Charlie Morton

Some of you may have heard that Charlie Morton (wessex) went into Hospital on Friday 6 October to start a long session of chemotherapy as he found out that week that he has Acute Myloid Leukaemia. He will probably be in hospital on and off for nearly three months while he undergoes treatment and recovers from each session of chemotherapy. I know that we all wish him well for a speedy recovery and I personally look forward to competing against him on level terms again.

Latest news is not too good I am afraid. Last Friday when they got some more blood test results back they discovered that the strain of Leukaemia that Charlie has means that after the chemotherapy (which could last two or three months) he still requires a bone marrow transplant. They have since contacted his sister (the most likely match) and they have done some tests to see whether she is a compatible donor.

However over the last 24 hours or so Charlie has been very poorly. It seems as though he went into hospital with an infection which they cannot isolate. Yesterday this resulted in his being very short of breath and the oxygen levels in his blood dropping dangerously low. He was moved to a high dependency ward and, to be blunt, at the time they didn’t think he would make it through the night. However today his oxygen levels have improved and his breathing has also stabilized somewhat. At the moment they are keeping him on the high dependency ward so that they can monitor him closely.

I know that both Charlie and Karen have appreciated the cards and good wishes that they have received from their friends so keep them coming.

If I hear anything more I will let you know.

Meanwhile I am sure our thoughts are with them both.

Ian Sayer went in to see Charlie today with Karen. He is back in the normal Cancer Ward rather than on the High Dependency Ward so that is better. He seems to have got over the worst of the infection which he had last week so now only has the effects of the chemotherapy to contend with. He finished the first session of chemo last Tuesday so is now in the recovery phase, getting his strength back ready for the next session in a couple of weeks. Both he and Karen are hoping that he will be well enough to go home for a couple of days in between sessions but we shall have to wait and see.

They have been told that after the chemo he will need a bone marrow transplant and his sister has had some tests to see if she is a match.

He was in pretty good spirits considering what he has gone through and was asking if I had been to any good orienteering recently so still wants to be kept in the picture.

It is likely that not much will happen for a while now other than his having to undergo more chemo but if anything changes I will let you know.

Thanks for keeping us up to date, Vulture.

I know that the WIM membership send Charlie our good wishes and hope for a speedy return to good health

Went to visit Charlie this afternoon. He is back home for a few days as his platelet count was up. He has lost weight and is obviously a bit pale but generally looking well. Now his moustache has come off he actually looks younger! Karen agrees and will be persuading Charlie to keep it off when he comes home permanently.
Due back into hospital sometime next week for the second lot of treatment. Charlie has said that to stop anything happening like last times infection he would appreciate no visits when he is in hospital and his immune system is down, which I think is very sensible. He has been amazed by the support he and Karen have had in phone calls and cards and it is very much appreciated.
A long way to go yet, but he is in good spirits.

Sorry to have been so long with this update: Charlie has just finished his second session of chemotherapy and is currently recovering from that.

Whilst he knows that he has lots of friends who want to visit he has asked that (while his blood count is low and he is therefore very susceptible to picking up infections) visits are restricted to family only at the moment. He managed to get home for a few days in between chemo sessions and also for the first day or so of the new session. However he is better off in hospital at the moment where he can be kept in an environment with less risk of picking up colds or other infections. He also still needs to put some weight back on as he lost quite a lot in the early stages and has not managed to put it back on yet.

One really good bit of news is that Charlie’s sister has proved a good match for a bone marrow transplant. There are more tests to follow over the next month or so but hopefully this should happen in January or February. Hopefully he will be back at home for a while in between this current chemo session and the next and I will let you know if he is receptive to visitors.

Recieved the following email from Bill Brown which is very encouraging:

I’m taking a leaf out of Ian Sayer’s book as we hadn’t had an update for a little while. As it happens, I had just parked outside B&Q today when who should pull into the next bay but Charlie and Karen, with Charlie driving. As you can imagine, I was pretty surprised because when I last saw Charlie, just before Christmas, he was only just starting to recover from the second round of chemo and while he was very animated, he was not strong.

The story is that it took nearly the record time (for Poole Hospital) for his blood count (Immune system) to start recovering, but by mid-late December he could receive a few visitors. This extended recovery meant that the third round was postponed until after Christmas. So he was discharged and was able to spend Christmas and the New Year, under supervision, at home. This delay was actually was a huge relief to him and Karen as it let them get away from the hospital environment.

He was overjoyed yesterday to be told that there was no reason why he could not drive, so he was making the most of it today. His sense of freedom was palpable. Recognising him these days is not that easy. After the first round he shaved off his mustache. Problems for me, as I am very poor at recognizing faces. Now, not only has the mustache made a comeback but he has the makings of a quite respectable beard as well!

Back home over a cup of coffee he told me that he is, in parallel, working with Southampton Hospital who will do the bone marrow transplant. Timescales are very dependent on the individual patient but making some assumptions about the third round of chemo, Charlie thinks the transplant cannot happen before March/April.

Charlie asked me to pass on his best wishes for the New Year to all the Club members, he confessed that he almost turned out for the Boxing Day Canter before more sane counsels prevailed!

You can probably tell that Charlie is not conceding an inch, he hugely positive and determined.

Bill.