~ Poems of Love ~

The following poems have been written by me, for my husband Hamada, who suffered from Multiple Myeloma [IgG Kappa] a cancer of the plasma cells, which are found in the bone marrow. After many months of chemotherapy, contracting pneumonia twice, once given only twelve hours to live and having three bad fractures to his spine and also showing in his Pelvis, he made it to four years seven months. The Multiple Myeloma attacked his Kidneys first showing at diagnosis in May 2006 leaving Hamada only a small percentage of kidney function. He never complained, using his most amazing smile even when I knew he had severe pain. Hamada underwent a Stem Cell Transplant using his own 'harvested stem cells' . During October 2007 he spent seventeen days in the "Centre For Clinical Haematology" at Nottingham City Hospital UK. where he achieved this transplant. We had a scare at six months after transplant, when told 'the beast was back' but subsequent tests showed a partial remission. Again in early 2009 it was confirmed that Hamada was out of remission He fought again during 2010 with newer chemo type drugs. First with Velcade and then with Revlimid but to no avail. His Kidneys were failing further and Hamada chose not to have dialysis. This blog contains poems and updates, written for Hamada, telling of our life together.
Now a beautiful book has been published, see http://www.susiehemingway.com/books/
showing Hamada's personal fight against Multiple Myeloma in the first fifty 'poems of love' written by me his wife. I hope you like these poems of love and also 'our story' dedicated to Hamada, who passed away peacefully at home on 23 November 2010 after a most courageous fight against Multiple Myeloma.

15 June, 2007

A Stem- Cell Lament. June 2007


We're always there and never late
again the day we sit and wait,
thrice again we must believe
stem cells elusive, are for thee,
the nurses come for blood to take
to send to lab, a longer pray.
The swinging doors the patients bring
but my dearest one, no longer sings.
I look at medi-wash machines
I try to peep at path-lab screens,
results for 'dear heart' just this time,
a higher count would do just fine.
Some patients grim, it's such a shame,
the counts not good it's home again.
It's not a lot dear lord you see,
to send the stem-cells straight to me
I'll keep them safe, right by my heart,
I'll hold them tight, then he won't part.
We need them here just for him
please, dear lord, to help him win.
I look at pictures on the wall
don't ask me what their called - at all,
the time ticks on, but slowly now
my heart in isolation, bows.
It breaks my heart to see his face
I hate to watch this turn of fate.
He's patient looking at the door
which opens now, but brings no more.
We wait and wait as doctors pass
please give the 'green light' so we can start.
We're tired now this fight is long
but we'll not stop, they could be wrong !
Send back those lab results to us
and make them good, a million plus......


3 comments:

Susie Hemingway said...

All good information from www.myeloma.org.uk

Anonymous said...

How true is this a great insight and observtion, excellennt John Turner

Susie Hemingway said...

Thank you John - my best wishes to you

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