A good procedure

Today's procedure went really well and Catherine was fantastic - really cool and calm. She didn't even flinch at having her 'wiggly' put in and she was so chilled out at having the anaesthetic that she was almost asleep before they gave it to her! A cool cucumber! She also really enjoyed all the crafts today, and it was hard dragging her away from the play table! She spent most of her time painting and using coloured sand.

The consultant also met with us today and said that, from their point of view, Catherine was doing extremely well on her treatment. This is always encouraging :-)
When Catherine had her anaesthetic and chemotherapy into her spinal fluid, they also took some of her bone marrow to check that there are no 'naughty blood cells'.

It was our last visit to the Royal Marsden Hospital before we go to our new specialist hospital when we move. I didn't realize until we got there. We still need to have chemotherapy at our shared care hospital before we move, but it was odd leaving all the friendly staff that we have got to know at the Marsden. I get the feeling that our Consultant would have liked us to be staying close by so that she could see Catherine's treatment through to the end. But I told her I would let her know how things were going. The nurses, doctors and play staff have all been brilliant and really helped us in many practical ways. The Clic Sargeant lady has also helped us greatly with all the different forms and paperwork that needed to be completed.

The hospital is looking to raise money to form the best childhood and teenage cancer hospital in Europe, but they need to raise funds first. Their plan can be found here www.royalmarsden.org/plan.