85. More words....

This really brightened my day:

I haven’t been doing any creative writing, apart from the one photo challenge in December (?) but Didcot Writers’ monthly challenge was All About Me. Irresistible. The brief was to try and convey aspects of your character, hopefully based on fact and reality but with lots of leeway. It was simple: I’d write about what’s going on, what I’ve learnt in the last months...but in 500 words?? I asked myself what was most important to me and whittled it down to the fact that it’s ok to laugh about cancer and chemo (when it’s appropriate, of course) and we shouldn’t be so afraid of the subject because the result is we try to pretend it’s not there. It is - for far too many people and, for some of them, it’s too late. (Yes, I’ve just watched The All New Monty - Who Bares Wins, and yes, I welled up with tears when the twins spoke of their experience).

The stories get posted every few days over the month, probably starting with the bottom one, so it will be a few weeks before it’s ‘published’ online, with the Reader’s reasons for his/her selection. I just hope it doesn’t mention ‘brave’ or ‘courage.’ I wrote it to give a different perspective and to amuse, drawing on bits from my blog. I’ll post the link when it’s online.

Meantime, words with a different impact. I got a reply from Lloyds Pharmacy summarising their investigation into the faulty thermometer. Basically, nothing. After all, no one contacted me for details so how could they investigate? However, the words that really got to me were:

“As a gesture of goodwill for the concern caused please find enclosed a Lloyds Pharmacy gift voucher to the value of £10.” 

I was seething. A gesture of goodwill? When, had I adhered to their thermometer’s readings, I would have been at death’s door? A simple ‘we’re sorry you experienced...’ would have been fine and I made it clear from the start I wanted only a refund plus the P&P. I find the whole thing repugnant but, while part of me wants to write back and say stuff your goodwill, another part thinks just let it go. They can’t apologise because that would suggest culpability and I might sue them. As if...

Fact: the thermometer was faulty, giving readings persistently and consistently around 34-35C. They were 2 degrees lower than reality. In fact, many of the readings could have indicated hypothermia! So when I was holding out at home with a reading of 37C and waiting for it to rise to 38, I already was well above the magic number 38 which means ‘get to hospital within the hour or else.’ No wonder I got ticked off - they thought I’d delayed on purpose and what could have been a simple case of an antibiotic drip and then home ended up as a case of neutropoenic sepsis and 4 days in isolation with a lower than 50% chance of recovery. 

Gesture of goodwill! No thank you.