On Tuesday I had the enormous joy of spending the afternoon with my super-sweet twin nephew and niece, Innes and Matilda, having previously only met them briefly in Oxford the other weekend at their joint christening (at which gorgeous UK-based nephew Benedict was also splashed and blessed). Between accidentally putting squished fruit up Innes's nose, returning Matilda … Continue reading Day +129: Taking control
Day ONE HUNDRED and something…
I'm not sure where to start. Day +100, perhaps? How much hair can one man wear? [beware: video contains some flashes] http://youtu.be/1QUddSmO0gM Yep – I hit three figures and had a small, hairy celebration with a few friends, toasting the three-digit milestone and raising money for Macmillan. This came after promising results from my bone … Continue reading Day ONE HUNDRED and something…
Day +94: The nervous nineties
As a Modern Languages undergraduate, it was my luck and privilege to swan off for the third year of my degree to practise and hopefully improve my language skills. Having spent my gap year in France, I opted to work as an English assistant in Rome, and it was fabulous: my workload was small, I … Continue reading Day +94: The nervous nineties
Days +79 to +82: ‘A matter of life or death’?
For a coffee-lover and football supporter, what could be better than marrying an Italian? There are plenty of other reasons why I hit the jackpot with Mariacristina, but in the early days of our relationship, I assumed that fantastic coffee and long arguments about the relative tactical merits of the 'false 9' and the trequartista … Continue reading Days +79 to +82: ‘A matter of life or death’?
11 Reasons Why You Are The Boss Of Cancer
So, cancer reckons it's in charge? I'm 77 days post-stem cell transplant following my relapse of acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, and I say it's not... 1. Cancer fails to deny its inferiority As a trained journalist, I'm keenly aware of giving the 'other side' of a story the right to reply. So I tried contacting cancer through various media … Continue reading 11 Reasons Why You Are The Boss Of Cancer
Days +69 to +72: The invisible illness
It's been a bit of an eye-opener to see that at least some friends and family genuinely believed my post on Facebook declaring that I had completed my first triathlon. I chose a snappy, attention-grabbing description in the expectation that nobody would actually believe it, but instead would be intrigued as to what I was … Continue reading Days +69 to +72: The invisible illness
Days +60 to +63: The benefits of remembering the tougher times
According to the Department of Work and Pensions' preliminary estimates for 2013/14 (bear with me here), around £1.1bn was paid out to fraudulent benefits claims, representing around 0.7% of the total benefits bill. Clearly there are a lot of people persuaded towards dishonesty by the promise of 'free money' in return for false claims that might never be found … Continue reading Days +60 to +63: The benefits of remembering the tougher times
Days +56 to +59: Feel free to graffiti our house
I'm pretty certain that before my leukaemia relapse, if Mariacristina had used a paint sampler – intended to check colour suitability – to vandalise the walls of our downstairs loo, albeit with friendly graffiti, I'd have shaken my head, sighed and looked reprovingly at her while saying 'Cuoooore...". After all, the chances were that the graffiti would be … Continue reading Days +56 to +59: Feel free to graffiti our house
Day +50 (and +47 to +49): Treatment by numbers
1 readmission to hospital since discharge following stem cell transplant (average is apparently three in first year post-transplant) 2 times as bushy: my eyebrows seem to have thickened dramatically; fine hair has also appeared on the bottom of my nose, my ears and, to a lesser extent, the rest of my head. I'm not sure why... … Continue reading Day +50 (and +47 to +49): Treatment by numbers
Days +43 to +46: Looking for the answer
Another weekend, another magnificent breakfast by Mariacristina, as she marked the visit of our friends Valentina and Riccardo with pancakes and eggy bread (French toast if you're feeling formal). I did tell her that if I were the only one to want the latter, not to go to the extra effort, but she insisted she … Continue reading Days +43 to +46: Looking for the answer