded by charitable donations including funds raised through our collective efforts of The Giant Pledge 💪

For such a long time I've put complete faith and trust in this one individual that's helped me navigate the most vulnerable period of our lives and seen me at some of my very lowest moments. There's no hiding the fact that I'm nervous and very anxious that I only have one appointment left, but here's hoping I can make a new found alternative of therapy at work help fill the gap instead 🤞

After my appointment I worked the rest of my day from home. So excited to be picking George and Alex up from school I rocked up at half past three, George's normal finish time, only to realise we'd forgotten he has an after school club today 🤦🏼‍♀️ When we got home not only did we have the excitement of feasting on pancakes but we were also featured as part of the #MustBeMarsden campaign coverage on ITV London News this evening!

We're hoping tonight's clip, originally filmed when we were at The Marsden last Friday, will be live on their website tomorrow so we can share it with all of you. In short it was a call to arms for the viewers to support the campaign as well as trying to bring to the attention of the powers that be that parents don't want to move the children's oncology services from The Royal Marsden - Sutton, but to look for intensive care alternatives locally instead, all for very logical and rational reasons. Here's the link if you want to read more about it all on the https://www.itmustbemarsden.org.uk/ page.

Between us we've got this.

#thebigpush
#aimhighstaypositive
#giantpledge

Donate or join the Giant Pledge team with your own fundraising event in 2020 at https://giantpledge.com/team

Buy one of our 'Tackle Childhood Cancer' tees or pick up your superhero cape in honour of the doctors, nurses and super brave cancer kids at http://giantpledge.com/shop

Sing along & share our charity 'Do a Big Poo' song, https://youtu.be/U3iOmhIIc_s or buy it here, https://giantpledge.com/buy

Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgeandthegiantpledge
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/giantpledge
And on Instagram: https://instagram.com/giantpledge

Or for help with any event you may be thinking of email Mari-Louise.White@rmh.nhs.uk and cc us at GeorgeandtheGiantPledge@gmail.com ... See more

Despite some seriously slow train shenanigans, when I finally made it back into the office this morning after my week off for half term, my team at Google had got me a birthday card and one of them had bought me an epic marzipan flavoured truffle log as well as a cinnamon block of cake / pastry for the rest of the team from Ole & Steen UK...you can imagine my reaction to that little lot!

Not only did I get to extend my birthday celebrations today (which at my age I'd pretty much given up on a good while ago but can't deny it's lovely to be spoilt in this way) but we also got to breathe a sigh of relief as we were called by The Marsden to confirm George's full body PET scan showed no evidence of cancer anywhere in his body!!!! Best belated birthday present EVER!

Yes there may have been some low grade activity shown around his original cancer resection surgery site but it was diffused and considered nothing to worry about when paired with his latest spinal MRI scan (PET scans can show fast growing healing cells as well as fast growing cancerous ones) So it looks like his leg pains at night are more than likely skeletal or linked to all the post surgery changes in his little body in some way ...which of course isn't ideal but a million times better than a relapse!

As luck would have it this afternoon, just after school, he then had a physio session at our local hospital. They're trailing a group activity to help a number of kids with issues similar to him for the next few weeks. Woody took him along and, what with going back to school and football practice today, it completely blew the stuffing out of him! When I finally made it home he didn't so much as talk me through any of his day (part of our evening ritual of the boys bedtime routine to offload and share feelings, experiences and thoughts from the day) Then again it's a HUGE improvement on the levels of fatigue he used to have during his cancer treatment, just making a Build a Bear toy was enough to wipe him out back then! ...here's to some time without any hospital visits for a while now!

Between us we've got this.

#thebigpush
#aimhighstaypositive
#giantpledge

Donate or join the Giant Pledge team with your own fundraising event in 2020 at https://giantpledge.com/team

Buy one of our 'Tackle Childhood Cancer' tees or pick up your superhero cape in honour of the doctors, nurses and super brave cancer kids at http://giantpledge.com/shop

Sing along & share our charity 'Do a Big Poo' song, https://youtu.be/U3iOmhIIc_s or buy it here, https://giantpledge.com/buy

Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgeandthegiantpledge
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/giantpledge
And on Instagram: https://instagram.com/giantpledge

Or for help with any event you may be thinking of email Mari-Louise.White@rmh.nhs.uk and cc us at GeorgeandtheGiantPledge@gmail.com ... See more

This last day of the Feb half term holidays saw us spend quality time with some of our very best friends. This morning Alex and Woody headed off to rugby practice while George and I started on some of his holiday homework we seem to have missed 😬

When we got round to our friend's house the nerf battles soon commenced. It wasn't then long before the Sunday roast feast began ...and yes we all had yorkshire puddings despite the fact we were eating roast chicken! 🤤 The birthday card they bought me made me laugh out loud ...tears running down my legs eh...I don't know what they're inferring 😜

We watched the rugby, chatted loads, before ending with a disco in the kitchen then heading home. There's Woody training for the London Marathon and yet all I seem to be doing is eating! One thing that'll get me active again is the Marsden March that's coming up in May. If you've not already signed up the deadline is this Wednesday the 26th so best you get in quick. Use the code PLEDGE20 to get yourself 20% off the joining fee and then use it again if you want to join our team to help beat childhood cancer this year! https://royalmarsden.primoevents.com/ps/event/TheBanhamMarsdenMarch2020

Between us we've got this.

#thebigpush
#aimhighstaypositive
#giantpledge

Donate or join the Giant Pledge team with your own fundraising event in 2020 at https://giantpledge.com/team

Buy one of our 'Tackle Childhood Cancer' tees or pick up your superhero cape in honour of the doctors, nurses and super brave cancer kids at http://giantpledge.com/shop

Sing along & share our charity 'Do a Big Poo' song, https://youtu.be/U3iOmhIIc_s or buy it here, https://giantpledge.com/buy

Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgeandthegiantpledge
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/giantpledge
And on Instagram: https://instagram.com/giantpledge

Or for help with any event you may be thinking of email Mari-Louise.White@rmh.nhs.uk and cc us at GeorgeandtheGiantPledge@gmail.com ... See more

After a much needed quiet and restful morning with a breakfast of kings ...aka some birthday macarons I'd been given (the classic post holiday not enough bread or milk in for everybody) later this afternoon we finally got ourselves together and ventured out for a fab trip to London! Woody's mum, Nana Sue, treated us all to tickets to the 100th anniversary of the Tutankhamun exhibition at the Saatchi Gallery and both the boys were in their element!

George is currently learning about Ancient Egypt at school and Alex also loved it when he covered it in year 2. To be honest both Woody and I also really enjoyed this afternoon too... it's truly fascinating to think just how old some of these artefacts and sculptures are let alone all the stories that go behind them! We can highly recommend a visit to see the display before it all returns to Egypt forever! (The exhibition is running until the 3rd of May 2020)

We stopped off at the nearby Comptoir Libanais restaurant on the way home meaning we didn't end up getting back until after the boys bedtime. With George's legs giving up the ghost we grabbed ourselves a taxi from the station for the short journey home. No washing or so much as a bristle of a toothbrush to clean their teeth, it was straight off to bed with Woody and I to soon follow! All in all a lovely distracting day whilst waiting for George's PET scan results to come in 🤞

Between us we've got this.

#thebigpush
#aimhighstaypositive
#giantpledge

Donate or join the Giant Pledge team with your own fundraising event in 2020 at https://giantpledge.com/team

Buy one of our 'Tackle Childhood Cancer' tees or pick up your superhero cape in honour of the doctors, nurses and super brave cancer kids at http://giantpledge.com/shop

Sing along & share our charity 'Do a Big Poo' song, https://youtu.be/U3iOmhIIc_s or buy it here, https://giantpledge.com/buy

Follow us on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/georgeandthegiantpledge
On Twitter: https://twitter.com/giantpledge
And on Instagram: https://instagram.com/giantpledge

Or for help with any event you may be thinking of email Mari-Louise.White@rmh.nhs.uk and cc us at GeorgeandtheGiantPledge@gmail.com ... See more