David,
"Living and the Dead Tour of England and Scotland – 2011"
What a wonderful and thoughtful idea made even more wonderful because you actually planned and executed it. 😀 😎
The Welsh side of my family is quite easy to find as generally they live in the same hole… or next door.:-D The London Irish (Mother's Father's side) and the Romany Gypsies (Mother's Mother's side) would be a tad more difficult… the Romany side came over from… somewhere, in 1900… our first records show them in a Gypsy camp in Latimer/Ladbroke Grove, London (I believe the camp still exists) where they took the name of the camp leader (a normal tradition apparently) and so the Buckland side of our family were born. I am amazed that as near as 1900 one side of my family were travelling along the mediterranean coastline with a plan to reach England and settle. :-0
My sister keeps onto me about visiting her in Bideford (where she runs a pub/restaurant)… we will have to meet for lunch if I am cruising by. 🙂
Dai.
Wow David, that sounds both complicated and expensive. :-S
I made a conscious decision to spend my holidays either with or near to friends and family… partly because of some of the stories I heard about extensive bone damage and air flight… but, as I said, the main factor was a widely scattered group of friends and family that I would like to see. 😎
Good luck to all with their insurance venturing. 🙂
Dai.
Wonder drug indeed – it doesn't explode out of the pack and it does not work particularly well as an instant cure for blockages… but as a regular, complimentary medicine it is marvellous. (The word marvellous was used by both the ward Sister and the duty Doctor).:-D
I feel a different person today… still fatigued and 'heavy' limbed but I am at my desk and sorting domestics, planning next week and freeing myself up for a full day's writing tomorrow. 😎
One sweet day at a time. 🙂
Dai.
The very best of luck… hold on… I've missed a day.
Results please madam. 🙂
Dai.
Hi Shirls,
Of all the pluses of recovery from treatment having a real taste and desire for food and drink is by far the biggest bonus… and its not just 'back to normal', everything tastes bigger and better and bolder. Bring it on… Hmm, dare I risk a 'drink' drink with my MST?
Nah… I won't push it… enough lessons for the time being.:-D
H i Jo,
Empty relaxed and starting to feel the real benefits of my 'Week Off'.
Ha! Week Off… I should Coco. 🙂 😉 😛 😎 🙂
Dai.
Ah, it is the Sunday shakedown… maintenance on the site.. it has happened before. I can't get it here either… I am sure it will work fine (again) by tonight.
I love micro breweries… they are an art form and you get to be very close and personal with the beers.8-)
Dai.
Regardless of the location I am so glad that he slipped away surrounded by love… 🙂
Bridget, I do feel compassion for your father-in-law and his family but if you don't mind I will concentrate all of my love and sympathy and encouragement for you and you alone, to help you as you play your part in this sorrow.
I can remember when I first arrived on the old site and it took me an age to realise that you were indeed a Myeloma sufferer and not a carer… such was the level of love and support and concern you showed for me then and everyone else in between and up to now.
So, while you have enough on your plate already, I know that you will rally round to support and comfort your family at this time… and I will be thinking of you.. and I have sent my guardian Angel to walk besides yours to help give you strength and to allow you to feel all the love you need to carry out your comforting. xxx
Dai.
I am so sorry to hear your news Bridget… I know that at his age we would normally say that he has had a good innings or that he has reached a very respectable age which is all fine and good if the end is full of dignity, grace and love… but when it is like this, with family having to travel to a strange place and your FIL is denied a familiar place, surrounded by his own walls and his own things… he deserves better and I am surprised that someone in authority could not find a bed, get it on a van and sort out the admin next week or whenever.
Yes, the political will of Govt., could/should make sure that this always happens but in the meantime it looks as if too many people have looked the other way.
I do hope that his end is as dignified and full of love, affection and good grace as everyone around him can muster.
Dai. xxx
Hi Jet,
Thanks for the video link, it was very enlightening. The idea of one-stop, one-fits-all has been a bugbear of mine for a long time now. I asked the Prof at the Nottingham INFODay the question about an individual disease being treated with blanket, 1-2-3 treatments and the seeming lack of flexibility and he agreed.. but said that there are ways and means… but only for the bigger, clinical test centres it seems, which is plain wrong.
The idea of over-treating, with the subsequent lengthy delays for recovery from frankly quite brutal doses also interested me. They have based my current dosage on height and weight but have not taken into consideration that my HGB has never been more than 12.4 in my entire life… (Mens range 12-14 Womens 10-12) and that was when I worked down the pit and played county hockey, never fitter. My HGB is the same as a female… My blood cells are woman sized, with a knock on effect on energy levels, body functions, alcohol consumption etc., And I thought/think that that would have a significant effect re:side-effects and my body's functions during treatment… my body agrees.:-)
Thanks again, hope you are doing better than expected.8-)
Dai.
Hi John,
I imagine consensus and best market would dictate a central concert venue… I was thinking of our patron, the wonderful Maureen Lipton and the possibility of a West End Theatre for one night only… but there are a hundred Arts Centre venue if that idea fails… 😎 😀
Baby steps, think big and stay big… that's my take for what it is worth… and we are worth it. 😎
Dai.
That is interesting Jo because as I have said previously, I wish I had on reflection (backed up by a pretty strong conviction at the time) held strong and postponed my SCT until after my CDT remission failed… but that's no longer an option and I didn't get enough cells for a 2nd. 🙂 >:-( 🙁
The video posted by Jet shows the concerns in America about overtreating and the time it takes to recover from such hard treatments, so, as our American friends are so fond of saying… Go figure!:-(
Are you on any maintenance drugs to keep you at your plateau? 🙂
Dai.
Hi Jr,
How old is your Mum and did they give a name to her Myeloma… i.e. Heavy chain or light chain? For instance if paraproteins were mentioned it will be heavy chain myeloma. What treatment have they mentioned… it is usually CDT (Cyclo, Dexamethasone and Thalidomide) but there has been a plethora of clinical trials that are proving to be an exciting divergence of possibilities and probabilities.
Welcome to our world although, truly, I wish you were not here… but as you are I have to say that this site and all who sail in her are all you will ever need to guide, help and support you and your family, especially your Mum (name?) as she travels our journey.
Dai.
Wow, now that is interesting. Strange but I have always imagined that major ways forward for diseases such as MM might well be found from other areas of medicine… side products and such… and this is a perfect example.8-)
Dai.
Thanks Tom and Jean,
Ideas are inspirational not frightening… I know the processes and procedures inside out but it is not the technical know how that matters, it is the enthusiasm, countered by fiscal realities and firm commitment that either quenches or instills the confidence to move forward towards an actual event.
In truth I imagine that the powers that be may well think it a beautiful idea but will be cautious about any involvement that needs initial capital investment… and I understand that kind of caution when everything you have is already committed one way or another. But there are ways… collaborative venturing with venues, getting a couple of well known production 'experts' on board, who will attract the necessary 'voices' to front the musical side of the project (dependent on the type of music we choose and the level of ambition settled on from the start).
It sounds like hard work but it is not so hard in reality… in reality it is about people inspiring people to examine ideas, decide on a level of ambition… and then come the emails, commitments and details… that's when the devil arrives, in the details. :'-( For devil read MM and those who might be forced to backtrack, delay or simply drop out. Which is why it would be important to have either MMUK or MacMillans as the lead body doing the admin and having their banner across the project.
Baby steps and then we will see, 🙂
Dai.
Ha, well the production team is forming, thanks Jean, I'll do a little exploring of ideas with Myeloma UK and possibly MacMillan and see if there is any interest..
It will have to be examined, a proposal put forward and a viability report showing concert and recording costs plus reproduction, artwork et al. The initial point would be to ensure that the concert was profitable (looking at a 300 seat venue with a collaborative venture or door split, say 60/40 in favour of the cause but they take any losses). That puts the venue on its mettle to help 'sell' the concert. The recording could be done by either the in-house sound engineer or by a guest industry producer (a noted name pressed into charitable service). The costs come in the engineering of the mixing and mastering process, where a recording studio will have to be found and paid for (hopefully by the revenue from the concert). Once the masters are in place it is over to CD design and finally the reproduction run of say a 1,0000 barcoded, ISBN numbed Cd's for the marketplace.
A typical £9.95 CD will cost about £2.50 to produce – so the profit margins can be excellent from direct sales and still healthy from middle-man sales too (Based on £6.50 to them – giving them £3.25 profit per unit… a fair mark up). This is based on an initial planned run of say 1,000 units – a run of 5,000 would make the costs significantly less.
The project would need an organisation or individual to underwrite against loss while the CD is put together… depending on how ambitious the project turns out to be. If, for instance we had a 50/50 split of MMer's and established artists in the concert and on the CD… then the project would take on a different direction – a concert hall of 500/750 + and everything else stepped up to suit. If we got a major celebrity to front for us, finding collaborative funding, getting sponsorship to underwrite the project… then the creative, artistic, technical and commercial processes and procedures would become a piece of cake.
But baby-steps for now as we examine possibilities.:-)
Dai.
