so what blood type are you and does that make a difference in a bone marrow match? My little brother had aplastic anemia and was given cortisone shots. The cortisone made him kinda big and beefy. What are they giving you that makes you so sleepy?

Rey, if you can find a Dr. Frankenstein that is willing to travel, you can have all the bits of me that will make you work as long as I still work at the end of it.

my blood is so thick and lumpy i'm not allowd to donate blood or organs, i even have a red and yellow sticker on my medical folder saying something like "do not recycle" damn you D.V.T.

UPdate

http://baldyblog.freshblogs.co.uk/2008/06/time_for_a_quick_catch_up.html#more

There still is life left in Adrian. Even when the going get tougher then it ever was.
If you read his blog, you will find out that he has been awarded a prize not long ago.



Adrian was awarded a Best Cancer Reporter Special Recognition Award

This is the email he received:

"On behalf of the European School of Oncology and the judging panel for the 2008 Best Cancer Reporter Award I am pleased to inform you that you have won a Best Cancer Reporter Special Recognition Award.

"Although you did not win the main award, the judges were extremely impressed with your blog and the efforts you have made to raise awareness about the need for bone and marrow donations and wanted to acknowledge your tremendous work.

"You have clearly shown how powerful it can be when journalists, who are also patients, draw upon their communication skills to convey important messages to the public about issues that can have a huge impact on cancer patients.


"Congratulations on winning this special recognition award – we were very pleased that you were nominated and are delighted to be able to recognise your work."

Best wishes, Kathy Redmond, Co-ordinator, ESO Media Programme


Grazie molto!

And a while ago, Adrian managed to get the politicians at Westminster (London) engaged in his queste.

http://baldyblog.freshblogs.co.uk/

"Commitments have now been made from both our Secretaries of State for Health and Education, Alan Johnson and Ed Balls, that they are going to do everything they can to make this happen."

It may be a slow pace forward, but every step counts.

It's Adrian Sudbury's Birthday on July 15th 2008. Happy Birthday Adrian.

There is a petition, online, for UK people to sign

found here: http://petitions.pm.gov.uk/bone-marrow/

http://baldyblog.freshblogs.co.uk/2008/05/back_our_campaign.html Read more about it at this link.


And, check out this government website, for information http://www.giveandletlive.co.uk/en/

As you know it is all done for the best possible reason. To inform young people about being a blood and bonemarrow donor, from their 18th year on. The information should be available through education in school, and this is what Adrian Sudbury is fighting for.

As you may know, he knows he does not have very long to live anymore, his bonemarrow transplant did not catch on, and he can't get a new one. This he hopes will be his stamp on life for the future.

When you check out Baldy's Blog, be aware that it may be shocking what you read there today.

Adrian has done what he set out to do, make his petition to educate people a success, and he took it to Downingstreet 10 last week.

When he went back to the hospital for his treatment last Friday, Adrian asked why he had to go through with it all, and what was to gain by it.

And based on that information Adrian, his family and his team of helpers are working on a last journey strategy. This last journey in his life may be only one week. Or may be two weeks long.

It is a difficult read, but I hope that you will forgive me that I asked your attention for it anyway. Because I think it is a good thing to know that very sick people are allowed to manage the end of their own life with dignity.

(Dignity (also called augustness) is "the state of being worthy of honor or respect".)

Not sure how I feel about that. I wish I didn't read it, but at the same time, I'm glad I did. It's kind of sick but one thing that made me feel a little better is that he said most people that die from it don't die with much pain. If I do ever die from this thing, I hope that is true.
Be at peace buddy. You've done what you needed to do.
Let go. It's ok. We will miss you, but we will be ok.
Thank you. Rest now.

For ReyRey

Here is a realy cool entry on Adrian's Blog today.

He was asked to be interviewed on Desert Island Disks, and while the programme has not aired yet on the radio, Adrian was allowed to put it up on his blog. It is in 6 parts, that play in Quick Time Player.

http://baldyblog.freshblogs.co.uk/

It is a very upbeat interview, where Adrian explains about his illness, and the treatment, but also about the blog and the reason why he created it.

The music that was played on the radio during the interview are linked in the original blog entry, called Desert Island Sudders

http://baldyblog.freshblogs.co.uk/2008/07/desert-island-sudders.html

They are links that direct to YouTube video's.

The reason why the seperate blog entry for the Radio interview is made, was a technical problem, that did not allow everybody to open all the original links.

I hope the positive note with which Adrian talks about his illness and what comes with it, will help - as Adrian mentions himself - he hopes that Baldy's Blog will last for a long time on the Internet and help people who have questions about cancer.

By the way, one other thing, Adrian has invited all his readers to put their own 6 favorite songs in a comment. To show the diversity of peoples choice.

Adrian himself is a big fan of Radiohead.

Here is a link to Times UK Online where on July 28th 2008 Adrian had an article published


http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/health/article4400917.ece

And a link to the Sudders Campaign video by the Huddersfield Daily Examiner,

here it shows what initiatives can be taken to bring awareness to donorcampaigns.

http://www.examiner.co.uk/videos-pics/videos/2008/07/28/sudders-campaign-clinic-at-galpharm-86081-21418779/

And Adrian's all time greatest band

Arctic Monkeys - Brainstorm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=30w8DyEJ__0

Today Adrian Sudbury's blog gave the anouncement that Adrian has died in his sleep, on 20th August 2008. His mom and dad were with him at the time.



Adrian has become an inspiration for many people all over the world in the past months. So much so, that they have formed Adrian's Army. All people, dedicated to keeping up where Adrian had to leave off - to properly educate young people about the need to register as bonemarrow donor and to become blood donor. This is not just for people in the UK, where Adrian lived and worked as a journalist, but all over the world.

Reading through the comments each time Adrian submitted an entry in his blog http://baldyblog.freshblogs.co.uk/ made it pretty clear that there are many parts in this world where donor registration does not exist, and there are people all over the world, who don't stand a chance on ever receiving bone marrow (blood platelets) because they have a rare blood composition. For them the only help can come from many more registrations in other parts of the world.

What started as a "simple" recording of his life as a cancer patient and the treatment he received to cure him of bonemarrow cancer - ended in a queste for more education.

This is the legacy Adrian has left us with. And it is a sweet job to undertake. Encouraging young people to one day make the choice to get registered as donor, or to become a blooddonor - there is urgent need for donors all over the world.

When I made the choice to become part of Adrian's Army, I too pledged to keep educating people about the need for donors, a job I will gladly take upon me for the rest of my life. I hope I can encourage you, the readers here on PSC, to go and get some information about being blood donor or bonemarrow donor where you live.

Another fighter realised from his earthly bonds, free at last.