Adrian Sudbury passes away

I am very, very sad today to hear the news that Adrian Sudbury passed away in the early hours of this morning.

For those of you who may not have heard of this remarkable young man, Adrian was a journalist from Sheffield, England and had been diagnosed with two types of leukaemia in November 2006 - the only person in history to have had such a condition. A bone marrow transplant was unsuccessful and only a few months ago Adrian was told the leukaemia was terminal. He decided to stop further treatment.

Adrian's blog hit the headlines and attracted a huge following after he started writing about his illness and really took off these past few months as Adrian dedicated what time he had left in to raising the profile of bone marrow donation, in order to help others.

He gathered 11,000 names on a petition and lobbied MP's and met Prime Minister Gordon Brown. Adrian's most recent post on his blog reads:

"I have just got off the phone with our Prime Minister.

He phoned to explain that he had personally written to all the celebrities that me and the Anthony Nolan Trust had come up with to to try and make people think again about bone marrow donation.

He also had nothing but praise for me, the work we have all been doing and he reiterated the fact he thought I was an inspiration.

Remember, I had thought of this before but decided not to make it part of the campaign because I just assumed it would be an outright no.

This was very much their idea and the very fact that Mr Brown has phoned me himself to confirm he has written those letters is testament to how much this means to him.

Directly afterwards I was able to speak to Ed Balls again.

He also said how inspirational the campaign had been and took his hat off to just how much we have achieved in such a short space of time.

We agreed the best way to make this talk possible was to work not only from the top down but from the bottom up too.

I'd take this the Government to do as much as it can; produce all the resources to enable the talk to be given"

My heartfelt sympathies are with Adrian's family and friends, now and for always. Adrian's fighting spirit and sheer determination to make a difference will live on and on and on, inspiring us all. His petitioning WILL make a difference to raising the profile of bone marrow donation, we'll make sure of it.

Sophie

One year on

It has been one year since our dear friend Davo passed on. Although he is always on my mind and I witter away to him in my head as I know he is there listening, I also wanted to post a very nice poem I found recently. I think Davo would like it a lot. I found it when I was looking for an appropriate reading for my uncle's funeral (who very sadly passed away recently). I think Davo would really like this poem because it would sum up how he felt exactly. He didn't want to be forgotten and he didn't want people to be sad when they thought of him. He wanted to live on in our hearts and memories.


The Journey Of My Life

It was beautiful
As long as it lasted
The journey of my life.

I have no regrets whatsoever
Save the pain I’ll leave behind
Those dear hearts who love and care...
And the strings pulling at the heart and soul...

The strong arms that held me up
When my own strength let me down.

At every turning of my life
I came across good friends,
Friends who stood by me,
Even when the time raced me by.

Farewell,farewell, my friends
I smile and bid you goodbye.
No, shed no tears
For I need them not
All I need is your smile.

If you feel sad, do think of me
For that’s what I’ll like
When you live in the hearts of those you love,
Remember then
You never die.

Happy Birthday Blog!

Today is this blog's first birthday!

It was one year ago today that Davo created this little corner of the internet and began to share his most private thoughts and feelings with the world - as well as his favourite poems, which had a profound effect on us all!

Davo would have turned 22 years old on November 18th and I know it would have made him very happy that so many people were marking the occasion in their various ways and are remembering him in their hearts.

On this one year anniversary of Davo's blog, from here on in, I have decided to stop adding any more posts and to leave this blog just the way it is. Davo wanted me to continue his blog on his behalf but I feel that his past posts and the poems he posted speak volumes to all those who read them and no further posts from me are necessary.

Although the blog is quiet, I can see that there are many visitors from all over the world finding their way here. I know for a fact that Davo would be so, so, so proud and happy to know that every day people are reading about him and are appreciating his words. I cannot express enough how much it lifted him to know people cared about him and what he wrote here. He loved the idea that other sick youngsters, adults or anyone looking for understanding, appreciation and courage might find it here, on his blog.

Thank you for the gift of your beautiful blog Davo! We love you wee neep. Forever in our hearts and with us always.

Your friend Sophie

Jane Tomlinson

Very sad news, Jane Tomlinson lost her cancer fight and passed away last night.

Jane Tomlinson was diagnosed with an advanced, aggressive form of breast cancer in 2000. She was told it was untreatable and that she had 6 months to live.

She simply refused to accept that she would die 6 months later and wanted to prove that people living with a terminal prognosis could live a fulfilling life.

Jane went on to live a further 7 years and raised almost £1.8 million for cancer charities. How did she do this? Are you ready? .....

.... by completing a full Ironman (4km Swim, 180 km bike ride and full marathon - to be done inside 17 hours)., two half Ironmans, the London Marathon 3 times (whilst on chemotherapy) the New York Marathon and three London Triathlons, a bike ride from Rome to Leeds (4,000 km) and a bike ride across America from San Francisco to New York (7000 km) last year.

Jane had a Cancer Research laboratory named after her in Leeds because of the enormous amount of money she raised for them, She acknowledged that her situation meant there was little benefit to her from research but she wanted to continue to raise money to help other people in the future.

Jane was an extraordinary woman and certainly inspired many, many people - especially me - with her pure grit and determination. She influenced many lives, not only with her amazing amount of fundraising for cancer charities but also by giving hope and courage to so many.

I offer my heartfelt sympathies to her family. Rest in peace Jane.

Sophie

Lovely feedback

THANK YOU!
For the really kind messages people have sent regarding Davo's poems. More and more people are finding Davo's blog (and I have been posting links on various leukaemia support forums). It seems that he really is fulfilling his promise to himself about making a difference in this world. His poems are having a wonderful, positive effect on people - as moving as it is to read his past posts written here. He very much wanted his blog to carry on and to do him proud.

I changed some options on this blog so people can now post anonymously but otherwise, the emails are great, thank you!

Soph

CCLG

I stumbled upon a poetry section on the Childhood Cancer & Leukaemia Group website (CCLG). They are a group in the UK who have been organising and managing treatment of children with leukaemia. They contribute to national cancer research, help organise clinical trials and provide information for families, teenagers and children.

They had published a children's book of poems 3 years ago but became so inundated that they now have a section on the website with poems and reflections.

I bet they would love some of Davo's poems, especially as they seem to have had such a positive influence on people who read his blog (thank you for the emails!).

What do you think?

Here's the link

Why... (a poem by Davo)

Why does the sun rise and give light,
Only to set again too soon?
Why do stars twinkle so bright,
Only to pass away with the moon?

Why does a rainbow appear with colours to show,
Only to fade for no apparent reason?
Why does a flower take so long to grow,
Only to wilt during winter season?

Why does snow fall so mysteriously and lay,
Only to change and then melt?
Why do we enter lives along the way,
Only to leave them when we know how they felt?

(David Noah Abeln)