VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH JOHN

VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH JOHN

by Jonathan marks

I have been looking at a way to make a tribute to John’s genius in radio. When I came to Cyprus in 2004 I brought a camera and John shared some thoughts about his career, his passion for radio and his hopes for the media and Cyprus.

I’ve spent a couple of days putting the best bits of our chat into a video tribute and the results are now sitting under the links below

John V. Russell Tribute Part 1 from Jonathan Marks on Vimeo.

John V. Russell Tribute Part 2 from Jonathan Marks on Vimeo.

Postcards from the platform edge

 

Unfortunately this blog didn’t quite get off the ground in the way that Dad had hoped. I think he quite fancied the idea of broadcasting to the world again, but it was a new medium that he didn’t have the time to get to grips with.

Many people have asked to see the updates that Sue sent out during dad’s illness, so I’ve included them below.

One thing that has been great, has been hearing from dad’s friends some of the stories that we hadn’t heard before, and some which we had but from an entirely different angle.

If you have any memories you’d like to share, please do add in the comments below or send to me at benrussell ‘at’ gmail .com

Ben

The Burial

THE BURIAL

I thought we’d had the final update, but a number of people have asked for details of the way John was laid to rest and I know it’s particularly helpful for people overseas.

The burial was everything John would have wanted. Firstly the village granted his long felt desire to be buried in his beloved village – this being something of an honour as he is not Greek Orthodox.

Secondly he was surrounded by his family, the villagers and his friends from near and far.

The family party included Damon and his wife Cherry-Anne, grand daughter Katie, Natasha and partner Alan, Ben and wife Lucy, Hans his oldest friend from Holland, our best friends from UK, Lynne and Peter Falconer and dearest friend Karina from over the hill in Prastio.

He had been given a splendid plot in the cemetery. We walked there from the house, a slow column all dressed in black and many in dark glasses, all very surreal and reminiscent of a scene from a mafia move. Hans linked arms at the front of the column with me on one side, Natasha on the other giving us a strange sense of calm and strength.

When we arrived at the cemetery they had already carried the coffin to the grave side. In typical Cyprus fashion, they realised the grave was not quite wide enough at one end and after much measuring, they started digging it out to make the coffin fit.  He'd have liked that bit of nonsense.

We had a glass panel on the coffin so people could see him, and he had a posh shirt on and a tweetie pie bow tie.  He looked as if he was just sleeping, so peacefully.  A happy memory.

Of the event, our friends Tina and Michael have written to say “how he would surely have been impressed with the way Damon spoke on behalf of the family.  He would most certainly have enjoyed the story of the swallow as told by Hans.  He would have been moved by the words spoken by Bambos the village head and we think he would have been amused that the priest was able to have his say”, the latter being a reference to the fact that John was a non-believer.

There were people there from the walking group, the chairman and other friends from the birds group, friends from the book club in Limassol.  Plus other friends and a lot of people from the village. There must have been over 150 people.

A lot came back to the house afterwards and told stories about John.  Colin Rugg made a very good point, tell your friends now that you love them .  He said he wished he had told John that.

Our chosen charity is the “Friends for Life”, Limassol Hospice Care Appeal, who collected 648 Euros at the cemetery.

I feel so supported by the village and especially Nina from the village shop who made all the arrangements and Bambos who guided me on the traditional ways of the village at this time.  I think that the outpouring of love has been a support to the family too.

We have also all been overwhelmed by the email response from overseas, particularly from Birmingham, where John was a founder Director of BRMB Radio. There was a story of his death in the Birmingham Post and Mail (www.birminghampost.net/news/west-midlands-news/2009/10/09/brmb-pioneer-dies-in-cyprus-aged-71-65233-24888258/,) followed by a moving article from Robin Valk, his first rock jock on the station back in the 1970’s, also attached. And there are plans for a memorial there before the end of the year. All very extraordinary, when you consider we were there for a relatively short period (1974-1981) and have been away for 28 years.

So let me let you have the last say. In your letters you have described him as: a gentleman, of good humour and wit, with a fund of stories, a lovely man, an example to us all, a special person, a great godfather, one of the world’s great people, a gentle soul, a reassuring person, an inspiration, my guiding light, the best dad in the world, your Sean Connery look-alike who bought us orchids at our Christmas lunch, coached so many of us through challenging times and laughed with us through even more good ones, made fantastic gin and tonics - and was your soul mate, a popular man, good natured with an air of ‘bon homie’, a very formidable, jovial, friendly and interesting man with many tales to tell, a wonderful person, a very likeable man who made me laugh a lot, a great friend and great work colleague, a stimulating companion, an influence on my life and principles, a man passionate about his passions, he was a good, respectful, reliable and kind man to work with, we are all so lucky that John touched our lives, I feel so much gratitude towards him and owe him a lot to my success, a born actor who made a pretty dramatic final bow, a loss for us all, we are going to miss ‘our’ John.

Last Update

FINAL UPDATE – Tuesday 6 October 2009

To all of you who have made this short journey with us, I am sorry to tell you that we have come to the end.

John went for chemo therapy at the oncology centre yesterday. There was more good news as his markers had come down further, and the chemo was working. He was in good heart and very much looking forward to something to eat after his long day. We went to the restaurant at Ikea where he chose prawns as a starter, then salmon and potato as his main course.

He looked at the swivel chairs with Eugene, our friend from Nicosia, which he wanted to buy for his train room and also met up with Nancy and Martin, friends from UK.

This morning he asked for eggs and bacon for his breakfast. He was so positive and in such a good mood, that afterwards he wanted to visit Nina’s shop for some milk and we duly walked the few steps down the road, the Englishman in his straw hat and walking stick and his braces to keep his trousers up. He had lost a lot of weight.

He sat in the shop drinking a juice Nina had offered him when suddenly he said – you have to get me home, something’s happened. You’ll have to get the car.

I did so, and he stood up to get to the car, took a couple of steps and then collapsed. We lowered him to the floor but it was evident something colossal had happened and he quickly lost colour and died.

To many a foreign face this may seem so tragic to die in a public place. But as he lay there, looking so peaceful and just as if he were asleep, it seemed even then as if he was giving his very last performance. Villagers of course gathered round, our neighbours and friends came and hugged me and gave me comfort as we waited for the ambulance. Karina came too. But we knew that he had passed away and his death was a sharing amongst people who loved and cared for him, not a solitary affair.

In some way when I came back home this evening, I was glad that I did not have to enter a house where he had died, did not have to look at a room which would have had all these memories.

It was so sudden and is such a shock. It was probably heart failure, which the Oncology Doctor said can sometimes happen amongst cancer patients. His body could not cope with any more.

The priest in the village has agreed that he can be buried in the village cemetery, which John had always wanted but normally is not possible if you are not Greek Orthodox. So this is an honour. John was not a believer, so we will gather at the graveside to pay our last farewells, children, friends and villagers. Thank you for being with us on this journey and for all your support.

Update 8

 

UPDATE 8 – October 6

The good news is that the chemo drugs are working. At our last visit to the oncology centre, the doctor told us that the markers are coming down on the tumour. (My brother explained that tumours create high quantities of proteins that they release into the circulation and these are called disease markers. Because John’s markers have gone down it means that there are fewer cancer cells releasing them into the blood). So we were delighted to hear this news, the first indication we had had that anything was happening.

They have also delayed the scan until the end of the series of 8 treatments, namely the end of November. So this too is good news.

The bad news is that we have experienced the worst two weeks yet of side effects, with John barely leaving the house (being in need of a certain modern convenience at close quarters). He has slept most of the time, had very few visitors, no taste of either food or drink, felt wobbly on his legs and been extremely weak and tired.

He favours being outside, and enjoys laying on the swing seat with blankets if necessary when we have the odd afternoon shower, watching the bees buzzing in the pink trumpet flowers of the creeper covering the pergola.

As he lays there he dreams out new layouts for his model railway, and is already involving some clever friends with carpentry skills to help build his grand designs. Parcels are arriving from UK with railway components and even base board is being sawn into smaller sections to transfer from a Hampshire wood yard to our mountain retreat. I gather this will be a countryside section with farmyard scenes and fields.

Our next visit to the Oncology Centre is tomorrow – our fifth of the eight sessions - again Karina is coming with us and judging by the last visit will be driving home with not one but two sleeping friends beside her. I do not know what we would do without our friends.

Update 7

UPDATE 7 – Sunday 20 September

We have had another roller coaster ride this past fortnight, with big ups and big downs.

John had such a good start to the week after the chemo on Monday 7 September. It was really something special. On the Wednesday he had enough energy to stay out shopping in Limassol after he’d had his drip removed (the one that stays in for 48 hours after he leaves the oncology centre). So he lasted out and about from 10 in the morning till 3 in the afternoon. And he got out of the car to get the paper from the shop, the things from the DIY store, and came around the supermarket – where once he would stay sitting in the car. When we got home he got the step ladder out and changed the light bulbs, he helped wash up and he undid the dish washer – all these things that before he’d had no energy to do.

And he walked further each morning around the village. We did make it to our picnic by the bridge, one of our favourite places in Cyprus (see photo). But by the Saturday all this was reversed and he became a shadow of himself, totally lackluster and exhausted. This is the problem with the chemo – you cannot predict how he will feel from one day to the next, from one week to the next.  There is neither rhyme nor reason. Hence I have not arranged visitors for him each day as he looked and felt so wretched. He has been bothered again by muscular cramp in his right leg – but it did not seem to be anything of concern to the doctors.

A major plus was the arrival on Sunday of our old friends from Hampshire Lynne and Peter, who came out for a week not for a holiday but to help us. Lynne has cooked creative meals for us every night, has cleaned and ironed whilst Peter has done umpteen DIY jobs around the house as well as assist John in loading new software onto his computer. Best of all Lynne has cleaned up John’s railway room so that we can now even see where the floor is. It has been marvelous, like having your own caretaker couple.

They also drove us to Paphos this Friday for a fun photo-shoot on the beach in which John took part. The aim is to create a fund raising calendar featuring only people who have had cancer. Each month shows a different film title – and John will be the husband of Shirley Valentine, in the scene where he arrives at the end of the film to take her home.

The other good news is that our holiday insurance company, who had been quibbling over our claim, has agreed to cover the medical costs (some three thousand dollars) in America and most of the extra flight costs. It has taken more than two months of fighting but they finally agreed it on the phone this last Friday.

Tomorrow we make the trip once again to Nicosia for the forth session of chemotherapy. It appears John will now have a scan after the sixth session, to see if it is working. Karina is coming with us again to help with the driving and give moral support. We keep focusing on the positives – and John is looking forward to being fit for Natasha and Alan’s wedding, which we now know will take place next summer in Cyprus.

 

Update 6

UPDATE 6 – Sunday 6 September 6, 2009

We’ve had a great week, following a fairly heavy first week after the Chemo.

The day Natasha departed John looked – to be honest – awful, so it was not an easy parting for her. But an hour later he was back to normal colouring and character and happily chatting to our neighbour Peter. It was also the day of an earthquake measuring 4.5 on the Richter scale, which sounded like an engine coming nearer and nearer til it shook and rattled the house, even to the extent of waking Ben and Lucy.

However, this Wednesday he was quite amazing, taking the wheel of the Pajero for the first time since his chemo, and driving all the way to the border. We crossed into the North near Morphou and drove to beautiful Bellapais, where we celebrated our 35^th wedding anniversary.

We went for supper at the Bellapais Gardens and enjoyed the view, the food, the ambience and each other.  A truly good day - and John didn't have one sleep so not sure how he got through the day. On arrival home, we found that amazing Ben had cooked that night's supper and it was sitting on the hob.

What other news? We’ve watched Ben leaping the waves with his kite surfer; had two torrential thunder storms bringing much needed rain; lots of visitors; and two dips in Karina’s pool for some gentle swimming as the sun either goes down or comes up (JR having to keep out of the sun during the chemo sessions).

We’re just back from lunch at the traditional old mountain hotel at Platres, Forest Park Hotel, where the dappled shade from the tall pines is a welcome change from the heat of the valleys below.

Next week we are planning a picnic at one of our other favourite mountain spots, the Venetian bridge Kelafos, where the water keeps running throughout the year.

Update 5

UPDATE 5 – Monday 24 August 2009

John has been incredibly positive during this last week, and I am sure that the number of visitors we have had has contributed. We now have Natasha and Scarlet with us, as well as Ben and Lucy. They depart on Tuesday to the North and Ben will return at the weekend to stay another week and get some kite surfing in.

John recovered well in his second week after the first chemo and enjoyed his day on the beach with Cherry-Anne and the grandchildren.

The second chemo was not a pleasant experience. We arrived at the Oncology Centre in Nicosia for our 9.40 am appointment and did not leave til 6.30 pm. His chemo lasts for 6 hours and before that he has to see the doctor and have his weight and blood pressure checked.

The out patients sit in rooms of six people, in what John called ‘birthing chairs”, rather like the chairs at the dentists, although John’s seemed to be made for little people and was a bit on the short side. He had something in the order of 8 bottles pumped into him and departed with another inserted (which was removed on the Friday). The visitors waiting room (there is no space to sit with the patients) was fine apart from the perpetual drivel of the TV. He ended up being moved to an in-patients ward after the out-patients closed at 4.30 pm. It was a very long and tiring day.

We have now learnt that his chemo treatment is usually given in 8 doses. After four he will have a cat scan to see how the treatment is working and how we progress from there.

The high spot this week has been a presentation to John of a village award. These are given to recognize the special contributions made by individual villagers, and for one to be given to a foreigner is a rare event. It was presented at the evening summer festival where some 850 people were present and we gave a thank you speech in Greek which went down well. John received hugs and kisses from all our neighbours and villagers, from those we know and some we don’t. He was determined to make it despite the fatigue from the Chemo the day before and seemed to be driven by his own little well of adrenalin.

Yesterday he came and watched us all in Karina’s swimming pool and today we went up to Omodos for a coffee. Now he is sleeping, oblivious to the sounds of drilling in the street outside to install new water pipes.

Soon it will be our 35^th wedding anniversary and we are planning a celebratory overnight stay in a local hotel.

If you’d like to learn more of John’s involvement with and love of the island, click onto www.cyprus-mail.com and put in his name in the archive section. It will bring up a double page spread which appeared in June, but unfortunately you won’t get the ancient photos of him in army uniform and as a young BFBS announcer.

Update 4

UPDATE 4 – Thursday 13 August 2009

I hadn’t intended to update till next week, but it seems some of you quite like to hear more often so here goes.

The good news is that he is doing well and has recovered from last week’s debilitating side effects, so that he will be stronger for the next injections next Wednesday 19^th. On that day he will be plugged up for 5-6 hours, and then return home with his pump inserted into the Portocath, which will drip into him over a 48 hour period.

The chemo ride is a bit like a roller coaster – you climb uphill only to be dashed down again. But we are both convinced that the climb is worth it.

The effects of the chemotherapy hit John on Monday night (last) with severe diarrhea, giving him extreme fatigue and tiredness. But he did get up everyday and sit inside in his chair looking at the wonderful view across the valley from the window. And he did have visitors in the mornings. He also eats well although less than normal. So during that early part of the week he looked very pale and drawn, tired and thin.

By Saturday he was back to normal and looked much better, and on Sunday we had early morning visitors, so that eight of us sat around the breakfast table like one big babbling family.

This Monday evening he made a small walk. Tuesday he got a big boost from the visit from Damon (number one son). Wednesday he had not one but two beautiful young women come to see him, and today he made a much longer walk around half the village then had a visit from very old friends. Tomorrow, Friday, he is going out for the first time since his chemo, to meet up with his daughter-in-law Cherry-Anne and three grandchildren, Katie, James and Alice, who are staying in the North of the island following their holiday in Turkey. Next week, we will be seeing Natasha and Scarlet.

To answer some of your questions:

How long will the chemo last? We do not know yet but it is a question on our list for the oncologist next week. All he said before was that they would start with the Irinotecan and “when that stops working continue with the Oxaliplatin”.

What stage is John’s cancer? It is stage four and has metastasized. They hope to use the chemo to halt the growth of the tumor and give him a better quality of life.

Has he been swimming? Not since the operation to insert the portocath which needs to be kept free of bacteria – and the chemo. Bearing in mind that our local beach has been temporarily polluted with effluent, this was no doubt a wise decision. He also has to keep out of the sunshine.

The temperatures here have been a little below normal but this weekend the forecast is for a heat wave. We are still enjoying wonderful summer fruits, including a “taste of heaven’ – figs straight from the trees on our early morning walk with the dog – not that they figure large on the menu for John at the moment.

Your support with cards, letters, phone calls, emails and visits has been terrific and are all much appreciated. John has been humbled by some of the comments on his involvement with your lives/careers.

Thank you.

Update 3

UDATE THREE – Monday 4 August

Medical Adventure

Well, we’re on our way with the chemotherapy. John has finished his first session and is back at home, feeling ok.

The Oncology Centre in Nicosia called on Friday to say can you come, so we did. Because it was the first time they wanted him to stay in overnight, and luckily we have dear friends in Nicosia where I could stay.

The cocktail was the Irinotecan plus the 5-fluorouracil and the Cetuximab. He also has a pile of pills to take – anti nausea before meals – and mouth washes after meals etc so our day runs to a schedule.

So far he’s had only minor side effects. The next session is on 19 August (a small delay due to the holiday period and the big holiday on 15^th – Assumption of the Virgin Mary). So this will be after Damon’s visit, but before Natasha’s.

Tomorrow we have friends from UK coming to stay, a mum and her twin daughters.

It doesn’t seem possible that it was just a month – 2^nd July – when the doctor from the walk in medical centre in Bismark told us on the phone that John had “something going on in his belly and a possible tumour”. We left for home on the 9^th and arrived on the 11^th. Then it was 11 days in the clinic for tests, when the colonoscopy pinpointed the tumour in the colon (adenocarninoma – the commonest - wild type). We’re not sure just what the ‘wild’ bit means but hope my biochemist brother will be finding out for us.

Of course it’s easy to look on the internet and be swayed by the many “cures” offered, but Natasha has evidence from Alan’s dad of the effectiveness of Manuka honey from New Zealand. In fact his doctor has been so impressed with the results that he is now prescribing this for him on the NHS. So, if you’re coming over, please bring a pot.

John loves to hear from you all, and has enjoyed his visits from local friends.

Update 2

UPDATE TWO – 28 July

 

John has enjoyed being home – welcomed back by the villagers (some of whom even wanted to organize a church service for him) – as well as the dog, the cat and the parrot.

 

He gets up every day with me just after 6 am (before it gets too hot) and walks down the road til I turn off with the dog into the valley, and he returns back home.  Sunday we made it early to the beach at Curium, just as the sun was coming up and he swam out to the red buoys and back and then walked the beach.  It was too early for breakfast at the café on the beach, so we got some bacon on the way home and had a good old English breakfast.  Bacon, egg and tomatoes has never tasted so good.

 

Monday he went back to the clinic for the operation, under general anesthetic, for the insertion of the Port o Cath.  The surgeon, this time a Cypriot who trained in Los Angeles, was very careful and particular and John has a very neat scar just above his right nipple.  He made a cut on the shoulder blade to insert the catheter (tube) down the vein into the heart, and then another longer cut on the breast, where this port o cath is inserted.  The catheter is then connected to the portal and sits under the skin so that it needs minimal care.  It is an American device made by Deltec and it is accessed using a specially designed needle which goes through the skin and into the portal, so that any fluids go through the catheter directly into the bloodstream.

 

It has to be flushed with a heparin solution to prevent blood clots from forming.

 

So John stayed Monday night in the clinic in Limassol where the operation took place, and returned home today.  Tomorrow, Friday and next Monday we will return to the doctor’s surgery for it to be flushed again – just a quick simple process.

 

The Oncology Centre has already been in touch with the surgeon, and says it wants to start chemotherapy as soon as possible, so this will likely be next week, but we do not have an appointment yet.  That will mean a trip every two weeks to Nicosia.

 

So, says Natasha, how does Dad look?  Well he looks extremely well – unless he does too much and just gets tired.  On the whole he controls the pain with pain killers (3 a day just paracetamol) and takes a sleeping pill at night.

 

He has particularly enjoyed receiving all your emails and phone calls and is at his best in the morning although remember, (as one friend said) he can talk for England!!

 

Thanks again.

 

Sue

Update 1

This is the update that I've been sending to all who have enquired -

Hello to everyone,

Many have asked for news so I have decided to do a round
robin on where we have got to.

The good news is that John is home for the first time in
weeks.  We went to the oncology centre today (Wednesday 22^nd July) in Nicosia and
saw Dr Papamichael, who is not only the specialist for his
type of cancer but also the head of the centre.  He was in
UK for 17 years, Westminster Hospital and Royal Marsden, and
his only reason for returning was to help set this centre
up.  The Cyprus Government offers free cancer treatment for
all and this centre is part funded by the Bank of Cyprus. 

He spent over an hour with us, getting a picture of how it
had started and progressed, and he'd read all the notes from
doctors in America as well as the doctors from the clinic in
Limassol, where John stayed for 11 days on our return from
USA.  he looked at the Catscan taken in USA and brought back
with us, and explained that he wouldn't recommend surgery on
the tumour, and that he wasn't too worried about the lesions
on the liver.  But the worry was the spots on the
peritoneum, which are causing the fluid to build up in
John's tummy. He's already had some 3 litres removed.
He then explained the different types of chemotherapy he is
recommending, evidently when one lot stops working they then
move onto another type.  Plus two types of biological
treatments which can have rather bad side effects.  They can
be in pill form, which could be a bit toxic for John, and we
will probably go with the other recommendation that he has
some form of portal (plug) inserted in his shoulder, and
then this stuff can drip into him over a 48 hour period.
The treatment will be once every two weeks - and the drip
bag can be inserted, he can come home, and then a nurse will
come and remove it.

He recommended a website, set up by his old boss in UK,
Google – cancer backup - and asked us to have a look at this,
come back with questions, and then we'll go ahead with
treatment after that.
for those who are interested the therapies are:
Rinotecan plus 5 Fu (5-fluorouracil)
or
Oxaliplatin plus 5 Fu
plus the biological ones, Benacizumab and Cetuximab
so, we feel we have moved on a stage and have every faith in
this very impressive man.  John says he made him feel that
he was the only patient in the world, he had time for him,
and this gives great confidence.

what he is hoping to do is reduce the spread of the cancer -
it cannot be cured - in order to extend John's life.

John sends his love and thanks you all for your concern,
love, and support which has also given him great strength.

with love too from sue.