So we’ve started our journey... which actually nearly didn’t start at all!
... we trotted off to the doctors for our jabs, the main one you have to have being yellow fever but actually there are quite a few others needed for the far west of Kenya, some of which I’d already had a couple of years back as part of my job in Emerging markets so I needed less jabs than her indoors – so the nurse says she'll do me first and when I whipped my top off well lets say she was impressed (suggested to Tania that she leave the room, ha ha ha J) and starts to inject away with all the usual stuff... hepatyrix, typheria, revaxis... I was a human pin cushion! So that's me done and just as she's about to do Tania she asks us why we are going.
We honestly never thought about it but when Tania disclosed to the nurse she’s a cancer survivor and has recently had radiotherapy & chemo, the nurse says she can’t give her the yellow fever vaccination as it’s a “live” vaccine; chemo basically blasts everything, including your whole immunity system and It takes 6 months afterwards for your immune system to build back up. Tania’s last chemo was 5 months ago, oops and therefore the injection could actually give Tania full blown yellow fever which could kill her, great and you cant get into Kenya unless you have proof that you've had it!! To say this was a massive blow is an understatement – Tania’s had her heart set on this trip, and after all she’s been through this just seemed yet another bitter pill to swallow – “when will it end!” she cried L
However, determined as you probably know she is, she asked that given it’s been 5 months since her treatment, surely it’ll be ok. The nurse said she’d need it in writing from her oncologist and only if she sanctions Tania having the injection will she go ahead. So being the woman she is she’s immediately off talking to her oncologist’s secretary, and the following day she gets the news - as soon as she rang me later I could tell from her voice she’d had good news! J So next week it’s her turn to have the human pin cushion treatment – though she should be used to it by now with all her various operations and treatments!
So now the adventure is back on, and it’s full steam ahead with fund raising!!! Asking... pestering/hounding/harassing, even bullying family and friends, colleagues, customers... (hint: that’s you!) you name it, to raise the valuable money required which the children at H&K desperately need.
And of course, apart from that, the fun starts as I’m now well into buying on-line our personal clothes, gadgets & gizmo’s to try and make it as pleasurable and (comfortable) an experience as possible – you know, normal stuff... mozzie sprays, and more mozzie spays, mozzie coils (those things you light at night), insect repellent, bite relief click thingies, tick removers, wind up torches, solar battery chargers for cameras, ...etc... And then there’s the food! I’ve seen the food we’ll be having, and of course I recognise I need to fully immerse myself into the whole experience, but my palette has been developed & nurtured on all the delicate things in life, like kebabs, balti curry’s, pepperoni pizza’s,... surely would it be wrong to take the odd bit of “luxury”? You know, like instant (pot!) noodles J I’m being told ”NO!!” So I reckon on taking the odd bottle of tabasco, and/or sweet chilli sauce to help give the local food a little spice for my Western/British palette! J
That’s all for now - lots more to follow. Please add yourself as a “follower” to this blog & pass onto your family & friends. Oh, and of course, please don’t forget to sponsor us for H&K at http://www.justgiving.com/CiscoHopeandKindness
Thanks
Wrighty.
