Ethical gifts and counting the costs

Pads had a very quiet day today, feeling 'zonked' after yesterday's visits from the play therapist and his tutor. However, it did make him easy prey for the nurse who needed to take some blood, to check that the chemo is not harming his counts. This involves a finger/thumb prick (he has a choice!) and then a collecting vial is scraped over the hole. It makes me wince to witness it but Pads is an old hand at this now.
A calmer day also gave him chance to consider options for his birthday... and he's plumped for a single game of 10-pin bowling with a couple of chums.
We're somewhat amazed to be looking at Pads' birthday. He'll be 14. Regarding gifts, as I've said before, he really does not lack for anything. However, flexing significant powers of imagination, some have managed to come up with a suitable present idea. If you are failing at this, and were thinking of going any higher than a card, Pads would like to encourage you to consider an 'ethical gift'. These two sites looked promising when he was reviewing them earlier today. http://www.goodgifts.org/ and http://www.presentaid.org/ For example, £15 will buy a single 'Medical sniffer rat', or, if vegetation is your thing, a similar sum will gift 20 fruit trees to struggling families in Nicaragua.

Our LATCH social worker arrived with the nurse to help Ally with a benefits form. You may have missed an article on the Welsh regional news last night, following up a recent report published by CLIC Sargent, 'Counting the Costs of Cancer'. There is no doubt that we have also been hit financially by the disease. Ally would be working at least part of the week, and earning more than our carer's and disabilities allowances. However, we have gratefully received significant financial support, as well as support that equates to financial, from charities, friends and family. Furthermore, we do not experience the same outlay on travel and accommodation that most families in our situation do because we live within 10 minutes walk of the hospital, a singular providence.

Launching the 'JustGiving' pages

So the time has come to launch the JustGiving pages for our sponsored walk in May. We would be honoured if you would consider donating via one or other of these links:
http://www.justgiving.com/bw2011-ChristianLewisTrust
http://www.justgiving.com/bw2011-CancerResearchWales
God willing, five of us will be taking the 100 mile route across the Brecon Beacons, known as 'The Beacons Way' in six days, instead of the normal 8.
I've amended the blog's left-hand panel so that the total raised is clear.
We have been helped by SO many charities, great and small, that it was very difficult to settle on two (the JAM fund recently sent us a generous donation to help fund our Florida trip!), although one would be more conventional. You can read more about the reasons for all of this on the JustGiving pages.

Morning sickness

The morning sickness just about clears by noon. But it can come back in a flash, if he smells something slightly noxious, cooking mince, for example, or if he just takes too much into his mouth. The drugs seem to vary in their effectiveness. I'm just letting him lie until he comes out of it and gets tired of resting. Yesterday we had the day to ourselves with the others visiting family over the bridge. We toddled the dog around the park before taking some sea air at Cardiff Bay as we'd got there too early for the film (made bearable only by the 3D fx). There was a stand about bullying, doing a 'painting workshop' where he got to paint a little plastic hand. These people were well-meaning but consider this poem that we were given along with other bumf:

If you're being bullied
And feeling hurt as well
Hold this Hand of Courage
It will give you strength to tell

Hold on to it tightly
Hold it every day
It is there to help and support you
In each and every way

It was in Welsh on the other side. I suppose there's some home-spun psychology in there that may actually help. And the folks there are lovin Pads in his wheelchair - ideal PR material. I don't want to be cynical here. He, like so many of us, knows what it is to be bullied, though, thankfully, only very rarely because of his appearance this year. Almost any attempt to blunt human nature's savage streak is to be welcomed. The serious point is, how exactly does a holding anything tightly everyday help and support in each and every way? This is vapid secular/materialism: what happens if you forget your 'hand', or the bully steals it? Here's a different poem:

When all around my soul gives way [as it surely will!]
He then is all my hope and stay

Or similar:

We have an anchor that keeps the soul
Steadfast and sure while the billows roll

Not only can we not lose God, His almighty hand is holding us! Gogoniant! Diolch byth!

race for life

Ally would quite like it to be known that she's doing the 'race for life' on 8th July and would be grateful for any sponsorship, large or small. It's not brilliant that it's on prayer meeting night but most or all of them happen on the Lord's Day, which is out of the question. There is a possibility that Pads might agree to go along too... he'd put on quite a turn, in his wheelchair getting pushed by his mum - at least she'd burn some extra calories. There's no expectation that you'll actually run it and it's only 5 kilometers, but the cause is well worthy. Have a look at the lefthand side of the blog where you'll see a link to Ally's donations page.
Pads was very slow starting today. He spent a while looking around the library but couldnt find anything worth reading (he's on the Silmarillion at the moment). There were flashes of his perky self at times.

Ink art framed

Further to the ink art Pads did... we collected the framed edition yesterday and it looks really good. I am still thinking about how best to go about auctioning them for charity. One of the key questions is whether to offer to get them framed - it really does enhance them. I'd have to do a deal with the framers or else take a more 'budget' route. Any thoughts can be added as comments here or else mail me.
Click on the image to get a clearer view of it.

Thanks Mike!

My big sis Catherine has been encouraging her contacts to support LATCH. Now Mike Howell has decided to run the Edinburgh marathon and raise funds them. Fantastic! I've created a link to his 'justgiving' to my little list of links on the left. Just over a month to the big day... lets see if we can exceed his fundraising target! :-)