other side. Pete thought it would have been fantastic for trolley races, though.
* * *
Wednesday 28 October 2009
Just when Peta had pretty much gone crazy through sheer boredom, she had a lovely surprise. Her school vice principal, Jason Scott, brought her school friends to visit. Claire, Jane, Michael and Eli were a lovely diversion for her, and they came bearing lots of good wishes from classmates and teachers. It was the best thing for Peta. Jason delighted in telling us how proud he had been when some of Peta’s classmates had volunteered to donate blood after learning of Peta’s frequent transfusions. It was good for Peta’s friends to see what the hospital experience was like for her. For the first time, they were able to see what she endured as an inpatient.
One of the things Peta had been occupied with since her diagnosis was her Beaded Journey, a string provided by the Koala Foundation that is given to all of the kids after their diagnosis. Each string had the person’s name in blocks and a bead that signified the initial diagnosis, as well as beads for blood tests, lumbar punctures, chemo, bone marrow aspirates, special occasions, clinic visits — pretty much everything to do with the patient’s individual journey. Peta’s was full of cars, as her journey was one of constant travel, along with masses of blood tests, white chemo beads and red beads for all of her transfusions. It was growing rapidly and it showed her friends exactly how full-on this journey was.
After ten days on the ward, Peta was feeling much better. We were given a pass to go downstairs, where we had an hour in the hospital garden. This was heaven. We sat in the sun with our backs resting against the brick wall. Peta put her head on my shoulder and just let the sun do its best. The roses were out and it wasn’t too hot. For Peta, it was a special moment of freedom: no IV as a companion meant it was a chance to get around unaided and go unnoticed. One quiet hour of freedom. While in the garden we chatted to a fellow resident of Ronald Mac House with whom I had met. Her sixteen-year-old son had been revived after suffering a heart attack. Peta felt for this young man and wished them well. She had no concept of the seriousness of the event that she had just suffered herself.
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