About
First of all let me introduce myself and the easiest way I could think of was to include a short profile which you will find here.
The following notes were never initially intended for a blog, but form part of the “Let me show you my scars” chapter of the autobiographical notes that I have prepared for my family. Speaking of family I must warn the reader that my wife Alice is referred to in this blog as Al. Alice or occasionally as “my lovely”.
As the material was originally intended for the family it contains extraneous information which I have not bothered to remove as it makes the note less formal and more human. In any event I am including every day activities and social events so as to show to the reader what I can do one day and what I might find more difficult further down the track. I have also anonymized this version to eliminate the names, of the various doctors and consultants I have seen in connection with the MND, other than the two doctors and support nurse currently looking after me.
The purpose behind this blog is to give succour and comfort to other MND sufferers,those suffering from prostate cancer (of which I have a history built into the blog) and indeed anyone who is sick, terminally ill or just depressed. Caring through Sharing. Nil Desperandum and Carpe diem (Live for the day) and all that! I hope that some of my ideas and gadgets may give inspiration to others.
The main section on this blog is as you can see in the form of a diary. It starts at a time when I was initially diagnosed and records significant events in the progress of the disease as well as the effect on my day-to-day life.
I shall add to the diary most days when I have something interesting to say, or something significant has occurred. The diary itself is fairly lengthy but it is ESSENTIAL THAT NEW READERS READ IT in order to get the background to the subsequent entries.
In order to leaven the bread, so to speak, I have added an anecdote link and will, from time to time, pluck some amusing event or inspirational story from my autobiographical notes. I have started this link with two such anecdotes which you might find of interest. In addition there are inspirational Videos, Photographs and a large number of, what I consider to be. amusing jokes. All designed to take the reader’s mind of their own problems for a short while.
Friends, who are only interested in checking on my state of health must excuse the mundane references to social events and the lavatorial activities. These are included, from a date around 18 months since my diagnosis, to give comfort to fellow sufferers. To show them what is still possible, perhaps with some degree of ingenuity, and therefore, what might not be possible in a few months time.
If any reader who wishes to comment on the content of any entry, or share their own experiences with other readers, then simply click on the comment icon after each entry. This will come through to me as an e-mail and provided I approve it I will answer that comment within a blog itself.
I would be particularly interested to hear from readers who suffer from loss of use of hands.For example, arthritis sufferers or people who’ve had a stroke or even to thalidomide victims, some of whom have no hands and from whom, no doubt, I could learn a great deal. Well I hope we all get something out of this blog and I look forward to hearing from the readers.
Professor D Mark Cato
14 May 2009 updated 6 October 2010