Some things put other things in perspective. LONG POST, warning for the moaners.

Biggins

There are times when you read something that kind of help remind you that sometimes the things you make a big issue of, are in fact smaller in compared to others
This is one instance for me. From the Times (England) today.

The final wishes of a teenage girl with terminal cancer — to swim with sharks and enter her Labrador in a dog show — look likely to be fulfilled after her online “bucket list” went viral.

Alice Pyne, 15, from Ulverston in Cumbria, started the blog after receiving news that her Hodgkin’s lymphoma had worsened and that she may not have long to live.
Alice, who has been treated for the condition for nearly four years, wrote of her disappointment: “It’s a pain because there’s so much stuff that I still want to do.”

Her mother suggested that she should draw up a “bucket list” of things she would like to do before she died, post it online and try to get help to do as many of them has she could. Within hours, her first post spread on social networks and offers of help poured in.

Items on the 17-strong list that now look set to be ticked off include meeting Take That, designing an Emma Bridgewater mug for charity, a trip to Cadbury World in Birmingham and entering her dog Mabel into a regional labrador show. Wellwishers from across the world — including Canada, Australia and America — offered photography opportunities, hairdressing and caravan holidays, which also featured on the list. Alton Towers, whose chocolate room features on the list, has offered to fulfil three more wishes: swimming with sharks in its aquarium, a photoshoot, and a back massage in its spa.

Though her illness prevents her from travelling to Kenya, people who live there have offered to bring the country to her via Skype.

The list was even mentioned at Prime Minister’s Questions when John Woodcock, the MP for Barrow and Furness, asked for the Government’s help to fulfil her second wish — that everyone should “sign up to be a bone marrow donor”. There are currently only 420,000 donors nationwide.
Miss Pyne has spent much of her illness raising awareness of the need for more bone marrow donors. In 2010 an appeal by her family enlisted more than 2,000 new names on the Anthony Nolan Trust’s donor register, and more than 3,000 people have signed up to her Facebook appeal.

In between treatments she has completed two of Cancer Research’s fundraising Race For Life runs with her mother, Vicky and sister, Milly.
David Cameron offered his sympathy to Alice and her family in the House of Commons yesterday and promised to promote more bone marrow donations.
“I’m very sorry to hear the situation facing Alice and our thoughts go to her and her parents,” he said. “She sounds like a very brave and admirable person.”

He promised that the Government would be spending an extra £4 million this year on recruiting bone marrow donors.
Yesterday, Alice thanked everyone by blogging from her hospital bed.
“Oh dear and I thought that I was just doing a little blog for a few friends! Thank you so much for all your lovely messages to me,” she wrote at alicepyne.blogspot.com.

Alice’s bucket list
• To swim with sharks
• To make everyone sign up to be a bone marrow donor
• To go to Kenya (I can’t travel there now but I wanted to)
• To enter Mabel in a regional labrador show
• To have a photoshoot with Milly, Clarissa, Sammie and Megs
• To have a private cinema party for me and my BFFs
• To design an Emma Bridgewater mug to sell for charity
• To stay in a caravan
• To have a purple Apple iPad, but I’m not really allowed to put that on here and Mum is trying to borrow one
• To be a dolphin trainer (I can’t do this one either now)
• To meet Take That
• To go to Cadbury World and eat loads of chocolate
• To have a nice picture taken with Mabel
• To stay in the chocolate room at Alton Towers
• To have my hair done if they can do anything with it
• To have a back massage
• To go whale watching

Here's hoping before she breathes a final breath, she gets to fulfil them all.
Fingers crossed.

http://alicepyne.blogspot.com/

kfallon

A very brave little girl, pity she will be taken from this world before her time

mathie

Its truely heart-breaking and begs the question 'Why God why?!' that someone would put meeting Take That higher on a list than a back massage.

Biggins

mathie wrote: »

Its truely heart-breaking and begs the question 'Why God why?!' that someone would put meeting Take That higher on a list than a back massage.

After meeting them, one might need to de-stress?

(I don't think the list is in any order of priority really)

GavRedKing

Seems to be dealing with her illness very well and showing maturity beyond her age.

Hope she gets as many done as possible.

prinz

Fair play to her, it's even more touching that most of her wishes seem so basic and down to earth.:(

Sanjuro

Jesus, that's heartbreaking.

Sykk

Makes you think how little your career/job and all the little things matter.. I hope she gets to do all of the things or most of them anyway..

Mint Sauce

Its actully quite inspiring, and makes you think what the rest of us could do if we put our mind to it.

Richarz

Just applied for an organ donor card after reading that.

annascott

This is truly heartbreaking. There is no happy ending here.

Also It makes me realise how little I am doing with my stressed work lead life and how I always use the excuse of 'being too tired' and don't take time to do things I would enjoy. Must make changes.

Mint Sauce

Richarz wrote: »

Just applied for an organ donor card after reading that.

Unfortunatly a Doner card is worthless if your next of kin does not give consent at your death.

My next of kin knows my wishes if anything happens to me.

It really should be an opt out sceme instead.

DrumSteve

Heart warming stuff.



And biggins... That wasn't a long post. Though maybe I just speed read.

Biggins

DrumSteve wrote: »

Heart warming stuff.

And biggins... That wasn't a long post. Though maybe I just speed read.

Fair play to her. Decent mostly achievable ambitions.

(Sadly there is always those that post 'too tired/too long' if a post is over over more than a few lines!)

Son Of A Vidic

I used to work in the Royal Free Hospital Bone Marrow transplant unit in London, so I know the Anthony Nolan Trust well. I did some Marrow retrieval for my unit on occasion. I once had to travel as far as San Francisco to collect Marrow for an Allogeneic transplant in London. A register of donors is so vital in giving people a fighting chance. Good post OP - it brings back all the memories

DrumSteve

Biggins wrote: »

Fair play to her. Decent mostly achievable ambitions.

(Sadly there is always those that post 'too tired/too long' if a post is over over more than a few lines!)

I believe they are called thanks whores.

Unless it's 5000 characters with no paragraphs TL;DR is completely unnneccesary.

Biggins

DrumSteve wrote: »

...Unless it's 5000 characters with no paragraphs TL;DR is completely unnneccesary.

I tend to agree.

grizzly

I'd be putting "swim with sharks" last, not near the top.

irish-stew wrote: »

Unfortunatly a Doner card is worthless if your next of kin does not give consent at your death.

My next of kin knows my wishes if anything happens to me.

It really should be an opt out sceme instead.

Yes, will not have an opt out sceme? If people feel strongly about keep all there bits together after death they can. I wouldn't care what happens once I'm gone – would be nice if someone could benefit from my death.

up for anything

I applied to go on the bone marrow donor list when I lived in London but at the time there was a fee of £60 to deter messers. I couldn't afford it as we were skint then. I haven't even tried here as if my blood isn't good enough for the average joe/joess, I doubt my bone marrow will be either. If it was a touch and go situation for me I'd take whatever I could get and worry about CJD later.

Does anyone know what the story is about blood from people like me who lived in the UK during the mad cow years? Will we ever be able to give blood here? Are we walking time bombs and in real danger of developing CJD or similar in the years to come?

brimal

I don't understand why more people aren't organ donors. If you have health or religious reasons not to do it, that's fair enough, but majority of people are just too selfish to sign up.