keep the heart strong and the rest will follow

"Keep the heart strong and the rest will follow" this os one of the many unique quotes Shauna uses. Its amazing to meet someone who says things like this and lives up to it. You know there are those many people out there who don't "practice what they preach", yes, I am one of those many. But Shauna, she lives up to every single word in the phrase she uses.

This is why working with her is so amazing. Its such a pleasure working with a strong person. Someone asked me a few weeks ago, "Why did you choose specialised care?" As a nurse its not really that great, because you need to be that person's everything, helping them to the toilet or bathroom, helping them eat, talking to them, motivating them. Patients aren't easy most of the time because they lose their faith after a while and become impossible, they give up and lose the hope that they carried in the beginning. Specialised care I chose because I met Shauna, I have now made it my life choice. Because of her I have now signed a contract with Dr Elche, she's shown me that people are not as bad as we fear. This is Shauna, this is life with her.

She makes you realise things that you never thought you could imagine.

busy day

Today had its own interesting turn of events. Shauna got to visit the Plumstead branch for an hour to spend time with the children in the oncology unit. She was so happy for finally see those little ones. With all her pains, she managed to pluck her courage and talk to them and tell them one of her Justice League stories. The Justice League has started to mean just as much to those children because of her. When she first told them about The Justice League, she made name banners for each of them with the name of one of the heroes from the league. She put one at every bed, and when she tells her stories, it feels more lifelike to them. And they start feeling like those heroes.

This is only a piece of what she does. And she's making that difference to those children. It really feels good knowing someone as amazing as Shauna is.

For now, I need to buzz off... This was just a quick post. Tomorrow's may bear some interesting information ;-)

Kellz

Today went well, for a while we had some concerns but all went well. Shauna, the brave Superhero has proven herself amazing and wondrous again.

Dr Elche has the flu and due to Shauna's low and weak immune system, he is not allowed to be around her. This broke her heart at first however she returned to her normal cheerful self again. With the ever kind Dr Elche not being around, Dr Adams is taking full charge of Shauna's trials under the advice of Dr Elche. As things turned out, Shauna's physio therapist Dan came around today. She really has outdone herself, but she pushed herself a bit too hard. She is now able to move around a bit better than before and it seems that her ankle, shoulder and wrist are healing well. Hopefully they will be fully healed soon, I think she's had enough pain these past few months. This is not needed too. Though she's able to walk much better, Dan still believes that she is straining herself too much and that she still has lots of hard work ahead of her.

With this Shauna still suffers from intense nausea and has been having dizzy spells every now and again. Her doctors are investigating various options to lighten the load for her. We only hope and wish that she gets well soonest.

TestDay

Today, not much was done. Shauna has been experiencing some serious amounts of pain lately and nausea seems to be taking over most of the time. Between this and tests today, Shauna really is quite exhausted. Though, she seems to carry a huge smile to hear from her sister in Kuwait, Dana. She hasn't heard from Dana much, up until Dana emailed her late evening yesterday. She says she is really happy to be hearing from her sister again.

Some blood tests were done today and we've sent them away, these blood tests should be back by Monday morning. Also, Shauna's done her physio test today, proving that her spirit is strong however her body is weakening. Dr Elche has requested the physio therapist to diarise some regular sessions with Shauna to strengthen her muscles and body. Dr Elche advised that the stronger her muscles become, the more her body is able to endure. Shauna's willpower is what gives her most of the strength she needs now however her willpower does not change the amount of pain her body's able to endure. Another test run was a scan to spot any "unseen" tumors, this will help Shauna's doctors determine their next move and according to her surgeon Dr Adams, it must be done weekly to ensure that there are no surprises while Shauna continues with her treatments. Dr Elche has advised that for now, treatments will be scheduled for twice a week over the next 2-3 weeks and thereafter, every alternate day. Provided that there are no complications.

With all this, Shauna's smile and spirit remains in tact. She's proud of having come this far, and looks forward to further battles ahead, no matter how hopeless it seems.

looking forward

A leukemia patient, Shauna has proven herself to not be a victim of cancer. Instead, she's a soldier in the war against cancer.

Currently, Shauna is a stage 3 patient and has shown her will countless times to keep a strong fight. She amazes her doctors and those around her. This blog is dedicated to her.

I will try my utmost best to update this blog as regularly as I can, please feel free to comment and ask anything you need to know.