Dear all,
I have some very sad news to share with you.
You may recall a few weeks ago I said that Anthony is unwell and in hospital. I can now tell you that following a fall in early October, he was taken into hospital; following tests and more tests, he was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukaemia and Myelofibrosis, very rare cancers. The diagnosis means that his bone marrow has been producing only ‘immature’ stem cells. These immature stem cells make very weak red and white blood cells and platelets (and there are knock on effects on his other organs).
So since the beginning of a October, his immune system has been useless; despite being in an isolation ward, he’s been plagued with infections and viruses. Including bronchitis, pneumonia and blood infections. There was a comment made that everyday they found a new infection.
He’s had blood transfusions and countless numbers of antibiotics.He had one course of chemotherapy but it didn’t work. Gradually he became more and more tired.
Brain fog descended and wasn’t lifting. Strange really that when Ant began the BF thread, he didn’t really understand exactly how bad the fog can get. It’s sod’s law really that he found out the hard way.
We’d been emailing pretty much as usual (we’ve been emailing most days for the last 4 years) from the middle of October - once he’d got the wifi working in the hospital - until the 20th November at which point I think he was just too tired. In general we were being partly sensible about his illness, life (and death) in general and partly rude, semi-aggressive, scatological and just silly (all of which the BF regulars would expect). One of my last emails to him included the comments you had all sent me in PMs, email and on the forum.
After 20th November we were talking on the phone every few days. To begin with he was OK, normalish, just a bit slower than usual. Gradually he became less capable of conversation. He’d find thoughts would cross his mind, he’d start a sentence, then forget what he was talking about. Eventually he was hardly capable of speaking. I did tell him that I loved him and had loved the last few years of our friendship. He was aware of what I’d said, replied ‘thank you darling’.
The last time we spoke was on the 5th of December. He could barely stay awake and was having extreme trouble speaking. Last Wednesday, 9th December, he was moved to a hospice. I spoke to one of the hospital nurses, they had of course been aware that Anthony and I were friends so she made it clear that he wasn’t expected to live for too much longer.
I believe we can comprehend from this that soon, Anthony will have died. His wife will be lost without him as will many of his friends.
I know I will miss him and my life will be the poorer without Anthony in it.
I know he loved the Forum, all of you and of course, the Brain Fog thread.
Love to you, both Foggies, and those who are less Foggy of brain.
Sue xx