2025....

Hello lovely people.

Gosh, it's been a long time, hasn't it?

Apologies for the huge gap in writing this blog but I'm happy to report that we have been living life rather than journaling it!

We've done all sorts of fun stuff like skiing, kitesurfing, kayaking, tennis.. and even the cliched padel!

For Paul's 50th we went to Iceland. For mine we went to New York! We also had a very silly 80s party with friends. That was hilarious. Lots of terrible dancing and highly flammable 80s costumes!

We lost good pals back to Australia - and gained new ones too.

Cameron is now very happily at secondary school. He got an art scholarship there.

He commutes on a direct train with his new friends to Leatherhead every day and has just finished his end of year 7 exams. He has taken up rugby and cricket (zero help from me there.. I'm the embarassing one on the side wondering why they're passing the ball backwards on the pitch)

This month he also got a merit in guitar grade 3 plus he won something called the "If I were an Engineer" awards. We have prizegiving in Canterbury in June. Very proud. He has also shot up in size. I have already stolen his old puffa jackets as he's much taller than me.

Paul's health has been great. He's consulting with a fabulous company called insig-AI and he's playing lots of golf, tennis, skiing, padel and recently - golf! (Cam just started)

We went to Egypt for a one week holiday in April this year and there was a strange blip on his PETscan so our awesome oncologist Mary decided best to wait another 6 weeks then scan again. She wasn't sure if the lit up tiny area on the scan was just inflammation.. but 6 weeks later we have been assured that the cancer has indeed returned.

This is the second recurrence. The first was in 2022 (when a second surgery was performed) so the gap has narrowed a little. Paul had well differentiated meso so Mary wonders if it's becoming a little less differentiated.. and had come up with a brilliant (we hope!) action plan.

We are so grateful to our medical team because we have options that did not even exist in 2017. Paul and I genuinely believe that this is a race against the meso at this stage. Medical research vs meso. If he can stay alive, research will advance and we might find a way of perhaps managing the meso.

Paul will start a 2 year course of ipi-nivo (Opdico/Yervoy) immunotherapy at the Marsden in Surrey where Mary is based.

We should know after 9 weeks whether the treatment is starting to work ..or not. Like all things meso - there are unfortunately no guarantees..meso does what it ultimately wants to do.. but we are putting our faith again in Mary and our incredible medical team. Where the meso is, it's currently inoperable so it would be amazing if we can at least keep the darned cancer at bay for now. The scan is showing the tiniest bit of cancer.. which thankfully hasn't grown.. but it has lit up more, signalling activity.

We went to the Marsden last week and it was amazing to see Mary again - despite the reason. I know it was grim for Paul to be back in hospital - and I've got to say i felt like a wee cry in the waiting room, as so many people waiting there were clearly very ill. We've been getting on with it, barely thinking about meso so it was a bit like being forced back onto a rollercoaster that you never wanted to ride on in the first place..

We told 12 year old Cam after his exams. He was wonderfully sage about it. Still processing, I think..

We have also told his school so he has support there too.

Paul starts with 2 IV drugs week one then one drug on week 3 then repeat with 2 on week 6. This will keep repeating then CT scans every 3 months to monitor progress.

When the cancer was confirmed as back, Paul had a couple of days when he felt a bit "off"/down. It was a real kick in the teeth - especially as he was feeling absolutely tip-top at the time - and just back from a week in Dakhla kitesurfing with mates. I knew this time not to give him a pep-talk and give him some space. Getting him back out with friends (and normality)really helped. We are learning all the time as to how to deal with this disease and one another.

Paul is an incredible force of nature. He is one of the most charismatic and joyful human beings you'll meet.. so when he's down it feels like a vacuum.

However, he is back out there fighting again. Everyone's been so supportive and we have camping, tennis at Eastbourne and Lefkas in the diary to look forward to. Our beloved @AFC_Wimbledon also went up a league yesterday at the playoffs in Wembley. We went with friends and absolutely loved it. We have already renewed our season tix!

Embarking on a new journey. Thanks to all who have prayed, messaged and been so lovely. We are truly blessed.

"Never be ashamed of a scar. It simply means you were stronger than whatever tried to hurt you"

Paul, my beautiful hubby, we are behind you all the way. We've got you, and God's got you. Meso doesn't.

#mesothelioma #erasemeso #paulcook #jillcook #mesowarrior