Ordinary is the Key

       

    

Just an ordinary day in my house Today, children scattered all over the house. Eloise is downloading films onto her tablet. Millie is singing and playing the keyboard. Henry is engaged in some loud battle between piles of green plastic soldiers. Leah is chilling out making a video of her friends and Warren is watching a DVD . I'm relaxing in solitude, with a cup of tea while listening to a new album "This is Acoustics"  We've all consumed a hearty roast dinner. I like ordinary it's relaxing. Ordinary not to be confused with boring, it's never boring here ! S my ex joined us for lunch , see I guess that's not ordinary , but it works. 

       

    

          I'm content, life is pretty level at the minute, a holiday high is incoming which is very exciting. Of course I'm hoping a low isn't looming as Eloise has Heart Transplant Clinic at GOSH next month. But for now I'll push those pre appointment anxieties to the back of my mind, lock them in with the key and concentrate on making great memories with my family, my partner and my friend over the next two weeks.

 I know we are very lucky to be able to afford to go on holiday. It's something I desperately didn't want to give up when my marriage broke down. I think it always brings us closer together as a family, an intense regrouping session away from all the other day to day distractions. So I manage to save up for it all year around in a separate account and it's worth every penny. To be able to unwind, relax, read, eat, drink, swim and feel the heat of the sun.....

     As Eloise's illness was sudden we never put our lives on hold waiting for her to have a transplant it just all happened at once, diagnosis, intensive care, ventilated, transferred to transplant centre and transplanted all in three weeks. I cannot imagine not being able to make plans, I like plans, I like to book things, arrange things for us all to look forward to. You can't do that so freely when you're living on the transplant list. You cannot leave the country or stray too far from your transplant centre. You need to be "on call" and ready 24/7 . That must be incredibly hard, you become imprisoned I guess and life shrinks around you as you get more sick waiting, confined to your home or a hospital bed. Yet at the same time I'm sure you want life to keep ticking over, make memories and fill each day with hope that tomorrow will be a better day. How you stay sane I do not know, maybe you don't ? One things for sure you're never the same again. 

   So we are incredibly lucky I'm going on holiday with my extraordinary daughter Eloise, we are free to enjoy her life, and we do. Last night one minute we were planning to eat at home next minute Warren, Eloise and I were at Burger Joint an amazing local Burger Bar, because we wanted to, because we could . 

I just wish all our friends waiting for transplants received their call, organ donation is the key to opening up your life again. We will always be grateful for the extra 13 years of life given to Eloise and always hope for many more healthy years. ❤️

 Sadly organ donation figures were at an all time low last year and the list of those waiting just got larger. We need to do something about this as soon we'll be saying 4 people in the UK due waiting each day for an organ transplant. That's just too awful to contemplate. So let's make this years National Transplant Week the best ever, no excuse, join together and get as many new people signing the organ donor register. This year it's the 7th-13th of September. The 7th of September is Eloise's 15th birthday so if you want to get her a card make sure it's a Donor Card !