Life

So the oldest member of the family, great grandad GG got to meet the youngest, RG. Only 88 years and a few extra hair follicles lie between them. Very touching to see them together, both a miracle that they’re alive.

On a crueller note the other visit today was a hugely distressing trip to the Queen Elizabeth hospital. Rachel, my oldest pal who I met at Pollokshields Primary in 1977 has been ill in recent years. Then in October it was discovered she had a bony tumour wrapped round her brainstem. Scarily, inoperable and she’s just finished a frankly horrendous eight week course of daily radiotherapy to try and stop the spread. Battling with the steroids she’s been feeling so unwell only for her bowel to perforate two weeks ago, blue lights, nearly lost her, emergency bowel resection and in ITU since. Was allowed to visit today and she is just unrecognisable, can barely speak and in a lot of distress at the situation she finds herself at 53. Petrified at her body closing down.
What do you say to someone going through so much? when we have 46 years of shared history, suddenly there are no words. I don’t know how she can recover, I don’t know if I can bare thinking that she won’t.

Life is beautiful and yet oh so cruel.