More dark days...

Another GUCH I know through the European Conferences died this weekend. The shared experiences at these conferences make you care for people you may only meet a couple of times in your life. That she was married to another GUCH just makes the pain worse, that you know that a fellow GUCH is hurting in a way you can't help with, and given the distaance can only send email hugs.

These conferences are great you do end up knowing that you're not alone, knowing that there are others that have been through the same and want to put something back - through their involvement in thier National organisations - is a great motivator to keep doing what you can to help all GUCHs and all of those affected by CHD. But there are times when sticking your head in the sand seems like a better option.

Tempting though that is, I won't, I can't.

Only yesterday I "found" a GUCH online who'd never met/spoken to one before - They now know GUCH PA exists and that a lot of people with their condition are out there and that SHE IS NOT ALONE.

The walk today is immaterial compared with losing another GUCH, but 10km up Mam Tor and along the Great Ridge to Losehill, followed by tea in Hathersage is normally a good walk and today was what I needed to clear the cobwebs.

TTFN

Paul

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Paul Willgoss MBE

Not a lot more to add to the title... apart from a HUGE grin, and an even bigger thank you to the people who nominated me for this honour. I'm hoping those 3 little letters will help with the awareness raising element of what I do, and work have helped in putting together a press release and getting it out today, so hopefully they'll be something to kick off 2010 with:-) http://www.london-gazette.co.uk/issues/59282/supplements/23 TTFN Paul
Read more

Something a little bit political...

Well the legs still don't want to run, walk and climb is fine, run makes them feel a bit leary ... Probably the two most contentious words in the congenital heart world (UK branch) are "safe and sustainable", a quick trawl of the support websites or facebook will show many a group being set up to save a hospital or a ward. I won't be joining any of them. Not because I don't care, but because I care too much. The origins of Safe and Sustainable go back to the Bristol Hospital Enquiry, and quite simply this is designed to ensure that the surgery that heart kids get is the the most appropriate, done by well trained and supported surgeons who are used to doing the operations and are in a surgical setting which are designed around the needs of the child going through the surgery and their family. Is that too much to ask? I don't think so. I want every heart kid to get the best surgery available to them, I want their parents to be given the best advice, support
Read more

12% of a plan…

  It’s been a month.     A month since the new heart valve was inserted… the chaffing has died down, I’ve been sensible and built my walking up, restarted my apple fitness plus bits and bobs (boy has it been a long time since I bent like that, or cycled/spun like that) and I’ve been for two runs – a gentle 3k which worked as a prelude to my return to my local parkrun… I finished, my tally went up 1, and I remembered just how tough it is to run the first mile on so soft, dry sand… In hindsight I would’ve been better to walk the first third and conserve my energy (and pool of fitness) to the prom and the grass thirds…   Relive 'Return to Parkrun!' Yes, it does look the first bit is out to sea…  Monday was a random day off work to get out and do something, so with a bit of head scratch and some nifty plotting on the OS Mapping app I wandered along the canal, and then down the Transpennine Trail & “loop line”… Almost pancake flat, I know it well from ma
Read more