Angels at the Bridgewater

 

Yesterday - a touch of the reality I’m passing through

Since the first treatment cycle last Friday, I was due my first check up as to how I’m doing. 

First a blood test earlier in the week at my local Health Centre

Then a phone call to follow up any issues. 

So, when the call came, I expected a few routine questions as the week had passed fairly well, without incident. 

This I was not expecting -

"Mr Crawford, your blood test showed a higher than expected result. 

We need to ask you to come in today for another test to confirm this further."

"You mean up to Belfast?"

"Yes. There isn’t time for you to go to the local Health Centre.

We wouldn’t get the results back before the weekend. We can’t wait that long. 

You have to come to Belfast."

So we dropped everything, and rushed the 80 or so minutes drive past the familiar green fields.

Grey skies with patches of blue around Ballymena, to the Bridgewater Suite of the City Hospital once again. 

Another blood test. Another uncertain wait.

And finally to hear that the number has not increased further, in fact it has decrease a little, and you are fine to go.

So what might have been a stressful day turned out good.

It was helped also through encountering two angels at the Bridgewater Suite in Belfast City's Cancer unit. 

Well, they didn’t have white wings. But they had blue uniforms.

Leanne and Sarah are part of the team that is caring for me. 

They welcomed us, asked us how we were settling in, knowing that we had had to uproot from Athens at short notice in order to settle for a time in Northern Ireland for the treatment.

Asked about our family in London, and how they were coping with the news.

Showed compassion and a awareness about our situation.

Were able to explain how side effects to the drugs can flare up at short notice.

That any issue needed to be dealt with as soon as possible, hence the sudden call to come to Belfast.

It was so reassuring to us to see that this team, was not only professional and alert, but also caring and personal in the way they looked after people like me.

So, thank you, Leanne and Sarah