EXCERPT FROM EMAIL TO FRIEND Yesterday I turned forty. Shane and Rose and I had a blissful lunch at a place in Federation Square. The sun shone, Rose was happy, and it was a very tranquil interlude. It would have been great for Hannah and Lewis to be there too, but they were at school. Here I’m replying to friend who had sent me a birthday email. “Today we're taking Rose back in to be seen by her doctor, as she seems a bit sick again. We're in and out of the Royal Children's with her these days, but are getting used to that path. It's lost its scariness now that it's so familiar and we know all her carers very well. ”
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EXCERPT FROM EMAIL TO FRIEND Here I refer to our blossoming bond with the nursing staff of the ward. They are being steadily incorporated into our family. “She's pretty relaxed today. Hopefully she can have another hospital-free run for a while. But if not, it's not the worst thing in the world - heaps of the nurses now know her well and seem totally crazy about her. They fight over who gets to be Rose's nurse each shift. They take her off for cuddles and playtime at night. It's great that we're getting to know them in the leadup to transplant.”
Another occasional spectacle to be enjoyed from the 8th floor - balloons launching at dawn from Royal Park EXCERPT FROM MASS EMAIL TO FRIENDS "Rose is in hospital again, everybody. That's why you're not hearing from us . . . she's been "in the wars"! We're in the Royal Children's for Rose's 5th admission. She's been very unwell for the last couple of months, and this is her 3rd admission in the last month. Last Friday things seemed to get far more complicated than any of us wanted, when she was found to have pancreatitis . (Bloody hell!!!!!!!!!!) Luckily the pancreatitis seems to have quickly resolved . . . Her pancreas was behaving normally again after only two days of resting her gut. The illness is such a rare occurrence in children that the doctors hadn't thought to test for it, though they'd been scratching their heads over why Rose just didn't seem to be getting much better or happier over a couple of longish hospitalization