Another year bites the dust...

May has always been an interesting month for the blog. After all, that's the month when everything started happening back in 2005. Fast forward 7 years and life seems very different:
Maddy was 21 earlier this month.
She's spending a couple of days in London with Mum to celebrate, including tickets for Mama Mia.
At Medschool, she's enjoyed had her best ever results, comfortably passing 3rd year. She's currently on her early summer break until mid-June, when she'll return to Brum for Year 4. Medschool years seem to get shorter as holidays shrink - it means they can cram more learning in ???
Meanwhile,she's keeping herself busy at home, supporting her younger brother with his A level Maths and Biology revision. Oh and Maddy has managed to squeeze in a week's holiday to Turkey with her boyfriend.
She's also looking forward to going to the Olympics to watch the table-tennis in late July.

Happy times !

Third Year

It's been over a year - loads has happened and Maddy's still thriving in Birmingham.
The big news is that she had a very successful second year with NO RESITS (hurrah!) and is now starting her clinical years where she is increasingly hospital-based.

Here's a taster of the how they started 3rd year - in fancy dress, no less.

First Year exams.....

....done and dusted.
A predictable nervy few days before the results were announced, anticipating the worst....
Then on Friday (18 June), M learned she had passed everything 1st time, without any resits.
Sure this may be normal for most undergrads, but bear in mind that more than one-third of last year's first year at B'ham Medicine had to undertake one or more resists, and the confidence wobbles become understandable.
Better still, all next year's flatmates will also progress with no resists too !
Here's a pic of M with 2 of them, taken whilst out clubbing earlier this year.

Big day

Maddy went to Jimmy's Children's day hospital today, for her 6 month check-up. It's almost 5 years since her diagnosis.
The consultation itself was very predictable and uneventful.
More interestingly, the slip the doctor passed her at the end of the consultation to take to reception - normally to book the next appointment - read:

"Discharged - LTFU"

That translates as Long-term Follow-up.

It means M's next trip to Jimmy's will only be annual, to the adult unit in the Bexley Wing.
This was her last time in the Children's Day Hospital.
A big day, worthy of note on the blog, M thought.

And in the rest of her life.....?

Maddy is 'coping' with Med School, - "some days it feels harder than chemo", she confessed.
Exams start in 10 days and the pressure is on.
But she is happy about her situation, works really hard and loves it, most of the time.

Why does she love it?

New friends;
Social life;
Big city;
Independence.

Who'd have dared to think it, 5 years ago ?

Take care now.

A level results day...

4 A's.....wey hey !!!

beckons.

Here's how Maddy feels about it !

UCAS 2009 - Done and dusted

OK, almost 8 months have passed since the last post and you're all very deserving of an update.
All is well as Maddy continues to thrive at Greenhead with a very promising outcome from the A2 module exams in January. Top grades throughout in the summer are not to be taken for granted. There's no complacency, but it's looking a very realistic prospect now.
That's probably just as well as, after the trauma of this year's intensively competitive UCAS round, Mads is basking in the glory of 3 medicine offers,...including, most valuably, her first choice.
So, the University of Birmingham Medical School beckons for late September. Time now to address the vexed issue of finance, sort vaccinations, accommodation etc.
A fabulously weird combination of elation and relief from family and friends (and Mads herself) at this very poignant achievement.
More later.....

AS Results

Maddy's just received her AS results and secured the only grade she knows in all 4 subjects, that's A grade in Biology, Chemistry, Maths and Physics....not just scraped A's either but all very very comfortable A grades - modesty forbids any more detail, but take it as read she doesn't need to waste time on any resits !
One significant step nearer Med School !