As you will see, if you peruse the project pages, a little over 6 months has elapsed since I first went to the local clinic – coincidentally around the time of my birthday. I quite rapidly lost my sense of taste and appetite which made me think I had contracted COVID.

It soon became apparent that something else was going on and the initial blood tests led to scans, biopsies, more scans, lots of blood tests and around Christmas it was confirmed that I had Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

More tests, a course of medications, more blood tests and I have received confirmation that my chemo-therapy is going to start next week. Next week I’ll present myself at the Chemotherapy Unit, Blackburn Royal Teaching Hospital for the first of a planned series of 6 treatments.

It’s a little daunting – what will it be like? how will I feel afterwards? I’ll be able to give an accurate account on Wednesday!! I am avoiding internet searching as that usually ends badly. I am restricting my research to what I receive from the hospital.

What I have learned about the Weasel is that it is aggressive and treatable with a 5-year survival rate above 90%, so all in all not a bad choice, if you have to chose. And let’s be honest, according to the stats cancer of one form or another will affect 50% of the population.

[ Weasel only accounts for about 2,000 cases p.a. so it is not particularly common. ]

It’s become very real, my appointment it set and I’m focused on 10:00 Tuesday 19th March 2023. There are some things I need to get done before then such as get organised with this site, make arrangements around the appointment as well as the normal churn of domestic chores – no escape!

[ I was listening to BBC Radio 4 the other day and segment about a musician talking about the onset of Parkinsons and how he had to make adjustments, but the thing that caught my attention was that he had named the tremor in his hand ‘Gavin’ ]

Gavin meet Weasel!!