Mar 4-7

Mar 4

Chris the (female) Palliative Care Doctor came the next day (Mar 4) at noon and everything changed . By 3.00 p.m. we were admitted to hospital (Mischa helped me drive him) and at 6.00 he had a brain scan as per PC Dr’s orders (in consult with Nimit) and I slept the night.

Mar 5

First thing in the morning the Oncology consultant (& 100 medical students) arrived and delivered the bad news that the cancer had spread to the brain... at the base and it wasn’t good. He was very sorry and then they left.

Good gracious -  I had a feeling the trial wasn’t working but this totally blindsided me.   Joseph was still holding out that the trial would still work, so this was very difficult news.

Luckily for both of us, Mischa and cassia were able to come over and spend the day with us as we muddled through a lot of doctors and their departments and this and that and finally we are now under the care of the Palliative Care Dept. and we just can’t say enough about them as a whole and in particular the two doctors we’ve dealt with.  Such compassion and knowing how to say what needs to be said etc. is awe inspiring

Mar 7

Joseph is now on a pump to administer most of the drugs and it seems the cocktail is working.  Also, as of writing (sat p.m.) there has been minimal vomiting today.

So in the middle of the horrible, comes a good day and after much anguish and soul-search and discussion we have decided to not have any further treatment (no trial, no back-up-plan chemo) just some palliative radiotherapy to his ribs and brain (help the pain and vomiting). Every doctor agrees that it is a very aggressive cancer and our timeline is looking more like weeks than months.

Jospeh’s family, in the middle of the debarcle that is the Coronovirus, are working hard to come out and see their baby brother.  Tom gave up trying to arrive earlier, so he arrives Thursday, Marie early next week, we hope, and poor Patsy is laid up with severe back pain.  It’s nigh-on impossible to get though to the airline by phone and on-line booking is either shut down or impossible ... Tom said the planes are empty - it’s just hard to get on them!

I must tell you that Joseph is being such a trooper; never complaining, just the teeny tiniest “why me”, mostly incredulous at the speed (3 months ago he was walking 14kms a day mapping mallee fowl) and now reflecting on our wonderful life... such is the tiny silver lining of this horrible news.

Our private hospital room is wonderful when the kiddies come to visit and we’ve even adorned the walls with their artwork!  

We shudder at the thought, that before this beautiful hospital, we would be one of six in a ward, with shared bathroom, and the noise and interruptions, and goodness knows what else ... and here I get annoyed if a distant door slams!  And today Mischa arrived with Canada Dry ... instead of the Schweppes Ginger Ale (which was wonderful) - but now, with tons of ice -it is perfect.

Nurse Billie ... we’ve bought in the big guns!!

We don’t know how long we will be in hospital but the plan is to return home - to our lovely apartment with views to the hills and over the city and down towards the beach.

 On the seventh floor there, we are almost in heaven!