Bolt – 25 January 2013

I wrote this message to Usain Bolt on Facebook a few days ago.

Dear Usain – I heard a rumour today that you are thinking about boycotting the athletics in London this summer because of our tax system. I do hope it’s not true. My son Henry loves you. He was so inspired by you during the London Olympics he has run and run and run. Now he cannot run. He has leukaemia. His treatment makes it difficult to walk. Fortunately he is being treated in fine hospitals with medicines developed by scientists over many, many years – much of the research carried out in this country and paid for by British taxpayers. The British taxpayers who also paid for the research that proved smoking causes cancer and developed antibiotics into effective medicines which have probably saved your life and the lives of your loved ones. Please come to London. We love you here. And please pay your tax – it helps to save lives; like the life of my son.

With very best wishes,
John

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At UCLH, confused and a little unamused

Henry a little irritated at all the needles and blood letting

Text sent 1 January 2013, 13:26: Hen is to get a blood transfusion this afternoon. They will have further blood test results tomorrow when they’ll know if he needs to have his bone marrow tested (involves gen anaesthetic) and would be done at Great Ormond Street. Good news is they have protocols for all eventualities; bad news is leukaemia has not been 100% ruled out though the money is again on parvovirus.

To see more of these initial texts you can read the Diagnosis page in this blog

Henry at UCLH

Henry admitted to UCH at midnight as the New Year arrived.

Text sent on 1 January 2013 at 7.30am: As you know Hen has not been well lately. Yesterday he had some preliminary blood tests and also developed Chicken Pox. He was sent to hospital by an on-call doctor. Hen has had an ok night – his temperature has come down and he is on anti-virals for his chicken pox. We are still waiting for some blood test results but his haemoglobin count is low so he needs a blood transfusion this morning. The docs are not able to say what is wrong but we are waiting for results from a blood film test – the important question is whether Henry has abnormally-shaped white blood cells. We are hoping not, as that would be a very serious sign. We should know later this morning.