Shirley

Well, this morning was far from frozen in time!

I whizzed CJ round the lanes this morning and even had a little jog. I'm still revelling in feeling healthy again and really enjoyed being out. L is looking after a very nervous Transylvanian hound and I was looking forward to seeing her again. I set off a bit early to give her a pat.

That wasn't to be.

On the way to pick up L, a couple of blokes had leapt out of their car to pick up some bags on the floor. Or so I thought. Then I noticed the flowers. Then the lady on her back. I pulled over quickly. They'd just spotted her flat on her face and were on the phone for an ambulance after turning her over.

The lady's face was covered in blood, she had an awful gurgled breathing and she was in no position to talk. Never having used my limited first aid training for real, I suggested the recovery position and another lady arrived and helped me get her in position.

Congealing blood started releasing from her airways and she eventually attempted to respond to questions. Good news!

Slowly she told us bits of information and we tried to reassure her. In the meantime, a lady pulled up who was a doctor. Although she couldn't do any more for her, it was still reassuring. I had to leave to pick up L but knew she was now in good hands. As I set off, the ambulance was just arriving.

Shirley, at a guess, was in her mid to late 70s. Later on today, after battling with patient confidentiality, I found out which hospital she'd been taken to and she was still in A&E but doing OK.

Today was going to be all about L's final day and was a really short blip that I'd already planned in my head. This was it before other events took over...

The Mask
The End

X marks the spot where L's radiotherapy was pinpointed. The larger holes at the back are where she was poppered down onto the bed, unable to move to ensure the radiotherapy didn't hit things like her airways. L's skin is totally raw and will get worse before it improves but in 7-10 days, she should really be on the up. Her spirits are, as you have come to expect by now, still good!