We took MW to see her family again.  When I say ‘we’, I mean my Mum and I. It was MW’s Dad’s birthday while we were there.  He’s been fighting leukaemia for a while, now.  To tell you the truth, we’re surprised that his fight is still on-going.  We were given a prognosis for him that included a finite amount of time. Therefore, each celebration – birthday, Christmas, etc. – always carried the possibility of being his last.

This is not to say that MW didn’t enjoy seeing her Mum and brother, too.  She misses all of her family.  Her Mum does all the caring for her Dad, and can’t come to see us.

Although I may have said the same after the last visit, this may well be the last time we do this trip.  Five days’ of travelling and care with only the most basic of equipment have left their mark.  My Mum is in her late seventies and her health is deteriorating, too.  I can’t ask her to keep running around as my assistant whenever I get the urge to do this.

Also, I’m afraid that, as MW gets weaker and weaker, I won’t be able to lift her in the same way as I’ve been able to do.  As she’s losing core strength, I’m losing the ability to control each lift.  I don’t want there to be an accident that could be avoided.

It was good for them all to see each other.  There were a few tears, both on arrival and when leaving.  But, for five days, MW felt like she was part of her family again.  And I’m glad she did.