Connections

It seems important not to lose perspective here.
Recognising what's going on in the big wide world outside Ward 10 of St James's Hospital, Leeds can be quite therapeutic and the events of Saturday were certainly signifiacnt for the big wide world.
Is there a connection between Maddy's situation and all the Live8 / G8 issues ?
Absolutely.
Nobody who gets cancer can consider themselves lucky.
Whoever you are, whatever type of cancer it is, whenever it hits you - it's a rough deal and a really tough experience.
However, if you have cancer, then it's certainly fortunate if it can be treated somewhere like Jimmy's with the fabulous NHS machine behind it.
It's very reassuring and it means that Maddy has the best possible chance of pulling through.

It's a miserable reality however, that the picture is very different in other parts of the world, particularly in much of Africa, where people in Maddy's situation aren't getting the best possible chance with their treatments. Some forms of lymphoma are much more common across Africa, but survival rates are significantly lower.
".....the majority of children with malignancies in Africa can be cured with current standard treatment protocols, though survival rates are consistently below those in the West." (The Provision and outcome of Paediatric Oncology Care in Sub-Saharan Africa, Abby White)
"Equitable distribution of resources is an important ethical concern in cancer treatment. It is clear that, in Zimbabwe at least, and probably in much of the continent, there is plenty of scope for improvement in this respect." (Cancer survival in Africa, David Greenberg)

To paraphrase Bono from the Hyde park gig on Saturday - it's not about charity, it's about justice.


Meanwhile, back on Ward 10, Maddy is dealing with her own connections.
She has had to deal with a record number of connections to her drip machine over the last few days - for: blood, electrolytes, nutrition (TPN), anti-sickness drugs, painkillers, antibiotics and hydration (saline)....just about everything except chemotherapy

. As of today, she has been freed from two of that list, blood and electrolytes, but she is still very well 'connected'.

The boys of the family visited for the early (11.45 !) Sunday lunch today and stayed until mid-afternoon. Most of that time, Maddy was OK, but she does dip quite suddenly and unexpectedly - her BP still seems volatile and sudden changes for the worse can make her very drowsy.
Beth, Martha, May & Nigel are visiting around tea-time today.
Karen is scheduled for tomorrow teatime.

Today's flowers are courtesy of Gemma, Jamie and the Watts family of Formby, Nr Liverpool.