WHO KNEW? – So since being in Kenya I seem to have come down with a few illnesses here and there, not from food or anything but mainly picking up bugs from the kids I think!! Before Christmas I got a chest infection, now who knew you could get that in a hot country??? But then a couple of weeks ago, after spending time with Peter in Hospital I came home late on the Friday night not feeling great. Went to bed and woke up vomiting in the night, it was awful I had no sleep, was shivering and was just waiting for the sun to break through the windows and declare it was day time. I must have been awake from 1am till dawn. I got up and lay infront of the TV hoping the bug would pass, it must just be a 24 hour thing I reckoned. But by afternoon the fever was still there, I had no appetite so I decided better get checked out. Off to hospital I went and was there for hours, thankfully though Dre came with me to help. I sat in the waiting room shivering and shaking, my head pounding just wanting to sleep. I saw the doc and then had to do blood tests and Xray. I slowly wondered through the hospital to the various departments, wishing I had asked for a wheelchair. I got back to casualty and lay on one of the beds. Time passed and eventually the doc came back... hmm seems you have pneumonia!!! WHAT!!!! So come on tell me, who knew you could get pneumonia in a hot climate? I went home slept better but was still rough. The drugs that they gave me where nasty, bad for the stomach and brought on diaorea, not fun!!! So David and Juliet made it back from a romantic weekend in Naivasha and ordered a taxi to come and pick me up. I spent the week at theirs, resting and slowly recovering! I am soooo grateful to them, I’m not sure what I would have done otherwise. My appetite slowly came back, but to be honest its not fully back. I spent a week in bed resting, then decided it was time to come back to my house, prepare myself for work. Everyone said take your time, don’t rush.... but I was thinking I feel ok and I feel guilty for all the work I am missing. But they were right. Monday I woke up and felt groggy, I slowly struggled out of bed, lay on the sofa and then at some point mid morning hit the shower. I did pop in to Cheryls for about 30 mins, but thats all. Seems they were right, this could take longer. I have been amazed at how much this pneumonia hit me, I am still not 100% and I seem to tire easily, but I need to get on with things and prepare to return to the UK for a few weeks. Pneumonia hey, who knew? Now that’s a first for me!
FLYING KITES – in Nairobi there is heavy traffic, tall buildings, construction sites, rubbish, dust being blown around and smog that makes you cough, but amongst it all each day in the skies I see Kites flying. Its rather odd seeing a bird of prey swooping over the city streets, but they are big and there are plenty of them. So I guess at home we have crummy old pigeons, here we have beautiful Kites soaring over the city skies. A nice distraction in this frantic city.
CASH FLOW – so one of the key things I learnt doing business studies at university was CASH FLOW and keeping it in good health! I remember during Entrepreneurial Business we watched documentaries of businesses starting up and going bust in a short space of time, and almost every time it was down to cash flow. Businesses that actually were good and made sense, but it was their poor cash flow that killed them off. So at Cheryls thats our biggest challenge, we don’t have regular income at regular times to pay our bills and staff. We haven’t paid all the staff for last month and still need to find this month. January and February we need cash to send all the kids back to highs school and we are still short. Its really hard and thats one of my goals, through our child sponsorship programme to improve our cash flow... it might take a long time but I hope we get there. Also my own personal cash flow I am very much keeping an eye on at the moment as I cover Peter’s hospital expenses, we have spent over £3,000 and there will be much more of that to come! So far we have raise £6,200 and once I get this cash my personal cash flow will be eased as I replenish my minimal savings, but as we look to the future I think we will need to raise at least double that for Peter and his expenses. Cash flow, a good lesson learnt at Edinburgh Uni... yes I did pay attention in lectures.
READ ALL ABOUT IT – So Peter got his picture on the back page of the Daily Nation yesterday. This is one of the best newspapers in Kenya. On Saturday we had to go to hospital for blood tests and possible chemo. During the day there was an event for World Childhood Cancer Day. We arrived late, and I thought it was just an exhibition but we turned up to a small marquee filled with people in a circle, the TV cameras were rolling, I said me and Peter would just sit on the back row as we might not stay long, then I felt someone grab my hand, it was professor Macharia. He asked if he could kindly ambush me and that I sit with Peter on the front row. So we did, and the camera was put infront of us with the microphones....hmmmm... what am I supposed to say? So just for a couple of minutes I shared our story. I don’t know if it ended up on TV, but afterwards the press came to speak to us. Peter had his photo taken with Prof and it seems they ended up on the back page. It was an interesting discussion and I was constantly referred to as “The Daddy” by the host. People could clearly see I am not really, but in this role I am playing with Peter I am taking that part. I don’t truely feel I should be called that, I have many other people involved in helping, but much of the responsibility rests on my shoulders. Coming back to the UK worries me as I won’t be around for a few weeks and I need to make arrangements for Peter. But its a trip I must make.
£300 LATER – So last week we went for Peter’s chemo, his last one of the first cycle. We did the blood tests but found his White Blood Cell count was only 0.3 and it should be between 5 and 12. He wasn;t able to get chemo and needed to go on strong medication. Prof warned us its expensive and he would need injections for a few days. I went to the pharmacy to get the medication, and for 3 simple injections it cost me nearly £300. I was blown away! These are the hard things in this process, the costs and problems that occur that are not always expected. We can plan for the chemo visits, but when he got pneumonia (not from me) and when he needed these injections the costs rise, and thats what is scary, thats a challenge because we can’t plan for that, its also dangerous and Peter is at risk at the childrens home of catching more infections so we perhaps need to come up with another plan. The good thing is now when we go to the hospital everyone knows us, we walk in, people say hi, we seem to jump to the front of the queue, especially as Peter is at risk of getting an infection from other sick kids. The nurse just performed the injection for free at no cost (just had to pay the crazy £300!! For the medication). He has come on so well with the chemo and you can almost hardly tell he had a lump where the tumour is. Many people in the hospital comment and say didn;t the surgery go well, what a difference and I answer them by saying there was no surgery, its just the chemo. After 3 doses there has been a dramatic affect, even Prof is amazed. But we still have a long road ahead. Prof has decided to change our protocol for chemo. Instead of almost every week we are now going for a longer term approach, once every 3 weeks for about a year! Which in a way sucks because it will be a very long road ahead, but at the same time spacing out chemo means we get a break between hospital visits, means I can catch up with more work rather than working half a week in the office and the other half in the hospital, means when I come back to the UK I should only miss one round of chemo. Again this is all assuming there are no complications and infections. The road is long but Peter is doing well, being brave during every injection and knowing the hospital and the people makes life so much easier.
HEAT – Its now been January and into February and boy its hot, these are the hottest months of the year and its roasting.. not pleasant, very sticking and already the land is starting to dry up again, the fields slowly turning for a lovely green to that sandy brown colour. The power keeps going off as the hydroelectric power stations run out of water (not cool when you’re in the middle of watching an England rugby match). The environment is often in the news papers and being discussed by politicians as Kenyans realise that the mistakes they have been making over the past years are starting to directly impact them. No not green house effect, but the chopping down of trees, the increase demand in water in Nairobi and the waste everywhere. The sad thing is there is much talk, but the politicians aren’t really taking it seriously, there is a huge amount of greed in this country and the rich look to become even richer, which means raping the land and counting the dollars, not concerned with the future, because by then they will just move to another country and spend their millions and billions. Next month the long rains should come (they haven’t the past few years), but we pray for a good month of rain, but it always comes with a curse, with no trees the water floods, people die, so as the water of life hopefully hits the land we look forward to increase food production, perhaps a lower cost of food but also the safety of those caught in the floods.
COMING HOME – In just over a week I will be heading back to Blighty, time to meet with our charity over there, review the last 6 months, network with people and supporters, promote the work we are doing, seeing family and friends and then heading straight back into the thick of it here. I am looking forward to some cold weather... strange I know, but i miss the feeling of wrapping up in a warm coat, the fresh cool air on your face and seeing the steam come out of your mouth as you breath. Its funny the things you miss, but I’m not worried about the cold (well unless the pneumonia comes back!). Im looking forward to smooth roads, being able to walk around without fear, being able to walk around at night without fear, being able to drive and not worry about police check points and getting chance to bring back all the things i didn’t bring when I first moved here. It will be a good time I’m sure, not a holiday, but a chance to see folks and also reflect on the last 6 months. The boy is coming home.
FLYING KITES – in Nairobi there is heavy traffic, tall buildings, construction sites, rubbish, dust being blown around and smog that makes you cough, but amongst it all each day in the skies I see Kites flying. Its rather odd seeing a bird of prey swooping over the city streets, but they are big and there are plenty of them. So I guess at home we have crummy old pigeons, here we have beautiful Kites soaring over the city skies. A nice distraction in this frantic city.
CASH FLOW – so one of the key things I learnt doing business studies at university was CASH FLOW and keeping it in good health! I remember during Entrepreneurial Business we watched documentaries of businesses starting up and going bust in a short space of time, and almost every time it was down to cash flow. Businesses that actually were good and made sense, but it was their poor cash flow that killed them off. So at Cheryls thats our biggest challenge, we don’t have regular income at regular times to pay our bills and staff. We haven’t paid all the staff for last month and still need to find this month. January and February we need cash to send all the kids back to highs school and we are still short. Its really hard and thats one of my goals, through our child sponsorship programme to improve our cash flow... it might take a long time but I hope we get there. Also my own personal cash flow I am very much keeping an eye on at the moment as I cover Peter’s hospital expenses, we have spent over £3,000 and there will be much more of that to come! So far we have raise £6,200 and once I get this cash my personal cash flow will be eased as I replenish my minimal savings, but as we look to the future I think we will need to raise at least double that for Peter and his expenses. Cash flow, a good lesson learnt at Edinburgh Uni... yes I did pay attention in lectures.
READ ALL ABOUT IT – So Peter got his picture on the back page of the Daily Nation yesterday. This is one of the best newspapers in Kenya. On Saturday we had to go to hospital for blood tests and possible chemo. During the day there was an event for World Childhood Cancer Day. We arrived late, and I thought it was just an exhibition but we turned up to a small marquee filled with people in a circle, the TV cameras were rolling, I said me and Peter would just sit on the back row as we might not stay long, then I felt someone grab my hand, it was professor Macharia. He asked if he could kindly ambush me and that I sit with Peter on the front row. So we did, and the camera was put infront of us with the microphones....hmmmm... what am I supposed to say? So just for a couple of minutes I shared our story. I don’t know if it ended up on TV, but afterwards the press came to speak to us. Peter had his photo taken with Prof and it seems they ended up on the back page. It was an interesting discussion and I was constantly referred to as “The Daddy” by the host. People could clearly see I am not really, but in this role I am playing with Peter I am taking that part. I don’t truely feel I should be called that, I have many other people involved in helping, but much of the responsibility rests on my shoulders. Coming back to the UK worries me as I won’t be around for a few weeks and I need to make arrangements for Peter. But its a trip I must make.
£300 LATER – So last week we went for Peter’s chemo, his last one of the first cycle. We did the blood tests but found his White Blood Cell count was only 0.3 and it should be between 5 and 12. He wasn;t able to get chemo and needed to go on strong medication. Prof warned us its expensive and he would need injections for a few days. I went to the pharmacy to get the medication, and for 3 simple injections it cost me nearly £300. I was blown away! These are the hard things in this process, the costs and problems that occur that are not always expected. We can plan for the chemo visits, but when he got pneumonia (not from me) and when he needed these injections the costs rise, and thats what is scary, thats a challenge because we can’t plan for that, its also dangerous and Peter is at risk at the childrens home of catching more infections so we perhaps need to come up with another plan. The good thing is now when we go to the hospital everyone knows us, we walk in, people say hi, we seem to jump to the front of the queue, especially as Peter is at risk of getting an infection from other sick kids. The nurse just performed the injection for free at no cost (just had to pay the crazy £300!! For the medication). He has come on so well with the chemo and you can almost hardly tell he had a lump where the tumour is. Many people in the hospital comment and say didn;t the surgery go well, what a difference and I answer them by saying there was no surgery, its just the chemo. After 3 doses there has been a dramatic affect, even Prof is amazed. But we still have a long road ahead. Prof has decided to change our protocol for chemo. Instead of almost every week we are now going for a longer term approach, once every 3 weeks for about a year! Which in a way sucks because it will be a very long road ahead, but at the same time spacing out chemo means we get a break between hospital visits, means I can catch up with more work rather than working half a week in the office and the other half in the hospital, means when I come back to the UK I should only miss one round of chemo. Again this is all assuming there are no complications and infections. The road is long but Peter is doing well, being brave during every injection and knowing the hospital and the people makes life so much easier.
HEAT – Its now been January and into February and boy its hot, these are the hottest months of the year and its roasting.. not pleasant, very sticking and already the land is starting to dry up again, the fields slowly turning for a lovely green to that sandy brown colour. The power keeps going off as the hydroelectric power stations run out of water (not cool when you’re in the middle of watching an England rugby match). The environment is often in the news papers and being discussed by politicians as Kenyans realise that the mistakes they have been making over the past years are starting to directly impact them. No not green house effect, but the chopping down of trees, the increase demand in water in Nairobi and the waste everywhere. The sad thing is there is much talk, but the politicians aren’t really taking it seriously, there is a huge amount of greed in this country and the rich look to become even richer, which means raping the land and counting the dollars, not concerned with the future, because by then they will just move to another country and spend their millions and billions. Next month the long rains should come (they haven’t the past few years), but we pray for a good month of rain, but it always comes with a curse, with no trees the water floods, people die, so as the water of life hopefully hits the land we look forward to increase food production, perhaps a lower cost of food but also the safety of those caught in the floods.
COMING HOME – In just over a week I will be heading back to Blighty, time to meet with our charity over there, review the last 6 months, network with people and supporters, promote the work we are doing, seeing family and friends and then heading straight back into the thick of it here. I am looking forward to some cold weather... strange I know, but i miss the feeling of wrapping up in a warm coat, the fresh cool air on your face and seeing the steam come out of your mouth as you breath. Its funny the things you miss, but I’m not worried about the cold (well unless the pneumonia comes back!). Im looking forward to smooth roads, being able to walk around without fear, being able to walk around at night without fear, being able to drive and not worry about police check points and getting chance to bring back all the things i didn’t bring when I first moved here. It will be a good time I’m sure, not a holiday, but a chance to see folks and also reflect on the last 6 months. The boy is coming home.
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