This is the fifth of my ongoing series of posts about my latest adventure – being diagnosed and treated for bowel cancer. This one aims to be even more educational than before due to a recent, alarming report about the rise in bowel cancer diagnosis and risk of death in younger adults. As before, this lengthy post also includes personal details of my treatment over the past month (February), getting physical exercise, my working future and the prognosis going forward into Spring. It is also published one month after King Charles revealed his own cancer diagnosis, a BBC podcast on men talking about cancer, and the cruel and untimely death of a friend. Please read on. Despite the sadness this month, the post contains some fantastic news about my progress over the past month, as I ‘return to play’.
“When I allow it to be There’s no control over me I have my fears But they do not have me”
‘Darkness’ by Peter Gabriel
Warning: This post contains one graphic image of my uncovered stoma, which was taken immediately after my operation in November. An edited version of this post without any images or video will be published on the official Macmillan website. The previous four entries also available there. I have subtitled those entries ‘Kicking My Cancer’s Arse‘ – which is a phrase used on my first post back in October and many friends have picked up on since.
Bowel Cancer Deaths on the Rise
The lifetime risk of cancer for people born since 1960 and living in the UK is >50%. Over half of people who are currently adults under the age of 65 years will be diagnosed with cancer at some point in their lifetime (Ahmad et al, 2015).
According to Cancer Research UK, there are around 16,800 bowel cancer deaths in the UK every year, which works out at 46 every day. Bowel cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in the UK, accounting for 10% of all cancer deaths (period: 2017-2019). Almost two-thirds (63%) of people in England diagnosed with the disease aged 15-44 survive it, compared with 4 in 10 (39%) people diagnosed aged 75+. Currently in England, screening is recommended from the age of 60, whereas in Scotland and Wales this is much lower – at ages 50 and 51 respectively. From April 2021, the NHS in England have been gradually reducing the age range for bowel screening. This is being phased over next four years to include people aged 50-59. But is that even enough? It should really start at age 45, according to a new report by an open-access journal.
The recently published study (2024) by the Annals of Oncology predicts death rates from cancer in the EU and UK for 2024. It alarmingly predicts that deaths from bowel cancer in the UKfor people aged between 26-49 will rise by up to 26% in men and by 39% in women this year alone, compared with figures from 2018. Increases will also be seen in Italy (up 1.5% in men and 2.6% in women), among Spanish and Polish men (up 5.5% and 5.9% respectively) and German women (up 7.2%), according to the European Society for Medical Oncology.
It is the first time that an increase in bowel cancer death rates among young adults has been predicted for some EU countries, and it confirms a trend in the UK that the researchers first noted in 2021. Numbers being diagnosed are going up, according to the report, because of people being overweight, not getting enough exercise, consuming too much alcohol and other underlying health-related conditions (ESMO, 2024).
Image Credit: Cancer Research UK
54% of bowel cancer cases in the UK are preventable.
28% of bowel cancer cases in the UK are caused by eating too little fibre.
13% of bowel cancer cases in the UK are caused by eating processed meat.
11% of bowel cancer cases in the UK are caused by overweight and obesity.
7% of bowel cancer cases in the UK are caused by smoking.
6% of bowel cancer cases in the UK are caused by alcohol drinking.
5% of bowel cancer cases in the UK are caused by too little physical activity.
2% of bowel cancer cases in the UK are caused by ionising radiation.
[Source: Cancer Research UK]
Reporting on this apparent forecast, BBC Breakfast TV broadcast an item about the study and on bowel cancer in general. It featured an interview with a primary school teacher, Sharon Williams, who was diagnosed at age 48, as well as Naser Turabi from Cancer Research UK. There are a lot of similarities between her own diagnosis, why she initially ignored the symptoms, how the cancer spread to her liver (stage 4) and with my own experience last year. It also briefly features footage of the journalist Dame Deborah ‘Bowel Babe’ James, who died of bowel cancer in 2022, five years after her original diagnosis.
The BBC has reported a fair amount on cancer this past month, including this report on their website, which stated that thousands of people in England with a genetic condition that raises their risk of bowel cancer by up to 80% will be given regular cancer checks. The move will, apparently, save lives by detecting cancers early in people with Lynch syndrome. The condition is thought to affect 175,000 people in England, but few are aware they have it. Then there was a feature on BBC Breakfast on 21 February about Dr Nick Embleton. With an anonymous stem-cell donation, Marius Werner saved Nick’s life – and, the young German says, it may have saved him too, giving him purpose when he had felt suicidal. With a rare type of blood cancer, Dr Nick Embleton’s only hope was a bone marrow transplant. And unable to find a match in the UK, the search was extended worldwide. Two years on, BBC News and charity Anthony Nolan help two “blood brothers” find each other for the first time.
Newspapers at my local Co-op on 6 February
Healthy Eating
Given those above risks outlined above, I have taken significant steps to improve my diet and exercise routines. I will discuss my fitness more later, but I have again had to seriously look at nutrition intake. I previously wrote about my diet ahead of and following my defunctioning colostomy (stoma) operation which took place on 4 November. I needed to be on a low-residue (low-fibre) regime, but have since gone back to a full-fibre one. I don’t smoke and will never, ever smoke again, although I did a little bit last year. I do drink alcohol, but only in moderation – so no more binges like last May when I went out with some work colleagues. I have had enough of those kind of excesses for one lifetime.
Things I have continued to take or have just started taking are LMNT electrolyte drink mixes, which contain potassium, sodium and magnesium. The latter is excellent for easing neuropathy, it seems. I always eat a good breakfast of cereal, nuts, fruit and seeds early in the morning (see photo), along with black coffee. Aloe Vera juice, immune system powder, colon cleaner, live friendly bacteria with Acidophilus, pro-biotic yoghurt drinks, cacao, ginger and garlic have all been added or increased, too. I don’t feel at any risk of blood clots and exercise is a good way to prevent these. I will discuss the next stage of my recovery from my operation and how exercise can help cope with cancer treatment shortly. Before that, however, I will briefly go back to my original referral in Preston and then summarise my treatment over the past month.
Breakfast of Champions!
Original Referral
Back on 6 September 2023, I was packing my boxes and getting ready to move out of my flat in Preston. The delivery driver came later that day. But before that I had a call from Royal Preston Hospital about my iron deficiency anaemia and a positive faecal occult blood test. Under the two week rule for possible cancer diagnoses, I eventually had my colonoscopy and gastroscopy on 21 September, as outlined in my first diary entry. Given that misdiagnoses can often occur within the health profession, it was important that my symptoms were correctly identified and that any investigation would reveal whether I had cancer or not. In the end, the colonoscopy, as you probably know if you read part one, showed up a ‘growth’ (not called a tumour, nor ‘cancer’ at that point) in the lower bowel. I later discovered it was an adenocarcinoma. These start in the gland cells in the lining of the bowel wall. The gland cells normally produce mucus. This is a slimy substance that makes it easier for the poo (also called faeces or stool) to pass through the bowel. Adenocarcinoma is the most common type of bowel cancer.
On 4 October, I received my proper diagnosis – initially by phone and then confirmed by an oncology doctor at Royal Preston on 10 October. At this point everything had to be transferred to Norwich. I also knew that, after two long return trips from Norfolk, I would not be returning to Preston again. Fast forward to my ‘defunctioning’ colostomy operation, which took place on 4 November, followed by the first meeting with my new oncology doctor in Norwich. This occurred on 5 December after a months wait. There were 91 days between my diagnosis and the start of my chemotherapy. I will discuss the follow-up to that December meeting shortly. Before that, following the first two cycles of treatment, let me give you an update since the end of January.
On 31 January, I received a shorter injection of Folinic acid (FOL) and 5FU (F). I joked about several things with the nurse that day. She said that she was “in love with my canula” (which she had created) and that my “bloods were beautiful”. This will probably become a bit of banter every time I go for treatment now. There was a minor error, as I was given another patient’s treatment schedule. But this was soon corrected and I could see that my schedule was settling down to having treatment every Thursday in future – at least until the end of March.
What’s up Doc?
Following my original consultation with the excellent oncology doctor at the Norfolk and Norwich hospital on 5 December, I was contacted by him just before Christmas to advise that the flexisigmoidoscopy a week or so earlier had revealed that I had the normal ‘wild type’, non-mutated RAS gene, which meant I could be given a monoclonal antibody called Cetuximab. On 5 February, the same day that Buckingham Palace released the news about the King, I had my second face-to-face consultation. However, it was with a different oncology doctor who had sat in on the earlier meeting and visited me in the ward on 9 January – the day of my ‘mental breakdown’ at home, which was actually fear and darkness gripping me. During this consultation I was given some reassurance that with ‘desensitisation’ drugs (an antihistamine and a steroid) taken the day beforehand and early in the morning of the procedure, the infusion coming up would be administered over two hours, not one – and they would treat it as if were the first ‘cycle’ . A desensitisation protocol can enable a patient to receive the entire target dose of a medication, even if the patient has a history of severe infusion reactions. I have had two so far which have impacted on my schedule and I did not want any more setbacks.
The prognosis was to carry on with treatment until the end of March, making slight adjustments if and when necessary. Thursdays would become my regular hospital visit day of the week. Provided all of this goes well and I can complete a total of six complete cycles by the end of March, then an MRI scan and a PET-CT scan would be carried in the first week of April, just after the Easter weekend. This pleased me to have a good idea of when we would find out whether any shrinkage of the tumours had taken place, but in the meantime the CEA marker would indicate whether the chemo was having an impact.
The BBC Today Podcast (released on 8 February) in the week in which King Charles III shared his cancer diagnosis. Presenters Amol Rajan and Nick Robinson ask why it’s important to talk about cancer and chat to Stephen Fry, BBC middle east correspondent Jeremy Bowen (diagnosed with stage 3 bowel cancer in 2018), Steve Bland whose partner, the ‘You, Me and the Big C’ host Rachael Bland, died of cancer in 2018. The importance of men talking about cancer is rammed home in this episode. Fry, unsurprisingly, had learned a lot about different immunotherapy drugs with his own prostate cancer scare. Their names usually end in ‘ib‘ or ‘mab‘ – which is shorthand for a monoclonal antibody. Amol talks about about his own experience of cancer and they speak to Professor Pat Price, one of the country’s leading oncologists, about why survival rates in the UK are lower than other countries. There will be is a huge increase in cancer diagnosis, and a ‘completemonumental crisis‘ according to Professor Price, with a 30% increase (according to CRUK and WHO agree) in cancer incidents by 2040 and that is “baked-in already”, she states in the programme. Furthermore “where 4 out of 10 people do not get treatment on time – which is so important – For every four weeks delay in treatment there can be an increase in death rate by up to 10%”.
Stephen Fry raised the dubious word of ‘battle’ – i.e. they battled cancer, they died after a battle with cancer etc.. as if that dying meant that the person didn’t fight hard enough. This was a point picked up on by Amol and Nick in the podcast which is available via this link here.
In the podcast, there is a brief mention of their former colleague, the news anchor, George Alagiah, who died of bowel cancer last July, about having examinations and having a gloved hand up his backside. George was once asked by a doctor asked “Is it really difficult to talk to the viewers while you’ve got an earpiece in and someone is talking to you.” He replied “not half as difficult while there is a doctor who has got his hand up my arse!“
Anyway, back to kicking my cancer’s arse.
Third Cycle
On 8 February, I had that two hour infusion of Cetuximab (monoclonal antibody), twice the usual length of time because of the false start two weeks earlier. This meant my immune system would not react like before. Chemotherapy desensitisation is safe, but must be carried in good time to allow the immune system to not overreact, like mine did on 24th when I went a shade of crimson red. This was followed by the 2 hour infusion of FOLFOX. I came to the ward, saw the stuff going into me this time rather than turn my head away and conquered it. The only side effects were a little bit of vein pain and peripheral neuropathy in my hands and arms, but no sickness or fatigue in the days after. The desensitisation drugs seemed to worked their magic.
Vini vidi vici. Getting the full treatment on 8 February. T-shirt from Kirsty (2021). Photo taken by Dannii.
On 15 February, I was back into the ward for a shorter dose of 5FU. On this day in MCMLXXI (1971), I came into in this world. It was decimal day in the UK, when all the currency changed. I did have an allergic reaction to the Cetuximab, albeit a week late, and it arrived in the form of a red rash all over my face as I went in for treatment again. An unwanted birthday gift. This is a very common side effect of the antibody. This treatment often causes an acne-like rash or other skin changes such as dry, itchy or flaky skin. This most commonly affects the face, head and upper body. It is most likely to start in the first 3 weeks of treatment. Skin changes are more likely to happen if you have cetuximab with chemotherapy.
I was given non-prescribed Pliazonmoisturising and regenerating cream for ‘topical use’ to apply daily. However, it shows my immune system is working well, so a reaction can be a good sign that the drugs are working. The next day I celebrated my birthday at home, got dressed up and posed for this photo, as I noticed when I put the cream across the nose on my face it was a bit like Stuart Goddard – a.k.a. pop singer, Adam Ant. As he sang on ‘Prince Charming’, ridicule is nothing to be scare of! Finally, I have to be a patient patient – difficult when I’ve got an incredible amount of energy and blood flowing through my veins! So (ahem) more ‘veini, vidi, vici’, I guess!
‘Prince Charming’ by Adam Antibody’ (cream)
Talking of which..
New Blood
As well as my favourite musical artist having lots of songs and other references to (red) blood, even releasing a previous unheard track called ‘Slow Blooded’ this week on Bandcamp only, it was a good week for my blood results. As I mentioned in the previous post, regular blood tests ahead of a longer chemo session, can reveal numbers that are all important in indicating whether (a) treatment can continue, and (b) whether it is working or not. Platelets, magnesium and iron levels all good and within a range. Most importantly, my antigen (Carcinoembryonic / CEA) numbers dropped from 1311.6 to 1184.7 between 22 January and 5 February. Then following a blood test taken on 20 February, ahead of my fourth cycle, this had dropped dramatically to 680.8 ! This is fantastic news and shows that it is not just worth carrying on, but to see it through to the end. A scan in April will reveal whether there is significant tumour shrinkage, but the signs are very positive indeed.
CEA numbers comparing 22 Jan -> 5 Feb -> 20 Feb
Talking to others
One thing that came out of my darkness and fear on 9 January, was a strong motivation to not burden my family any more, but to seek professional help. This I managed to obtain via Macmillan, who referred me to BUPA (Vita Health) for some talking therapy. Out of this has come techniques about regaining control of the physiology. Then on 13 February, I attended my first group therapy session for cancer patients at the Big C, Dereham Road. Obviously, I can’t share any information from that due to confidentiality, but it was enlightening and remarkable that 8 other men – all older than me, apart from the experienced facilitator, were able to be so open about their diagnoses, prognosis and treatment – two of them were not having any at all for personal or medical reasons. The facilitator was present when I popped into the Big C again on my birthday.
Fourth Cycle
The red rash on my face (see photo below) and chest became worse before the fourth cycle began on 22 February. I continued to apply the moisturising and regenerating cream as flaky skin took over my face and I began to look like the fourth Doctor Tom Baker in Meglos. I started leaving the house incognito or wearing a face mask in a return to pandemic times. I am now also using Aveeno Skin Relief for my hands. Another 6 hours session, including another 2 hours of the aforementioned antibody, plus the regular FOLFOX. It went well, with the usual side effect of peripheral neuropathy in both hands and arms afterwards. The rash was still prominent, but manageable, although it did get worse the following week. Another short session on 29 February completed the fourth cycle, before I headed to the Big C for advice on a Macmillan grant and travel insurance.
Cetuximab side effect feels like being sunburnt! Photo taken on 25 February. Don’t worry, ladies, it’s not contagious! 😉
Post-Stoma Exercise – Step 4
“That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouthin parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.”
Stoma is a Greek word (στόμα) that means “mouth,” and your mouth is indeed one kind of stoma, or natural opening in your body. It is referred to several times in the Holy Bible (as in the verses above). Ears and nostrils are also stomas, as are holes created through surgery. An operation to help a patient breathe might create a stoma in their neck, for example. The operation to create an opening from the walls of my lower colon was a complete success. Although I initially freaked out about how it looked and in trying to maintain it – I wasn’t a good patient at first – I began to accept it and learned how to cope with it on a daily basis. It helped that several people I know who have had one say they got used to it fairly quickly and have subsequently lived with one for 30+ years. Nowadays, the stoma nurse need not visit me, although she did pop in on 23 February and was impressed by my progress. I order my supplies through a company called Fittleworth and have support from another related company, Secure Start, should I need it. However, I still haven’t given my stoma a name, unlike the Traitors finalist, Mollie Pearce, who called her one ‘Sid’!
First look at my actual stoma, while in hospital, post-surgery on 7 November 2023. The 2 scars are where the laparoscopic entries were made.
Step by Step
Step 4 is known as ‘Return to play‘ and covers the period from 3 months to 6 months post-op. Step 3, the ‘strengthening stage’, covered the period from 6 weeks to 3 months. The Fittleworth guidebook says that you should be seeing and feeling some good progress. Heavier objects can be lifted and more strenuous exercise can be done. At this stage you should feel more comfortable with exercising. As well as returning to more rigorous activity, I have done some small amount of gardening such as raking leaves and filling a wheelbarrow full of wood and taking it to the fireplace. Shopping and carrying heavier bags is also allowed now and I have managed so far. It helps that the weather in February was a marked improvement on the previous month. Spring seemed to come early and with the bright sunshine it has encouraged me to get out more and be more active. It makes a difference from lying in bed until 10am!
‘Return to Play’ – collecting wood in the garden, 1 February
It is important to perform specific exercises, such as breathing ones, hip twists and glutes stretches. For more strenuous exercise, such as the parkrun and carrying heavier items, you should be mindful to start with an empty stoma bag. This is because increased mobility can stimulate the bowel to function. According to Colostomyuk.org, it is easy to forget what your body has been through with the illness or injury that necessitated your stoma. Their advice is to take gradual steps and walk for a longer distance than you plan to run first, and jog or walk in between running if needed. I was already walking around 8,000 steps per day in January after a sluggish, depressing start to the new year. In February, that has increased to an average of 12,500 steps each day, with a pledge to participate in Cancer Research UK’s ‘Walk All Over Cancer‘ in March. I will do at least 10,000 every day in March. I’ve got the T-shirt!
The kind of advice I have been getting and reading about is crucial as I also made a return to park running. I began taking part in parkrun again just before the fourth step (stage) of recovery, walking and jogging the 5km course on 27 January in around 36 minutes. On 3 February, I volunteered at Holkham parkrun, wearing green for Macmillan and in acknowledgment of World Cancer Day, actually marked the following day (see photo below). The following week I completed my 25th parkrun – well, I walked and jogged (again) but this time in around 31 minutes. Later that night I had my first homemade spicy curry for about 6 months! I marshalled again on 17 February, due to my birthday celebrations at home and not wanting to overdo things. Then jogged round in 31:43 on 26 February, with the peripheral neuropathy impacting on my breathing. So I took it steadily, still showing significant progress.
Volunteering at Holkham Parkrun, 3 February
An ELT Fundraiser
Following a private series of messages with me in December and early January, ELT (English Language Teaching) legend and Lexical Labfounder, Hugh Dellar, offered to organise a fundraiser in order get me some much needed money. I had to come with a tangible idea for the fundraiser and the only thing I could think that was appropriate was a holiday or break. I haven’t had one since 2019 – and even that was an ELT conference in Brussels. I haven’t been abroad since then, mostly due to the Covid-19 pandemic. But the plan was cemented by another ELT legend Katherine Bilsborough’s offer to let me stay for free at her apartment in Almeria, in southern Spain – probably for ten days in late April to early May this year. In the first 24 hours an incredible £1000 was raised with 45 separate donors. Eventually it reached over £1500 with 64 separate donations. I felt grateful and so loved by the worldwide ELT community. A grand gesture and more than a grand result!
Take a Hike
Image credit: Macmillan
On 12 May I plan to walk 14.3 miles, just over the distance of a half marathon along the North Norfolk coast in aid of Macmillan. I will do this alongside my good friend, Rene, who came up with the plan. The last time I walked over 13 miles on the same day was when I left my flat in Preston at 4am one day in June 2021 and ended up at Booths supermarket in Garstang at 9am. So that took 5 hours with only one brief stop for a loo break. I hope to do this forthcoming hike in around the same time, with few breaks. If you wish to find out more and want to donate you can read it here: Phil’s Norfolk Coast Mighty Hike while Rene’s page is here. As of 2 March, the date of publication of this post, £203 of my £250 target had been raised, with someone referring to my BA dissertation’s Dylan Thomas quote in one donation (see below). I commit to any surplus donations (above the £250, and those paid by cash) will be given to Cancer Research UK! To warm up, I will be completing their 10,000 steps every day in March. I am already averaging around 14,000 steps per day for February!
The Cost of Living and My Working Future
Immediately after my fourth cycle was completed on 29 February, I applied for a small, one-off Macmillan Grant. These are small payments of £200, although the cap was recently reduced from £300, to help people on low incomes who need support with the extra costs that living with cancer can bring. I will probably use any payment to cover the additional travel costs of getting to and from the hospital, but supplying evidence of extra fuel costs might prove tricky. I also received a single cost of living payment of £299 which I was entitled to by being on Universal Credit. This helped offload some of the costs, which for some can run to thousands, mostly due to lack of income from work. I also asked about travel insurance ahead of my likely trip to Spain in late April/early May.
In respect of work, I intend to do so again this year. There is some uncertainty, at this stage, whether I will be able to work fully this summer. Chemotherapy will probably continue into June, with liver surgery only likely if the treatment and further scans show enough shrinkage to make it worthwhile. That will be the priority, but with continued treatment, a bit of luck and a lot of prayer, this will be possible. I will know more in April, before I head to Brighton for a few days to meet friends and donors. If you have cancer the law considers this a disability. This means you cannot be treated less favourably than other people (who do not have cancer) because you have cancer, or for reasons connected to the cancer. That would be discrimination. There is a piece of legislation in the UK that protect you from being discriminated against at work because of cancer and if living in England, Scotland or Wales, the Equality Act 2010 protects you. This law does not just protect employees. They also protect people applying for jobs and, in some cases, people who are self-employed. It is slightly different in Northern Ireland which has its own act of parliament – the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
Love Can Heal
As you know and as shown earlier, I have been a huge fan of Peter Gabriel’s music since I was 9 years old when I purchased the ‘Games Without Frontiers’ single, featuring Kate Bush. A PG track is frequently shared with each new blog post. This time I have gone step further and not only shared a version of ‘Darkness’ from the New Blood album, but also recorded a new version of his newer song, ‘Love Can Heal’ from the album i/o, where I sort of duet with him. I previously shared the original dark-side mix at the end of part 3. As I stated earlier, I turned 53 years of age recently. On 3 February, a day after I recorded this, we lost a valuable friend to an aggressive (non cancerous) growth. He was only 53, so this really hit home. It was a sudden, cruel and untimely death, leaving emptiness and tremendous sadness in all who knew him. So this song is for Ali and everyone who he left behind. It is also a song to myself about my own prognosis. This post has been published on the date (2 March) of his alternative funeral service at The Midden, in Wells-next-the-Sea.
Lay Yours Hands On Me
Finally, on the evening of 22 February I played yet another Gabriel song – here in the live version from Athens at my mum’s place in Fakenham. Two friends of mums came and prayed over me, with one putting their hand on my shoulder and gently in speaking in tongues (another Talking Heads album reference, too, there). Who knows what effect, if any, this will have, but I am looking not just for medical treatment but any other forms of healing that might work. I am not against trying and, like the song’s lyrics, I am willing… I am open to any help out there, be it God or another other kind of spiritual cleansing. If it means the cancer reduces in size and even disappears by the time of the scan then we know that a medical miracle will have occurred.
Conclusion
Raising awareness of cancer symptoms, diagnosis and treatment is so important. Providing correct and reliable information is essential. Given the King’s cancer diagnosis, arguably even more so. It just goes to show that cancer can affect anyone, however rich or poor, privileged or disadvantaged. However, I baulked at some suggestions in the national media that the King ‘had started a conversation around cancer’. Whilst that might be questionable, the good attendance at the Big C men’s group might indicate that he has made an impact on men talking about their diagnosis and treatment. Macmillan, Bowel Cancer UK and many other organisations have been starting and having that conversation for years! Nice to be able get treatment straight after diagnosis, mind.
Celebrating my 3rd birthday!
I cannot really claim to have ‘come, seen and conquered’ just yet. It won’t be a swift victory, but I am hopeful of giving my cancer a damn good kicking. The ‘monster‘ that I was afraid of lies curled up on the floor! My treatment will continue through the whole of March before I have a MRI liver scan on 1st April. It is very likely to continue after that, so I will have to be flexible and rearrange appointments to fit around a planned trip to Brighton (16-19 April). Any trip to Spain currently on hold until I get the results of those scans, but I now hope to go in early May before the hike. Liver surgery is unlikely until much later in the year. On that note, I’ll finish with this final tune from Gabriel’s former band:
“He rides majestic, past homes of men Who care not or gaze with joy To see reflected there, the trees, the sky, the lily fair The scene of death is lying just below.
The mountains cut off the town from view Like a cancer growth is removed by skill Let it be revealed”
‘Firth of Fifth’ was originally recorded for my favourite Genesis album ‘Selling England by the Pound’ (1973). Sung by Gabriel, but written by Tony Banks and Mike Rutherford. I saw The Musical Box – a Genesis tribute act – perform the entire album on 1 March at the Cambridge Corn Exchange.
References:
Ahmed, AS, N Ormiston-Smith, P D Sasieni (2015). Trends in the lifetime risk of developing cancer in Great Britain: comparison of risk for those born from 1930 to 1960. British Journal of Cancer. Available at: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25647015/. Accessed 24 February 2024.
Phil, thank you for sharing this. Always detailed, clear and insightful. I hope your treatment keeps doing what it is supposed to. Perhaps I will see you in Brighton or maybe even in Sheffield this summer. All the best, Katy (your 2020 flatmate).
Have faith. Keep on running and don’t let the bugger get you down. Love ya sweetie, from your very crazy Harley Girl who will always keep you in her heart cos there’s no flippin’ room in my head! Minions rule xxxxxxxxxx
Teacher Phili 
Phil, thank you for sharing this. Always detailed, clear and insightful. I hope your treatment keeps doing what it is supposed to. Perhaps I will see you in Brighton or maybe even in Sheffield this summer. All the best, Katy (your 2020 flatmate).
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Both are likely. Brighton is definitely on, Sheffield maybe. 😄
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Have faith. Keep on running and don’t let the bugger get you down. Love ya sweetie, from your very crazy Harley Girl who will always keep you in her heart cos there’s no flippin’ room in my head! Minions rule xxxxxxxxxx
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Thank U 😊 Update (a new post) tomorrow. X
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Love ya, too! xx
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