Updates
Our progress towards raising our 1m target
Sometimes I chuckle at just how random we can be. Woody was walking past a charity shop and picked up a second hand guitar the other week. Add to that an electric piano we were offered when someone was throwing it out, in theory we should have had a staring role today at the boy's school music concert!
The funny thing is not one of us can play a musical instrument! Alex was singing in the choir today but he only ever turns up when he remembers that they're practicing that day 🤦🏼♀️ I occasionally rock out my one handed rendition of the dancing piano moment from the Tom Hanks movie BIG but who knows, watch this space, soon we could well be launching our own self taught George and the Giant Pledge band 😂
Joking aside after all the positive impact of George's music therapy, coupled together with my hoarding habit, we figured there's no harm having both of these instruments in our house. That said the piano fast became a dumping ground and the guitar might end up just being a dust collector! If we can encourage the boys to pick up either it could end up being a seriously good habit to have, we may in fact even discover one or both have hidden talents! As a good start the boy's school music teacher kindly had the guitar re-strung hence us having it today in the school playground...thankfully most people had gone home so didn't hear George's random strumming!
At the concert after school George was pleased as punch as he sat next to one of his absolute favourites of Alex's year group parents. Equally he was feeling tired so snuggled in for mummy cuddles, ending up trying to lay across us. When we got home it was early to bed ...time to dream about our Giant Pledge band! Talking of music don't forget tomorrow's your last chance to buy tickets for our 90's club night in the Cellar Rooms at Reigate Manor this Friday night! (www.facebook.com/events/2460046630674541/) Hope to see lots of you there!!!
Between us we've got this.
#thebigpush
#aimhighstaypositive
#giantpledge
Donate or join the Giant Pledge team with your own fundraising event in 2019 at 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 giantpledge.com/shop
Sing along & share our charity 'Do a Big Poo' song, youtu.be/U3iOmhIIc_s or buy it here, giantpledge.com/buy
Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/georgeandthegiantpledge
On Twitter: twitter.com/giantpledge
And on Instagram: instagram.com/giantpledge
Or for help with any event you may be thinking of email Lydia.Clark2@rmh.nhs.uk and cc us at GeorgeandtheGiantPledge@gmail.com
The week between having George's scan and getting his results is never much fun. Despite the fact he looks so well there's always a 50/50 chance that in a matter of days our world could come crashing down. We're staying positive and remaining hopeful as next to nothing has given us any reason to think otherwise. But, as anyone that's ever faced a cancer diagnosis knows, there aren't always the signs or symptoms to give you a heads up on which way things are going to go (especially when it comes to PNET Ewing's Sarcomas!)
This therefore means mission distraction begins. This morning couldn't have got off to a better start with a lovely sunny day and a meeting over at Kennedys' Independent Property Agents in Walton on the Hill. They've chosen to support George and the Giant Pledge with The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity for their 13th annual charity golf day 😍 Not only was the meeting fantastic, just talking with their lovely team left us buzzing! Watch this space for more details of their brilliant up and coming charity golf day and be ready to get in quick as places are limited!
This was on top of hearing how well little Mia did representing George and the Giant Pledge for her Stage 1 Charity Brownies badge ❤️ Not only did she do a great speech, give out order forms she'd created for our capes and tees, all alongside taking donations and running her own fundraiser...needless to say she more than earned this particular Girlguiding badge!
It was also exciting to see that we'd popped up in Surrey Downs magazine but it has to be said, nothing beat Nana and Grandad coming over to see us later today! When we dropped the boys off at school this morning we didn't tell them who'd be coming over to collect the two of them. George's reaction was super sweet with Alex playing it cool ...there's nothing quite like being nine going on thirteen 😜 Once we got home we spent the rest of the afternoon outside tackling the weeds that have seemingly tried to take over our healing garden Laura's Gardens and A brighter shade of green ltd helped create for us 😬 As for George's MRI scan results...heads down, just seven more days to go...!
Between us we've got this.
#thebigpush
#aimhighstaypositive
#giantpledge
Donate or join the Giant Pledge team with your own fundraising event in 2019 at 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 giantpledge.com/shop
Sing along & share our charity 'Do a Big Poo' song, youtu.be/U3iOmhIIc_s or buy it here, giantpledge.com/buy
Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/georgeandthegiantpledge
On Twitter: twitter.com/giantpledge
And on Instagram: instagram.com/giantpledge
Or for help with any event you may be thinking of email Lydia.Clark2@rmh.nhs.uk and cc us at GeorgeandtheGiantPledge@gmail.com
Thanks for all your lovely good luck messages wishing us well for George's MRI scan at The Royal Marsden - Sutton today! Everything went well and we enjoyed catching up with lots of people we haven't seen in a while. That said it still feels like a long day as you can't help but be on high alert / on edge with the potential enormity of the results that we'll eventually get on Tuesday next week as well as keeping George nil by mouth all day.
It was only a matter of seconds after we'd arrived George headed to the Physio room to grab a ball so he and Woody could play corridor football. Before he got going there were the usual checks of height, weight as well as all the basic obs to keep a general track on how he's doing. Then it was time to see one of the Doctors to discuss where he's at and if he's been having any unusual symptoms they need to know about.
We talked through the leg pains he's been having intermittently of late. How they're not every day but what, in any normal circumstance, you'd typically put down to growing pains. The Doctor suggested we take some bloods whilst George was asleep to do a vitamin D check as low levels can lead to symptoms of bone pain and muscle weakness. We were also asked for more blood samples by the Marsden's research team who needed it as part of the 2012 Euro Ewings trial George is part of...very apt being that today is #InternationalClinicalTrialsDay
It wasn't long before George was then heading on down ready to have his general anaesthetic as, after his play therapy session / non GA MRI practice, it was decided knocking him out was still the best way to get him to lie still to get his hour long brain and full spine MRI scan done. When he came round he wasn't happy with the new found cannula in his hand but the promise of a trip Pizza Express was enough to soon help him forget about it. Ironically we were in the very same restaurant on this day during George's cancer treatment!...over these last couple of years we literally must have eaten our body weight in dough balls 😲
Good job we have the chance to dance some of that pizza away at our 90's club night charity fundraiser at the Reigate Manor Cellar rooms this coming Friday! Got your tickets yet?! Why not come and join us! www.facebook.com/events/2460046630674541/
Between us we've got this.
#thebigpush
#aimhighstaypositive
#giantpledge
Donate or join the Giant Pledge team with your own fundraising event in 2019 at 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 giantpledge.com/shop
Sing along & share our charity 'Do a Big Poo' song, youtu.be/U3iOmhIIc_s or buy it here, giantpledge.com/buy
Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/georgeandthegiantpledge
On Twitter: twitter.com/giantpledge
And on Instagram: instagram.com/giantpledge
Or for help with any event you may be thinking of email Lydia.Clark2@rmh.nhs.uk and cc us at GeorgeandtheGiantPledge@gmail.com
Today Woody and I joined several thousand other people for the 2019 Banham #MarsdenMarch all in aid of The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity! You may remember we were originally ready and raring to go on the 10th of March earlier this year but with high winds and unsafe conditions it sadly meant the whole event had to be rearranged. Albeit logistically we weren't able to walk the full 15 miles of the course we still managed to squeeze in a little before I went to pick up the boys and Woody had to head off to work today.
We've now done this walk as Team Giant Pledge for the last three years following George's cancer diagnosis and, both today and on the original cancelled date, we were joined for the walk by some of our fab friends. It's a brilliant but emotional day with many people walking for so many unbelievably compelling reasons. On our first year, back in March 2017, George had only just finished his 4th of 14 rounds of chemo. He was very poorly but managed to make a little of the party we'd arranged for all our Giant Pledge walkers afterwards.
Flash forward to today, knowing George still wouldn't be able to manage either the 5 or 15 mile distances of the course available, it was lovely to at least be able to bring him and Alex down to walk the very last few yards to the finish line with me. Despite the fact neither of them had done the walk they both managed to bag themselves a medal regardless 😂
While we were at The Royal Marsden - Sutton the boys also finally got to meet Bowelbabe, Steve Bland and Lauren Mahon from the brilliant You, Me and the Big C BBC Radio 5 live Podcast ❤️ Not only that but we also got to see Barry from Radio Marsden who we originally met back when we first launched our 'Do a Big Poo' charity song!
A great day was had by all thanks to the fantastic fundraising walkers, brilliant volunteers and marvellous Marsden staff that orgainised it all. Ironically George, Woody and I are back at the Marsden tomorrow, only this time there'll be no bands, medals or performers, George will be there to have his next 12 weekly MRI scan... here's to keeping everything crossed for no signs of relapse🤞
Between us we've got this.
#thebigpush
#aimhighstaypositive
#giantpledge
Donate or join the Giant Pledge team with your own fundraising event in 2019 at 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 giantpledge.com/shop
Sing along & share our charity 'Do a Big Poo' song, youtu.be/U3iOmhIIc_s or buy it here, giantpledge.com/buy
Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/georgeandthegiantpledge
On Twitter: twitter.com/giantpledge
And on Instagram: instagram.com/giantpledge
Or for help with any event you may be thinking of email Lydia.Clark2@rmh.nhs.uk and cc us at GeorgeandtheGiantPledge@gmail.com
Today's been one of those crazy busy day's. With George's next 12 weekly scan coming up on Monday we're in full swing of trying not to stop and start over thinking things. Woody, myself and the boys split ourselves down the middle with Woody and Alex heading over to Crawley Tennis Club to sell our 'Smash Childhood Cancer' t-shirts at their open day while George and I were on our Giant Pledge stand at the Reigate Parish School fair today.
Part way through the afternoon Woody then took both kids over to the Reigate Lawn Tennis Club where Alex and George play on a Friday after school. Here tennis legend Pat Cash was there as part of a 24 hour tennisathon all in aid of Parkinson's UK. Not only were the boys lucky enough to get a photo with him he also even had a quick knock about with them 😍
We weren't the only ones busy fundraising today as you can see with a some of Team Charlie in today's photos taking on 26 miles walking all over the South Downs as part of their Giant Pledge to help beat childhood cancer ❤️ Last time we saw Charlie was when he was in isolation at our local hospital so it's great to see him here looking so well standing proudly between his parents 🥰
Tonight we then got a call saying two seats at the Old Reigations Rugby Club ball had come available. We ended up doing an impromptu little speech giving us the perfect opportunity to say thank you to so many people there that have supported the Giant Pledge over the last couple of years. It was also the Chair's idea to do a collection for Harry's Giant Pledge on top of everything they were doing for their other chosen charities for the evening 🤗
Woody and I both had a brilliant night even if I did get emotional during our speech when talking about Harry. Night's like these show you just how much fun you can have when fundraising!!! Talking of which have you all bought your tickets yet for our 90's club night that's happening on Friday the 24th next week??! See more deatils here, www.facebook.com/events/2460046630674541/
Between us we've got this.
#thebigpush
#aimhighstaypositive
#giantpledge
Donate or join the Giant Pledge team with your own fundraising event in 2019 at 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 giantpledge.com/shop
Sing along & share our charity 'Do a Big Poo' song, youtu.be/U3iOmhIIc_s or buy it here, giantpledge.com/buy
Follow us on Facebook: www.facebook.com/georgeandthegiantpledge
On Twitter: twitter.com/giantpledge
And on Instagram: instagram.com/giantpledge
Or for help with any event you may be thinking of email Lydia.Clark2@rmh.nhs.uk and cc us at GeorgeandtheGiantPledge@gmail.com