Blog 19.Its the festive period 29.12.12

Where has the past year gone?! It's flown by and it's now coming up for 2 years since we packed up our belongings and embarked on this Adventure in Oz-which was only meant to be for a year I might add! We have certainly had an adventure since moving to Australia which has included both highs and extreme lows but whatever,we can say its been an adventure that wont ever be forgotten.

Since writing my last blog in September,Charlie has had his 4th birthday which we held at the local mountain with a great turn out
of friends. Charlie found it to be a little overwhelming and wanted to go home (yes, from his own party!), halfway through as he was tired. Nonetheless he had a great morning and it was lovely to see the kids having so much fun.

Blog 18-29.9.12 Decisions decisions

Hi again and welcome back to our blog.It's now Spring in Oz and starting to hot up again.The boys have all ventured into the pool and not out of choice, so have I! Charlie forgot he hadn't got his life jacket on last week and jumped in the pool,closely followed by a fully clothed me!!It must have been a funny sight with my skirt floating around the surface of the water and my white t-shirt now soaked- and see through! Luckily there was only Lori and Kevin there to see my disgrace!But at least I saved my son-though not my dignity!

Thomas and his Spiderman cake

Thank you for all the kind birthday wishes,cards,emails and pressies we received as this time of year really is a busy one for celebrating in the Barratt household.

I can honestly say that I had a fantastic birthday this year.Paul and my friends made it very special and actually made me realise for the first time in years that you can't forget to treat yourself just because you have children.I felt really special and had a great time shopping with Kate and Lori for my gifts then going on to have a lovely dinner. I think I was lead astray on the spending front though!!Yeah right.

As you may remember from the last blog, we were due to go to Moreton Island with our good friends Lori,Kevin and Ben. This was a great adventure with the boys having loads of fun whale watching,swimming in the ocean,building sand castles and the dads doing a spot of fishing (or trying to, as all the fish seemed to have miraculously disappeared the day they decided to have a go)! It was such a lovely place to visit though there were some bush fires which got a little too close for comfort at one point and we were certainly glad to get off the island that day as a result. The whale watching was amazing and I had one of those WOW moments whilst standing on the boat watching them swim under and around the boat.It truly was an amazing experience and one which I won't forget in a hurry.

Thomas had a fantastic time celebrating his birthday with friends and he was treated to a special party at Laser force.They had a blast and it was a great success.I'm now busy planning Charlies 4th birthday party for next Sunday and although he asked for a street party,he is getting a Mount Coot-tha party!Basically,we're having a bbq in the local forest area with a few party games and a pinata thrown in for good luck. The street party will have to wait for our return to the UK!

Action shot

Quiet time

 The school holidays are here and I don't know about the boys,but I am shattered!They have been really good but entertaining them is so full on as any mum out there will relate to.This is when 1). I wish I worked and 2).I wish I had family around to help out as that 1 or 2 hours "time out" would make all the difference to my sanity!hehe. Thank god for meeting up with friends and their kids as at least they occupy one another better than we do!

Tom with Sassy

Thomas was invited to participate in a new Children's tv programme out here and he loved every second of it!He met the star of the show "Sassy"and educated her on many things I didn't even know he knew about!As you can see,I was sat watching him from a side room and I had a few chuckles to myself with how funny he was.He was then invited back for a second interview and to his delight, met a couple of Sassys friends. He should be on tv here next year so watching this space!

On a more serious note,we had some bad news this week which has really put us in a financial predicament.On moving out to Oz, there was an incentive to entice us over.This involved payment towards monthly rent and food as the cost of living out here is ridiculously high and the tax is just crazy.The government have now decided to put a stop to this (for workers from overseas but not their own citizens) which means that we are now having to decide what to do for the imminent future.This incentive has been running for years and is typical that it stops once we arrive!We don't really have many options due to Charlies health situation i.e. I can't work as he's too ill,we can't fly home so the only other feasible option (which we are trying our damnedest not to have to do),is sell our UK house as the mortgage on that will also go up as of October and we just can't keep losing money on it. It seems like we have one challenge on top of another with not many ways out. If only we could win the lottery hey! In all honesty, if we could fly home,I think we would as it is a very unsettling situation to be in knowing there isn't a way around it whilst we live in Oz. Having said that,we do still love it out here and don't feel we have served our time as yet. Money doesn't buy happiness but it certainly eases the burden.It will all sort itself out I'm sure but in the meantime I have one very stressed and worried hubby!

Last night I had a lovely evening out with my good friend Sharron.We went to see the theatre production of Jersey Boys and it was fab.We had a great time and it was just what we both needed. The show did remind me of my mum (she wanted to see it when she was over but we just couldn't fit it in) and I had to (rub it in) give her a quick ring when I got in at midnight to tell her all about it.

Before I sign off,I just want to say a massive thank you to Rhianna and everyone else who is involved in today's CLIC Sargent event.It would be so lovely if we could teleport ourselves over to join in the fun but Paul still hasn't quite finished the telport machine yet so that will have to wait I'm afraid! I can't wait to hear all about it and see all the fab photos.Thank you to all of you and especially to Rhianna,you are a star arranging such a big event as it can't have been easy.Well done and it should be amazing! (Kirklands Centre,Menston,11-2pm Saturday 29th Sept for those not in the know about it).

Sometimes being a brother is even better than being a superhero!

Blog 17-A busy month for the Barratt's

Things have been pretty busy this month with lots of excitement around the build up to Paul's cycle ride in aid of Cancer Research, along with the much anticipated dads and lads weekend away fishing and camping.

Last time we were in the pool was April

The Winter months out here are beautiful and we have been making the most of the cooler days with plenty of play dates,meeting up with friends for walks by the river,bbq's and fun days out. The temperature is on average about 22ºC at the moment and the sun is out everyday.It's still too cold to jump in the pool but another month or so and hopefully we'll be back in there!

This month has proven to yet again, be full of ups and downs-but where would a Barratt's in Oz blog be without that?!

Thomas in his school uniform

Thomas has really settled back into school life and is visibly a much happier little boy now that Charlie is bug free!He is a very caring big brother who (most of the time) involves Charlie in everything he does and they have such a special bond. He has asked recently about Charlies medication and what happens if he doesn't take it and hopefully the answers he got were satisfactory (I seem to be a pro at answering those types of questions now)!! He is doing well in school and has a group of lovely friends. Thomas will be 7 next month and it shocks me to think how quickly that time has passed by. This time last year,Charlie was going through the most intense period of his Chemotherapy which had a knock on effect to Thomas's birthday celebrations (or lack of them). So this year, he will be having a Laserforce party which both him and Paul are very excited about!

Watching dvd whilst having his chemo

Such a big chair for such a little man

Charlie's hospital appointment was 3 weeks ago and as many of you will have read from my Facebook page,it was a very upsetting and emotionally charged day. Seeing all the other children so frail and ill, and seeing Charlie hooked up to the machine next to them really hit home. I found it so hard this month and had to stop myself from crying on a few occasions. This experience never gets any easier for any of us.Seeing your child going through the things Charlie and all the other courageous children on that ward go through shouldn't have to be witnessed by a parent once, never mind on a daily basis.This period in our life is as much of a nightmare now,as it was back in January 2011 when he was first diagnosed. Not having family support around the corner is the hardest part of this experience for me. I have always been close to my family and not having the choice to be able to fly back home and spend time with them is very difficult. I would love so much to see all the beautiful children we left behind (and some which have arrived since) but for another 2 years,that won't be possible. Having said all this, Charlie is the happiest child.He puts many of us adults to shame with his resilience and positive attitude. He always has a smile and is a very easy going, loving little boy who adores cuddles-the more the better!!

Larking about with my little sidekick

On a more positive note,we had the great news last week that Charlie got into the Kindy (pre-school for us Brits) we had hoped for. This is excellent news as the kindy is close to Thomas's school and it is a beautiful place which I am sure he will love and make lots of new friends-we can't wait (well maybe a little as I'll miss my sidekick)!

Many of you will have seen the extremely generous fund raising which has been taking place thanks to our friends Kate and Andy-and now many other people too! Kate is a good friend I made over here who is from the UK. She approached me last month as she felt strongly that we didn't have the choice to fly home to be with loved ones for Christmas. After seeing the difference having my parents over here made to all of us,she wanted to do something to help and asked if she could do some fund raising to pay towards a family member coming out for Christmas.After the initial shock,we thought it would be a great idea as we really do need any support we can get and having mum here would be fantastic(not that that's the only reason mum)! Living at the other side of the world when you are use to spending so much time with your mum and can't do anything about going to see her and all the other fabulous people in your life is very hard so this was a fantastic idea. We have been truly overwhelmed with the support and gobsmacked with the amount of people who have kindly asked if they can do organised races on his behalf in order to raise money. Visiting Oz is so expensive and this will help enormously. Having such great support around the world is humbling and makes us very grateful for having such wonderful people around us.

On the topic of fund raisers,I know that Rhianna has been a busy bee organising her own fund raiser due to take place on September 29th at Menston Kirklands Centre from 11- 2.30pm in aid of CLIC Sargent (support service for those families who have a child with Cancer). I don't think I need to explain why she chose this charity!If there's anyway you can support this fundraiser,Rhianna would love to hear from you so please just ask for her contact details if you need them and I'll pass them on. The other day, I found myself (for about 10 minutes or so), trying to work out how we could make it to the event ourselves as we would love to be there. Only to realise that it really wasn't possible and I soon brought myself back to reality!

 Paul took part in the"Ride to Conquer Cancer" cycle 2 weeks ago and it went really well. He personally raised $3535 (£2316) and the whole event raised $5.4million! Every $ of that goes towards the cause and not a cent goes towards the food,shelter etc provided for the weekend. Paul competed as a team (from work) and they certainly had a challenging weekend with all those hills! On top of that,Paul completed the 200km's whilst fighting a virus so he did extremely well. We were there to cheer him on over the finish line and were extremely proud of him for completing the course.Thank you for all the support around this and the great news is that Pauls team have all signed up to take part again next year!

A well deserved relaxing weekend away followed for Paul and Thomas as they embarked on their lads and dads weekend.By all accounts this involved lots of playing,fishing,camp fires and good old fashioned fun! (and beer too of course)!!Charlie and myself had our own fun whilst they were away,meeting up with friends and having lovely relaxing walks and a good old natter!

As many of you know,September/October wasn't very well thought out all those years ago in our household! In the space of a month, we have my birthday,Toms birthday,our wedding anniversary and then Charlies birthday.To celebrate all of them collectively, we have a little break planned for next weekend which should be fantastic. We are spending the weekend with some good friends at Moreton Island and whilst there,we have booked to go Whale watching and also plan to feed the wild dolphins so it should be a memory packed weekend.

Charlies counts are currently low and its clear to see as he's very weak and tires easily.He takes his daily chemo and other medications so maturely and understands that they play an important part in "killing the bad guys" and keeping him out of hospital. He has just asked me if he no longer has to go to the hospital as I'd told him earlier what a great job he was doing zapping the bad guys.Charlies interpretation was that he'd killed all the baddies in his blood and was better now. It amazes us when he comes out with these little things as it shows that he does have some understanding and is able to ask quite challenging questions too.

As you can see,things are still very much up and down and I can't wait for the time to arrive when we are a normal family again, no longer needing to write such blogs to inform everyone of how good/bad life is living with this dreadful disease.That special day when Charlie is given the all clear can't come soon enough for us.We will be able to start living normally again. Doing what we want to and not having the worry of the big "C" looming over us wherever and whatever we do. We never know when the next up or down is coming,but I suppose that's life! None of us know whats around the corner and the added uncertainty we have of having a child with Cancer makes that all the more clearer. We are extremely blessed to have the daily support from friends out here and family and friends back home. I can not thank those people enough who take the time to email,call and contact us on a regular basis to see how we are doing. Having that support is the key to keeping us positive and fighting this battle. It could easily be out of sight out of mind, as we know everyone has busy lives,but the support we get is amazing so thank you so much from the bottom of our hearts.

I couldn't resis

Blog 16-The bug (finally) goes.Just in time for mum and dad's arrival

July 2012-The bug (finally) goes.Just in time for mum and dad's arrival

It seems a long time since I wrote my last blog and it was all quite doom and gloom after a few hospital admissions and the fact that Charlie wasn't showing any sign of recovery.Well, after 9 weeks of the Cryptosporidium parasite,and feeling completely exhausted and overwhelmed with it all,Charlie did what he does best and fought it off.

Although we understood and recognised Thomas's change in personality when Charlie was hospitalised and unwell, I don't think we realised how much it impacted on him and how much he had missed his brother when Charlie was "out of action". Thomas was very emotional both at home and school and cried at the simplest thing. Once Charlie recovered things changed and  he was back to being Tom.They are the best of friends and of course have the odd tiff but seeing them both healthier and happy again makes us thankful for Charlie's recovery from the dreaded bug. Thomas is the best tonic for Charlie as he just perks him up and keeps him going with all his imaginary games-and bossiness!Sometimes we underestimate Tom and the impact this dreadful disease must be having on him as Charlies brother. As a six year old,how can you understand why your little brother no longer plays with you and just wants to lie there. I took Thomas to his Occupational Therapy appointment and he drew a picture of himself playing with Charlie only he then drew a bed around Charlie with him playing at the bottom of Charlie's bed. He was very matter of fact about it and it didn't seem to be an issue,just part of the process. Thomas's understanding of Charlie's Cancer is that he will be well again once he is 5 and no longer need medicine to kill the bad guys in his blood.Sounds good to me!

Living so far away from family and friends can be difficult at the best of times so seeing mum and dad arrive at the airport was the best medicine of all, and great timing after a turbulent few months. I took the boys to meet them and what a fabulous reunion it was. They have been doing dance shows practically every night for us to go watch (cute at first as we get given a ticket,fruit and a drink) but after the 10th time its a little wearing.

The boys have been so pleased to spend time with their grandma and grandad and they have dressed up as superheroes most days to play with grandad,who is the bad guy-I'm sure dad enjoys the game just as much as the boys do! They have certainly had quality time with their grandparents during this trip and it will be hard to let them go back home but I know they're needed there just as much.

Since mum and dad have been here its meant Paul and myself have been able to have the odd bit of time to ourselves and I now get my ironing done,cleaning,cooking,the list goes on...I could get use to this!! I booked that much talked about 2 nights away in the rainforest retreat for myself and Paul and we can not wait!! We go on Monday and fingers crossed,all will be well here for us to escape!

We were given the green light from the Consultant that we could do a short flight with Charlie (under certain restrictions). We flew up to the Whitsundays last week and it was beautiful.We went on  a cruise around the various islands and also ventured on the local crocodile safari whilst up there which was just brilliant.The crocs were only feet away from us in their natural habitat which was just mesmerizing.I'm just glad we were in the safety of the boat!(see the video I posted below)

Since Charlies recovery we have made the most of his new found energy (though listened to him when he's needed a days rest). We took the boys out on a family bike ride and it was great to see the smiles on their faces. Thomas has had 2 weeks of school holidays and spent a lot of time catching up on missed play dates with his brother. They went with mum and dad today to see glow worms in the caves an hours drive from here and they loved it. Charlie felt short changed however,and on coming out,asked mum if they could go see the worms now- he thought the worms were lights!

Thursday is Charlie's next big hospital day. He will be nil by mouth from 3am and go into theatre around 11am-he will be starving by then,I know I would be!He will have a lumbar puncture (where they take fluid from his spine), and intravenous chemotherapy administered during this time. He is still on daily chemo which I administer to him at home plus steroids 5 days of each month as well as other drugs to "keep him going". We are very lucky to have a great health care provider and thankful Charlie is currently responding well to the treatment he is receiving.Whilst away,we noticed that his toe nails are dropping off which is very cringy for us and painful for him. We ensured he didn't go in any water (taking no chances after the last bug he got from water) which was a little difficult in the beautiful,tempting surroundings we were in. The irony is that Thomas was the one who came home with something-impetigo! Now we just need to ensure this doesn't pass to Charlie-aggh!

Life with Charlie's illness is a daily struggle as you never quite know what's around the corner,but then again,who does? The words of the nurse who told us on day 1 of his diagnosis to "take things one day at a time" still ring in my ears and that is exactly what we do. We have no real control over what will happen and my job (more so) from that day onwards was to put my needs to one side and be there for all my boys.The stresses we had before Charlie's diagnosis were non existent and we were such a carefree family. Living in Oz has both its ups and downs. We are so far away from what we knew and the comfort of familiarity,friends,family,support the list goes on. However, for now,we realise that home has to be here in Brisbane,in this beautiful country with wonderful people and lots of opportunities Charlie would otherwise be shut off from. So life is difficult,but not all bad!

(Paul will soon be competing in his mammoth 2 day cycle for Cancer and if there's anyone who still wants to sponsor him, please click here )

Blog 15-The bug saga continues....

 

 Maybe I was a little premature in my previous blog by claiming 2012 was going to be our year as we've already had a bit of a hiccup as far as Charlie's health is concerned. I tried to put off writing this blog in the hope that something positive may happen to us but in truth,lifes pretty grim for us all at the moment. Living with cancer is such a worrying and stressful thing at the best of times and living so far away from home makes it all the harder. Five weeks ago Charlie became ill and had to be taken by ambulance to hospital as he was very weak,couldn't hold his own weight,wasn't eating or drinking enough and was vomiting. Had this been Thomas I would have been worried as any parent would be, but knowing Charlie's vulnerability,it takes the whole meaning to a different level-it was one of the scariest moments of my life.

Luckily we still had my sister and Mark around to look after Thomas, and Oliver and Hattie to entertain him which meant we could focus solely on Charlie and getting him seen to at A and E.( I have never seen anyone jump out of bed in the early hours of the morning as fast as Mark did when I knocked on his bedroom door to tell him we had to go to the hospital)!

After a few weeks of going in and out of hospital for treatment,and not really knowing what was wrong with him,it was discovered that Charlie had contracted a parasite bug called cryptosporidium.This can be potentially life threatening to those like Charlie,who are immunocompromised.He was soon placed on anti-biotics which I was told cost the equivalent of £650 a bottle!You can see why they only administer them to those who REALLY need them at that price.Luckily we didn't have to foot the whole of the bill! That was last week and we are now onto week 5 and he's still being sick in the night (and day) and is so weak.He told me yesterday "mummy,my power has all gone". He is needing to be carried virtually everywhere and his little legs gave way yesterday-he'd only stood for a minute.


Seeing your 3 year old child sitting around all day for weeks on end, doing virutally nothing when you try to encourage them to play,draw, make play-doh-just anything, is the most upsetting thing.He should be playing,running,causing mischief (I may live to regret that comment) not sitting on the sofa with no energy to do anything except cuddle his toy dog "Fluffy" and suck his thumb. His new favourite dvd is watching real life tractors working on the farm which is fine the first couple of times but he has it on repeat (thanks Pam and Frank)!!He asked Paul if he could be a farmer when he grows up and was delighted when Paul said yes "Oh thank you daddy" was his very cute response.


Thomas has yet again been a star with everything that's going on.Its so easy to overlook him and take the small things out on him when you know its unreasonable to do so.When you are exhausted and have no reserves left, I think this is understandable but not acceptable and I have had to apologise on a few occasions!Thomas has clearly been affected by the goings on with Charlie and the juggling act of trying to keep things normal whilst going in and out of hospital gets a little tricky at times but we work through it. They don't call it the "family illness" for nothing!


It was Pauls birthday last Friday and although he couldn't remember how old he was (yes seriously,he asked ME then proceeded to work it out from his birth date).I decided to let him off for his senility and took him out for a birthday meal which was lovely-the company wasn't bad either! Spending time with one another is majorly limited so it's made all the more special when we can get out and spend quality time together. One huge reason we're looking forward to and counting down the days until my parents arrive is that this will hopefully give us the rest and time together we need (and of course we can't wait to see them either)!!


Things were getting a little miserable with Charlie being ill for such a long period so I took it upon myself to look into a short break for us all to go to the Whitsundays.I found a great deal then realised it involved flying (which Charlie can't do)!Anyway, I decided not to get too disheartened and thought I'd ask our Consultant if it would be possible (afterall, its only 1.5hours away). To our delight she told us that so long as Charlies port hasn't been accessed 5 days before flying and we stay on the mainland we should be fine-lets just hope she signs the medical form as I booked a trip there as soon as she said we could go then remembered there were a few more (minor) clauses in her agreement-oops!


Paul went on an 80km bike ride on Sunday in preperation for his two day charity cycle in August which he really enjoyed. He asked me to thank all of you who have already sponsored him and to remind those of you who need another nudge,the link is on blog 13! (or just ask and we can send it to you).

Getting out is proving very difficult but so vital to Paul and myself at the moment. Going out and enjoying the beautiful sunshine and fantastic facilities Brisbane has to offer is not an option during the day until Charlie improves. Instead,I have made it my mission to get out and socialise/exercise on an evening with friends whenever possible. Somehow we need to keep our sanity and "escaping" from the house and switching off is a great way of doing this!


This blog wasn't written to raise sympathy. I thought about putting off writing anything until things picked up at the risk of sounding "poor me" but then thought,"this is life".This is MY life and my friends and family want to hear what's happening,good or bad. I can't always sugar-coat or put a positive spin on what's happening here-although I do try, this is one time I think it is clear I can't do this. Its hard.Its really bloody hard and sometimes I just want to sit and cry and ask why him? What have we done to deserve such a horrible thing to happen to us.We've always done the best for our boys and been devoted parents.

Things are crap for us but sitting in the house all day bored out of my mind is nothing compared to what Charlie has to go through. His smile lights up the room and he has plenty of them.He is such a strong little boy who will keep on fighting this horrible disease until he is cured. I told him Thomas was going to the hospital (Occupational Therapist) and his immediate response was "will it hurt him mummy". The correlation he has between hospitals and pain is so clear and who am I to disagree considering the experiences he has?

Life is so precious and those of us who are lucky to have our health should not moan at the small things and instead recognise how lucky we are. It's easy to sit back and blame everyone else for our misfortunes but it's only really us that can control what path our life takes.Charlie and other children like him are so courageous and don't mope and sit around blaming others-when they so easily and understandably could. They put up with the crap and the pain and get on with life. This experience has taught Paul and myself to NEVER take anything for granted as you just don't know what's round the corner-and believe me,we have learnt the hard way.

Blog 14-30.1.12 A year since diagnosis

Welcome to the lastest blog where I try to give an overview of the past year now we've officially been in Oz a year. Its hard to write this blog and not talk about the life changing experience we had once we arrived here.

We reached our year anniversary of arriving in Australia at the beginning of January which was met with a mixture of feelings.Australia is a beautiful country which we can't wait to explore further once we get the green light to travel further afield.The boys have such a good quality of life here with beaches,bbq's,play areas on every corner the list goes on.But the downside is being so far away from those you love.

As most of you will know,its coming up to a year since Charlie was diagnosed with Cancer-Monday 30th January to be exact. He has gone through so much in the last year and it has been the most testing and difficult year of our life.To leave our wonderful family and friends behind to embark on what we hoped would be the adventure of a lifetime,turned into our very own living nightmare within 3 weeks of arriving in the "land of opportunity". On receiving the shocking news of Charlie's diagnosis,which seems like only yesterday,we have been on a constant and unpredictable roller coaster ride of emotions.

In a funny way,and this may sound crazy,we are thankful that we went through some of the past year alone as seeing Charlie in the first 10 months of his treatment was not a pretty sight. He went through a new "budda" look,he lost his mobility for a couple of months,he lost complete interest in anything other than food,he had the worst screaming fits,didnt sleep at all day or night,had the constant munchies,and many other nightmarish changes which were all due to the drugs he was taking.Most people back home don't truly know what's been going on here as like anything, its difficult to comprehend without seeing it. Life for us has been a huge challenge since moving to Oz. At times it's been a struggle with trying to juggle everything between the two of us.I imagine that not having people close to us see how ill Charlie was/is has made the tough times easier to get through as you don't have the emotions of others to also try to manage as its hard enough containing your own!

There have been many times we have wanted a rest,just someone to take over for an hour whilst we recharge our depleting batteries.There have been days when we have been completely exhausted and just wanted to sleep but hospital would be calling-or one of the boys! I miss family so much and know that the support would be there in a shot if we lived back home but it's not to be,for now.

At times,things are still very stressful and worrying and we have to always think about Charlie's health before commiting to any social invites. Not good when you're trying to build new friendships in a new country when you just want to say YES but have to decline,but people understand.

It has been a very difficult year and thank god for skype! The number of calls I've made to my mum when I've been tired beyond belief and found things really hard to cope with-its a good job its free as Paul wouldn't like that bill! Her words have always been encouraging and positive and put me back in the space I needed to be in. Not sure what I would have done without the support from her and of course so many others who have sent wonderful messages our way.Thank you as your support never goes without recognition from us and picks me up at those moments when it's needed most.

Anyway,onto the good stuff! As you know, we have been house hunting for a rental with a pool and finally our luck changed this week and our application was accepted,Yipee!The pool was a necessity for Charlie.After taking him along to Tom's swimming lessons and seeing his eagerness at wanting to join in with the other kids, it became vital that we got a pool as he is still unable to use public pools due to the high risk of infection.Our luck is changing!It will be a bit of a drive to school but for the boys to be able to step out of their back door and have a splash in their very own pool,it will be worth it.Just in time for my sister and her monkeys to join in the fun!!

Rather than dwell on the 1 year anniversary of Charlie's diagnosis,Paul has enrolled himself,(and now roped quite a few other people) into doing a 124 mile cycle in August,to raise money to fight cancer.He has become very competitive already and is trying to raise as much money as he can for such a great cause by pitting the Aussie donations against the Brits to see which "team" contributes the most.So please show your support and give whatever you can
by clicking here.
Thomas is back at school this week (phew)so things have quietened down at home.The last couple of months have been the first time that Charlie has been a normal noisy,boisterous child which I have to keep reminding myself is better than the alternative that we had last year where he sat on the bed watching dvd's and having books read to him-not so easy to remember when he's screaming though!

It was Australia day on Thursday and I finally got to spend some 1-to-1 time with Thomas which was well overdue.We went to see a film of his choice (Chipmunks),had some lunch of his choice(Mc D's but dont tell Paul)then bought a small treat from the toy shop. He's also gone through so much this past year which is easy to forget,and hearing parents comments about how confident and well adjusted he is makes me so proud as you do worry that the focus has been taken from him or that he has suffered from whats been going on in some way.

The friends we have made over here continue to be very supportive and caring which makes life easier.It has been a very surreal year which I would like to say thank you for helping us through.It has been hard not having direct contact with you and that would have been so fantastic if it was possible but we have fought on and got through (hopefully) the worst of it. We had no choice other than to find that inner strength and get through it together as a family and I think we've done OK up to now. I miss you all and wish so much we could fly home to see you (and for that much needed rest)!Just you wait,when we arrive on British soil,we will have the biggest celebration ever as that will mark the fact that Charlie is well again!I dream of that day...and it will happen!

Just to show you that it does rain down under.We took the boys out in their puddlesuits for a splash in the local forest today-and it was wet!

Blog 13-2.1.12 Christmas

Happy New Year Everyone! We hope you had a fantastic time celebrating the festive period and have recovereed from those hangovers!

The last month has been a very hectic time for the Barratt's in Oz. Thomas completed his first year at school after settling in well and making lots of lovely new friends. Charlie has caused us more grey hairs than I care to think about, and we are now hoping 2012 is going to be a much easier year than 2011.

Being so far away from all our lovely friends and family has been hard throughout the whole year and this was made especially harder at Christmas time. Paul's parents were on hand to help us celebrate our very first Christmas in Australia and I think they managed to withstand the hot conditions very well as a 25 oC Christmas isnt the norm for us Brits! Well done Pam and Frank.

The week before Christmas, Charlie managed to give us yet another fright by developing a rash all over his body which sent me and him on a mad dash to A&E the day before we were set to go on a short break.(which I'd planned since March and we were all looking forward to). After being checked over by various doctors,(who were clearly all being extra cautious) we were finally visited by our consultant who believed it was a reaction to the chemo-phew (I think)!We were sent home with strict instructions to return back if he developed a fever etc overnight and with some medication just in case it was chickenpox (if it had been,then we would have had to stay in hospital to be treated). To say we were relieved was an understatement and this kind of fear is an everyday possibility when living with a child with cancer.

Our trip to Noosa on the coast was lovely. We all tried our hand at fishing and Thomas even managed to catch something within the first 5 minutes,not bad for a first timer. The boys had numerous swims in the river (which is more like the sea as its so pristine) and we spent our final day on the beach catching some waves. Paul enjoyed an early Christmas present and went kayaking which he thoroughly enjoyed and is now talking about buying a kayak of his own. Pam and Frank got to visit a pretty village in the mountains whilst we were there and the break was very enjoyable.

House hunting is top of our agenda at the moment as we really need a house with more space!The current rental was taken as there wasnt much choice at the time with the floods hitting Brisbane and the situation with Charlie so we took what we could. I went to look round a couple of houses with Pam (Paul's mum) and fell in love with one of them.It had everything we wanted (maybe not needed,but wanted)! The swimming pool and outdoor area was amazing and the space inside was equally so. Unfortunately the competition out here is so fierce for renting that we missed out. I will keep looking though and that pool will be ours!

The last month has seen us spend time with friends and family alike and it has been most enjoyable. The living space (as mentioned above) has been limited and challenging at times (Frank taking his time doing his hair in the bathroom on a morning,well what can I say, hehe)! We were very kindly loaned a house for a few days over christmas which gave us the extra space we needed and we even had Christmas day out on the decking as it was a beautiful house, over-looking a park.

Charlie has been consistantly tired and energyless most of the time, then he manages to have a mad 20 minutes where he will drive around on his "little red tractor" (aka trike) only to tire himself out and need a couple of hours rest before starting over again! Thomas has been noisy and excitable with having grandma and grandad here but nothing a quick trip to the park doesnt solve.

Last Thursday was hospital day and as usual, the build up to this was immensely stressful for me and Paul. No one likes to take their child to the hospital/doctor at the best of times but when its for chemptherapy, reality strikes every single time and it dawns on you why you're going. As it coincided with Paul being off work,he took Charlie for his treatment and spent a few hours waiting to see the Dr and have the dreaded chemo. Meanwhile, I frantically packed a bag for us to have a couple of much needed days away in the Rainforest. Charlie was exhausted for the duration of the break,with Paul carrying him most places. It was the rest and relaxation we needed after a stressful week dealing with the hospital.

I had a wonderful facial this morning whilst the boys went on a trip to the zoo with their grandma and grandad. It was a lovely peaceful morning which I could have enjoyed forever! "Time out" is timetabled into my diary from now on as I know I dont look after myself well enough (and am constantly reminded of this by you guys)!

After nearly a year of stress and unease about what will happen with our precious Charlie, I am completely exhausted and really feeling the strain of it all at the moment. We try to fit in fun outings which keep the family as "normal" as we can but the fact that we are unable to come home to be "looked after" and supported more closely, is hard. The support everyone has offered to us hasnt gone unnoticed and we appreciate it so much but being here alone,is bloody hard work and also theres a feeling of being trapped at times. To have someone come in and give us a night or 2 off from this rollercoaster would be immense. Living so far away doesnt allow for this and the near future is in Charlie's hands for now.

All we ask for is that 2012 brings us the luck we deserve. We have worked so hard as a couple to support one another through what can only truly be felt by someone going through the same experience and one which we would never wish upon anyone else to have to go through. We like to think of ourselves as naturally positive people which I feel has helped us get through this. At times you do question why? and "what have I done wrong for something so horrible to happen to my child". Realistically you know the answers but they still pop into your head.

We hope to go from strength to strength this year and are looking forward to seeing Charlie get stronger and keep away from any bugs that may be lurking around the corner! Fingers crossed to a happy new year for everyone and thank you once again for the continued support you've shown to us through this crazy,mad year.