We have planned a week’s holiday, intended to be both a celebration of our life together, and of Janet’s survival having been diagnosed with widespread disseminated lung cancer 14 months ago. Her survival thus far is the result of two amazing medicines, “targeted therapy”, specific compounds which block cancer growth but only when certain genetic mutations are present in the tumour. I have documented earlier the successive realisations of these mutations, but repeat our deep gratitude to God that these drugs exist, and were available to Janet.

The holiday is a cruise, around the North of Scotland, leaving Newcastle, calling at Kirkwall in Orkney, Stornaway in Lewis, Mull, and Lerwick in Shetland, and back to Newcastle. Only in the last week have we believed that we would make it, as Janet has been very poorly, and was in hospital for three weeks, losing weight after radiotherapy, and with unrelieved nausea. We think the nausea is now controlled (by oral metaclopramide) and is probably due to the targeted therapy, Osimertinib.

So we are beginning to develop the excitement of anticipation. The journey to Newcastle port has been made vastly easier by our lovely daughters, Emma and Rachel, who are each driving us there or back, taking about 2 hours.

It will be our last holiday, I imagine, but it will surely be memorable.