Stories shared

My writing career is really taking off and I can not call myself a published freelance feature writer (while naturally working on a novel). I am also working on some poems to go with the images I am taking to capture our transplant journey. I was back at City Lit for my journalism course this morning and came back to find my creative photography course had arrived. It is all coming together very well indeed and I am very excited. I was really pleased to read comments on my blog from Holly saying that she also felt inspired by the 'Transplant' installation and also by my arty-farty blog to photograph her own kidney transplant, set to take place next week. It is great to think my 'work' has inspired someone, especially as I am really a beginner in this kind of photography. It just goes to show that anyone with a bit of imagination or a mad idea can be an 'artist' and have an impact on others (Paul!!! ;-) ) I can't wait to see what Holly comes up with, especially as she is already a freelance photographer. It is great that so much can now be shared over the internet, linking people who share experiences.

I am writing some pitches about organ donation among children and young people ready to send to a handful of publications tomorrow (they are drafted but I have succumbed to the horrible cold going around this place and my brain has turned to cardboard, in need ot honey, lemon and sleep before I press the send button on anything). As I am writing about transplants and organ donation, I have set up some google alerts. I was very sad to open my inbox this morning to find this story from The Birminham Mail about a little boy called Ubaid Ali died at the beginning of September while waiting for a liver and small bowel transplant. Ubaid was just 15 months old, the same age as William was when he went onto TPN. Ubaid's time on the list ran out just as we were joining it. He died on a ward just down the corridoor from the ward we stayed in during our transplant assessment. My love and prayers go out to his family tonight.

Wills is doing well. He has some fluid and electrolyte balance issues but is clinically well and over his infection so we are hoping to go home on Friday and tweak the TPN at home.