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.