Please support us by going to https://www.youcaring.com/helpingtoby2recoverHi All - I wanted to give you all an update on Toby. You may be aware that he has been battling a severe infection inside his skull. At the weekend he was rushed in to Charring Cross with a temperature spike of 39.5. After various tests including a CT scan today it was discovered that he has a pocket of trapped air inside his skull which has most likely been hampering the progress of the super strength antibiotics he has been getting. He is about to undergo another emergency operation tonight which will be his third in just under 8 weeks. This will be tough on him as he is already very weak , but as he acknowledges he has no choice as to not have the procedure could result in the infection over whelming him. I've attached this to my fathers earlier post today because I have to be honest that when I first saw it I was a little shocked. My first reaction was that we shouldn't be presenting Toby to the world through the internet and through social media as it felt a little undignified and Toby being a very proud man may have objected to it. However on reflection and after my eldest daughter Jazzmin reminded us, we all know some one who has or had cancer in some degree (our particular family have suffered more than most), and that to heighten awareness of cancer and to ask for help should not be something we should be ashamed of. I ask you all to say a prayer for Toby even if like myself you would declare yourself a non believer as that would mean an awful lot to him. thank you for all your support and get well wishes--------------------------------------------
Tuesday, 29 November 2016
Another update and further info on Toby's condition
This is the latest news written on FaceBook by my eldest son Ben
Just heard they are going to operate tonight
This is going to be a short post as it won't take long to tell you about the latest news. Kam phoned me to tell me that the surgeons at Charing Cross hospital are operating on Toby again. She was of course very distraught but I will be with her tomorrow to help.
Sadly it seems that there are so many complications to his recovery. I will light a candle tonight and hope he will be alright.It's difficult to say anymore right now because I can't
Sadly it seems that there are so many complications to his recovery. I will light a candle tonight and hope he will be alright.It's difficult to say anymore right now because I can't
Toby has a temperature and he has been moved back to Charing Cross Hospital
29th November 2016
Yet again Toby has been moved back to Charing Cross Hospital because he has leaking fluid from his head and it is infected,
I feel so heartbroken for him because he is in a cycle of 1 step forward and then 1 back again. We are all getting hopeful and then those feelings are dashed again. I fear that his body is weakened by the operations and the drugs he is on. I will be going to London to stay with Kam and I will be much closer to the hospital (by about 130 miles). I worry about leaving my wife Gwyneth back in Wells on her own because she is dealing with a lot of stuff as well as trying to make a living. I always help her with her websites, video and anything which is needed. This is why I have created the fund raiser because we really need the loving support from others as well as a fund to help Toby recover and have a better future. You can access the fundraiser from here Please help - however small your contribution it will be so appreciated.
One of the very sad things is before the first operation I can remember his very positive outlook and how he would be fine. Now his faith is gone and his mood low. Unable to do the things we all take for granted is very frustrating for him. He has fallen several times whilst trying to visit the toilet on his own and ended up with bruising himself.
Yet again Toby has been moved back to Charing Cross Hospital because he has leaking fluid from his head and it is infected,
I feel so heartbroken for him because he is in a cycle of 1 step forward and then 1 back again. We are all getting hopeful and then those feelings are dashed again. I fear that his body is weakened by the operations and the drugs he is on. I will be going to London to stay with Kam and I will be much closer to the hospital (by about 130 miles). I worry about leaving my wife Gwyneth back in Wells on her own because she is dealing with a lot of stuff as well as trying to make a living. I always help her with her websites, video and anything which is needed. This is why I have created the fund raiser because we really need the loving support from others as well as a fund to help Toby recover and have a better future. You can access the fundraiser from here Please help - however small your contribution it will be so appreciated.
One of the very sad things is before the first operation I can remember his very positive outlook and how he would be fine. Now his faith is gone and his mood low. Unable to do the things we all take for granted is very frustrating for him. He has fallen several times whilst trying to visit the toilet on his own and ended up with bruising himself.
Monday, 28 November 2016
The background to my son's illness
My name is Gregory Cox and I have started this blog to tell the story of my son's illness brought on by a brain tumour that first appeared 5 years ago and cruelly has returned again.
Five years ago he had a seizure and in a brain tumour was detected. It was a type 4 tumour which is the most serious. He was admitted to Charing Cross Hospital. I remember the fear I felt when his bed fellows in the ward were dying all around him. I saw what looked like healthy people one day gone the next. But then a miracle happened and he recovered enough to go home. For the last few years he has had a restricted but reasonably good life
Another Seizure
Then in September of this year 2016 I received a call from my eldest son Ben who told me he had had a seizure whilst he was on holiday in South Devon could I help out because I was the closest to him being just over an hours drive away.
I dropped everything and a couple of hours later my wife Gwyneth and I were on our way to Exeter Hospital. We had to retrieve Tobys car from a car park on the coast then tidy and collect all the belongings from the holiday apartment that Toby, Kam (his wife) and Jamie (my grandson) were staying which was about 15 miles away. We, Jamie and I returned to the hospital in the morning. The doctors did some tests and a scan of his head and then released him after a long wait.
The Hell Ride To London
Then we had a 3 hour drive back to London which was awful. Toby was being constantly sick all the way back. It was one of the worst journeys I have ever had to do, but a harder time was yet to come. When we got to London we contacted the ambulance service to take Kam and I to Charing Cross hospital. They obliged . We thought they would see to us quickly because of it, but we were in a queue and had to be with him all night until finally he was admitted. He complained about a loss of feeling on his left side and a terrible headache. Kam and I went home.
Then we got the news his tumour had returned.They needed to operate. This was not what we wanted to hear. Toby himself told me he would be ok because his faith would see him through but we all knew we were going to be tested. Everything we went through 5 years earlier was happening again, coming back to haunt us once more. But unfortunately this time his recovery has had setbacks and it has broken my heart to see my Toby fight so hard again to beat this horrible condition.
Since the operation in September he has had a very slow recovery with the first setback being an infection taking place. They operated to clean and remove it.
What I forgot to mention is he had been moved to another facility to help him with the physio necessary to get him to use his left leg and arm again.
Loss of Faith
He has been in a very low mood since the start of his treatment and has 'lost his faith'.
Cruelly after a return to the physio facility and a more positive outlook, yet again the infection has returned. We all feel devastated that he has to go through this again. It is heartbreaking that this has happened and as I write this he is returning today 28th Nov 2016 to Charing Cross.
My Appeal To You
I appeal to you to help out our family. We are vulnerable, I am 66 years old and have high blood pressure and my anxiety does not help.The stress is so great.
Toby could not work after his first operation five years ago and so times have been tough for Kam and my grand-kids since then. Now we have Christmas upon us and we are not looking forward to it.
I have to believe Toby will survive this and we can make his life better by having the funds to help.
Thank you for taking the time to read this sad story. I live with hope in my heart and I will update you all on the state of thing in the future.
My sincere thoughts
Love
Greg Cox
 |
| I am Greg Cox - Toby's dad |
 |
| This was taken in early September before just weeks before the seizure |
Five years ago he had a seizure and in a brain tumour was detected. It was a type 4 tumour which is the most serious. He was admitted to Charing Cross Hospital. I remember the fear I felt when his bed fellows in the ward were dying all around him. I saw what looked like healthy people one day gone the next. But then a miracle happened and he recovered enough to go home. For the last few years he has had a restricted but reasonably good life
Another Seizure
Then in September of this year 2016 I received a call from my eldest son Ben who told me he had had a seizure whilst he was on holiday in South Devon could I help out because I was the closest to him being just over an hours drive away.
I dropped everything and a couple of hours later my wife Gwyneth and I were on our way to Exeter Hospital. We had to retrieve Tobys car from a car park on the coast then tidy and collect all the belongings from the holiday apartment that Toby, Kam (his wife) and Jamie (my grandson) were staying which was about 15 miles away. We, Jamie and I returned to the hospital in the morning. The doctors did some tests and a scan of his head and then released him after a long wait.
The Hell Ride To London
Then we had a 3 hour drive back to London which was awful. Toby was being constantly sick all the way back. It was one of the worst journeys I have ever had to do, but a harder time was yet to come. When we got to London we contacted the ambulance service to take Kam and I to Charing Cross hospital. They obliged . We thought they would see to us quickly because of it, but we were in a queue and had to be with him all night until finally he was admitted. He complained about a loss of feeling on his left side and a terrible headache. Kam and I went home.
Then we got the news his tumour had returned.They needed to operate. This was not what we wanted to hear. Toby himself told me he would be ok because his faith would see him through but we all knew we were going to be tested. Everything we went through 5 years earlier was happening again, coming back to haunt us once more. But unfortunately this time his recovery has had setbacks and it has broken my heart to see my Toby fight so hard again to beat this horrible condition.
Since the operation in September he has had a very slow recovery with the first setback being an infection taking place. They operated to clean and remove it.
What I forgot to mention is he had been moved to another facility to help him with the physio necessary to get him to use his left leg and arm again.
Loss of Faith
He has been in a very low mood since the start of his treatment and has 'lost his faith'.
Cruelly after a return to the physio facility and a more positive outlook, yet again the infection has returned. We all feel devastated that he has to go through this again. It is heartbreaking that this has happened and as I write this he is returning today 28th Nov 2016 to Charing Cross.
My Appeal To You
I appeal to you to help out our family. We are vulnerable, I am 66 years old and have high blood pressure and my anxiety does not help.The stress is so great.
Toby could not work after his first operation five years ago and so times have been tough for Kam and my grand-kids since then. Now we have Christmas upon us and we are not looking forward to it.
I have to believe Toby will survive this and we can make his life better by having the funds to help.
Thank you for taking the time to read this sad story. I live with hope in my heart and I will update you all on the state of thing in the future.
My sincere thoughts
Love
Greg Cox
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)