On the 4th October Romy completed her Radiotherapy, put the final sticker on her sticker chart and was given a present by the wonderful radiotherapy play team. Her last treatment was late in the day so Zephyr was allowed to join her in the playroom as a treat for the last day of treatment. Side effects of Radiotherapy are vomiting, tiredness, and long term effects from the radiation also hitting other organs. Her height can be effected if radiation hits her spine, and of course as with chemotherapy we have to accept the risk of the radiation causing a secondary cancer years down the line. Although radiotherapy was a relatively easy phase of her treatment, the fact it was painless and quick didnt remove the unease at knowing what it was doing to her body. Unfortunately due to the location of her tumour Romy’s spleen took a big hit of radiation and may impact the function of her spleen in time, something that cannot be confirmed or tested. We made the journey back to Southampton and our new dishwasher and washing machine for the flat. Romy’s Auntie Lydia raised money by cutting her hair some time back and while we are so grateful for contributions to our fund (these continue to trickle in and help us so much with the never ending living expenses), in this instance we wanted to put the money towards something specific that would be a great asset to the flat. Whether it be saving time allowing us to spend more time with Romy in the hospital when she is unwell and receiving treatment, or freeing up time to play with her more when she is in the flat, the dishwasher in particular is saving hours each day! We hope it will help families using the flat in future as much as it is helping us.
Helen & Tom
