A visit to the cousins in the Lake District
January 2023. Cousin Sophie’s 2nd birthday & Christening. Kirkby Thore & Temple Sowerby.
Dad, Jude & Drew left home Saturday morning, arriving in ‘the lakes’ by lunch time.
Mummy Su wasn’t well enough to join us.
The first visit away from home since Drew’s diagnosis.
It’d been 9 months since any of us have left the area. Being out of driving rang of Drew’s support team at Worcester or Birmingham is a risk. If Drew fell ill, we’d need to get to an unfamiliar hospital very quickly. All hospitals are geared up for it – larger ones have better paediatric oncology services. Throughout the drive up the M6 & whilst staying away, I always knew where the local hospital was – just in case. Every step of the journey involved overthinking the ‘what-if’ scenario. The luggage we carried catered for all eventualities (4 times as much stuff – just in case). If anyone looked in my van – I’d have had less than easy conversation – explaining why I’m carrying Morphine & other Cytoxic medicines.
Should anything have happened (spiked in Temperature) – I knew exactly what to do:
- Call Worcester ‘Orchard’ oncology support team
- They would call ahead to the local hospital
- We would make our way there ASAP
All this said – with all of the worry & forethought (that and I was sole parenting this) – we did it. We needed to do it. I had not been to see my folks or my siblings in 9 months. My boys hadn’t seen their cousins (Keeley, Jody, Finley, Roxy, Molly & Sophie) in just as long. The trip gave us a sense of normal. The trip gave my family the reassurarnce that actually, Drew & the rest of the family are OK – and battleing thorugh this.
We crammed so much into the weekend. See the pictures here 2023-01 Lakes visit, Sophie Birthday & Christening