March always brings with it a number of anniversaries. It is 5 years now since I was diagnosed with MND, and 4 years since I bade a final farewell to Sussex after 19 years living in Cuckfield. March also notched up another birthday. I had a very enjoyable birthday tea with family, complete with cake and candles, then an equally enjoyable lunch next day with old friends. The most touching aspect of my birthday, though, was that each of the 3 carers on duty that day brought me a present. Given the notoriously low pay of care workers, it was remarkably generous of them. They did all, independently, bring me some form of alcoholic beverage, which says something about me!
On the subject of the carers, some of whom are experiencing their first UK winter, the disappointing lack of snow this winter (for them) ended with some serious snowfall early in the month. One of them, having finished the night shift, found her car covered in snow. She cleared the windscreen and set off home, soon coming to a steep descent. Once on the slope, the snow on the car roof slid forward, onto the windscreen. The wipers failed to move it so, unable to see out, she braked but the car carried on going, sliding down the hill. Very scary!! Fortunately, the car finally stopped before hitting anything. My carers now understand our view that snow is nice to see once, but only once!
Snow was not the only infrequent visitor this month. The pair of mallard ducks that usually visit our garden pond around this time duly reappeared. Unfortunately, I didn’t see them. It was during the morning shift overlap (7.00-8.00 am). Having taken me into the bathroom and parked me over the toilet, my carers withdrew to give me some privacy, and spotted the ducks through the window. By the time I’d completed my ablutions, the ducks had gone. Hopefully they’ll be back.
One final goodbye we said this month was to our car. Doreen’s dementia diagnosis meant her capacity to drive safely was being investigated by DVLA. She decided to be proactive and surrendered her licence voluntarily, and sell the car since she rarely drove it anyway. It hasn’t gone from our lives completely though. Our daughter, Fiona, decided to take it off our hands. The challenge for her was that it’s an automatic, which she hadn’t driven before, but she’s loving it!
One thing that never ceases to amaze me is the length people will go to in support of MNDA. One Nottingham man, living with MND, has been accepted as an assisted entrant in this year’s London Marathon. See: https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-nottinghamshire-64968473 . He will be pushed round in a wheelchair by a team of four. He might just have to sit there during the ‘race’ but I really don’t envy him what will still be an exhausting day. And if that isn’t enough, Liz Carter, after 17 years as secretary of MNDA’s West Sussex North branch is standing down, but is signing off by entering her first ultra-marathon (50km!!) to raise money for the branch. See: Elizabeth Carter is fundraising for Motor Neurone Disease Association (justgiving.com)
I have heard nothing further from Wheelchair Services about head-activated controls so I am still struggling along with the manual joystick. I have, though, been weighed again this month, clocking up 111.7 kg (17½ stones)! 5 kg more than my last weigh-in!! MND patients aren’t supposed to put on weight. Fortunately, I received some extra extra extra large T-shirts for my birthday; easier to get on/off than my old ones. My claim that Doreen was shrinking my T-shirts was wearing a bit thin!
Best not to say anything about England’s T20 cricket series whitewash by Bangladesh; nor about England’s performance in the Six Nations rugby (but very well done Ireland).