It’s a couple of week since the last post. Elaine has days where she is fine, sociable and relatively normal, but she also has many days where she is incommunicado. That is she just wants to sleep, and won’t talk with visitors or those who phone. But even when she is fine, she is currently suffering from breathlessness from any physical activity. There was a thought it could be anemia but a test last week showed that her bloods were fine. Now there is a question about whether there is some fluid on the lungs. We should know more when the 23 August scan result is available. We’re waiting to hear from Cookridge about when the next round of chemo is going to start. I suggested chasing them up, but Elaine indicated she was in no hurry!

This morning she sent me something written by a former student, now in her thirties, which continues the theme of the previous post. Here’s one paragraph from the message:

“I owe a lot to you, Elaine. If you had never taught me for that year at ***** College, asked me to consider myself as having a talent and ability and, through your teaching, opened another world up for me, I probably would never have become so academically-minded, never done my MAs, and never even thought that I could possibly write. In short, I would not be the person I am today. You set me on my path, and I am so very grateful for that.”