Hi everyone - it has been one of those years!!

If you aren't interested in good thoughts thread please don't bother reading any further..........

for the rest of you........... I would really appreciate your support

as you know Ryan, Shannon & I lost Mark to pancreatic cancer back in March.

Dad and Rosemary (my sister) came to Sydney to visit us in July and we had a lovely time together . Dad had hurt his back lifting a heavy pot before he came over, and it wasn't getting any better. He also had a hoarse throat following a dose of the flu. When he got back to Ireland an ENT specialist checked out the throat and sent him for a scan..............

the long and the short is - he has inoperable lung cancer, with secondaries in the spine and bones (hence the persistant sore back.)

they have tried radiotherapy which made him so weak that he is now in hospital.

I have flown back from Oz to help look after him. But Ryan & Shannon are in the middle of really big school exams and had to stay in Sydney (they will come over after their exams towards the end of November). We had been intending to come back for a nice family Christmas anyway - this has just brought the trip forward a bit.

They have been very brave but I know it is going to be very tough for them to watch their grandfather getting sicker, seeing as it is only a short while ago since they watched their dad pass away. It is extremely tough leaving them on the other side of the world............ it just seems so wrong to have to go through this again so soon at their age.

anyway - please do what you do so well, candles, prayers, good thoughts etc all gratefully received.

thanks

slainte

alison