'Happy birthday'

As I drove back to Newbury I reflected on the bravery shown by Zoe, David, and their Relatives. I could only feel a tiny percentage of the fear they must have had during the ten days since diagnosis and then the wait...the very long wait during the operation.

Now I'm a grandmother I can look back and start to appreciate Dee and Ian's agony to. Not only were
they deeply worried about their grandson but also worried about their son and Zoe and how they
would cope if anything bad happened.

Of course the wait didn't end there...it was a long night holding their breath - to see if Willie came round in the morning..the next 24 hours being critical...he could have a big brain bleed, and the
effects of that would be catastrophic.

Watching your tiny son covered in wires attached to bleeping machines waiting for him to open those big hazel eyes and show some recognition must have been frightening...thankfully they didn't have to wait too long..Willie had come through unscathed..quiet and subdued as he was full to the brim with
maximum pain killers...but smiling and talking, long before the expected recovery time. His speech was slightly affected and his right side slightly paralysed  but on the whole a remarkable outcome considering the invasive surgery deep into his brain.

Willie was soon back in Leopold ward entertaining the nurses, and endearing himself to anyone
passing by. The huge scar held together with a multitude of stitches was framed by the unshaven bit
of blond hair. This did not detract from his cuteness at all and the huge smile I got on arrival was enough to make anyone's day.

"Happy birthday Willie" I beamed at him and held his hand as he sat upright on his hospital bed. The
mischievous glint in his eye as he said "Sue..do you know..." As  he told me a story about one of the
nurses - confirmed that he had been hardly affected  by surgery. Willie had his favourite nurses
already and was keen to point them out to me. Cheryl being his all time favourite and Beccy his number one play nurse.

Happy and smiling he proudly blew out the 3 candles on his birthday cake.'Rara' his big sister there to
help him..I cannot remember the exact details of the day but I imagine there would have been a bit of
a tussle over the blowing out of candles and can almost hear his voice shouting 'Rara' don't you blow
out my candles!'

As much as Willie adored his big sister there were limits sometimes as to how much help was
required....

There was no doubt that Willie was exactly the same little boy mentally as before the operation..what
recovery he had made. It was apparent as the years passed that that was in Willies nature - to bounce right back and get back to his story telling and imaginary phone calls almost straight away.


An incredibly brave and amazing little boy..a walking miracle.

I thanked God for answered prayer that not only did Willie reach his 3rd birthday - but that he could
also see the candles to blow them out. There had been a huge risk that he may lose his sight
altogether. Praise God he hadn't.

Zoe spent most of her time by his bedside, sleeping on an uncomfortable camp bed throughout the
night right next to his bed. She only got respite when others whom she trusted were there to cover a 'shift'. There were very few on that list, mainly because Willie would get upset when Zoe wasn't
around..so clever distraction techniques were called for.

David covered some of those shifts but as we all know life stops for no-one and David had a job that he needed to keep up for fear of losing it and  the much needed income for the family. He spent many an hour on his mobile phone trying to manage his business back in Germany whilst at the same time
spending precious hours with his son.

Dee - Willies grandmother and Captain Poo as Willie called his grandad came often to take turns to
give Zoe a rest. I can't remember how long it took to get my name on that list, but I worked hard at
it...as it was a privileged position and one I strived to take. Willie had captured my heart and soul and I loved being with this gorgeous boy.

He had many visitors including his Aunty Fiona who was herself recovering from Chemotherapy
following a mastectomy - another brave and amazing lady...she used to visit on her motorbike clad in her leathers.

Willies memory was phenomenal and he knew every doctor by name and every nurse/play nurse after
only meeting them once. He also knew all the patients in his ward and their critical illness's to.


  It wasn't easy to keep him entertained as he didn't like being still for long, and had an incredibly short attention span, so a vivid imagination and playing along with his imaginary phone calls became the order of the day. You had to role play anyone from Cat Stevens to Bob the builder...at a moments
notice.

Books and TV were not high on his list, neither drawing or colouring. Playing with toy tools, his
Teddy's in the shape of various animals and the all time favourite - the whoopee cushion kept him
amused.

Any unsuspecting victim was the target of this noisy trick - rewarded by guffawing giggles from the blond cherub in the bed. When Willie found something funny his giggles were priceless.

Willie did enjoy music - immensely. Zoe had introduced him to many genres of music from before he was born...and he loved a huge variety of  artists. Zoe had many different cassettes full of songs
Willie knew word for word. He delighted in sharing them with me and tried to educate me in good
music. The music helped him to have rest times, gently being stroked on his hand by his mum he would lie still and drift off to sleep accompanied by Cat Stevens...singing 'Father,son' or another melody just perfect for going into a deep slumber. His other melodic hero was James Taylor and both
these artists were played over and over and over again...

One very poignant moment I remember one day Willie was listening to James Taylor...I scooped him up in my arms and started to waltz around the ward..."again, again..he shouted gleefully if I stopped..as I spun round and round I caught sight of Zoe watching wistfully from a chair...there was a
Look in eyes that broke my heart...I could see how much she wished she could dance carefree with Willie in her arms...but with her spine as it was that wouldn't be happening anytime soon. It struck me deeply how cruel life can be...and I started to wonder why God had placed Willie in this family with a disabled mum who appeared to have an estranged relationship with his dad and an incredibly lively sister...

When he was awake he was a bundle of wisdom, fun, and many demands..he knew exactly what he wanted and when he wanted it. He enjoyed  drinking his milk - but food was often a battle...he was a fussy eater. Zoe would have to go back to the parents room to prepare fish fingers how he liked them cooked or another one of the few dishes he would consume.Then she would spend a long time trying to encourage him to eat.

Willie was in hospital that first time for a month...but sadly it wouldn't be long before he returned.