Saturday evening

Martijn with Dorothé and Aad at the Belgian coast last October.

Another relatively good day. Martijn slept well and was in okay spirits in the morning. He had his first (soft) food and water in three days. The problem is that – bless his soul – Martijn’s infamous appetite won over caution. He ate a bit more than his weakened system with its massive wounds and colostomy bag could handle. Not to mention the fact that Martijn must lay almost immobilized and flat on his back. When I left him at the end of visiting hours he wasn’t feeling well and hoped that the quivers of indigestion wouldn’t accelerate during the night.

Still, good friends from the Den Haag, Dorothé and Aad, pictured above during a nice weekend holiday a year ago, paid a warm visit to the hospital. They offered to stay the night with me and when I was back from my evening visit to Martijn I found that they had quietly and generously cleaned our house – top to bottom!

While I report each step Martijn takes forward, I am acutely aware of the steps back. His taking in real food today meant the nurses could remove the tube that went from his nose to his stomach. This small triumph was offset by the fact that the team decided to reinsert his oxygen tube which they had removed earlier in the day.

When a person in forced to lie flat on his back his lungs often do not produce sufficient capacity. This situation merely highlights the continued dangers. Martijn is facing the reality that his wounds will take a very long time to heal due to the permanent deterioration caused to his tissue by the previous radiation. There is a slight chance the tissue cannot mend. Then, there is a risk for infection, ironically increased by being in the very hospital setting that now keeps him alive. Lying still on ones back increases the chance for swelling and collecting of fluids in the extremities and blood clotting. The list goes on.

Yet, Martijn’s spirit is still very strong. He mentioned that he had had an emotional morning and I told him I couldn’t imagine otherwise. Again he asked that I tell each of you how he felt surrounded by your love and wishes and that this powerful force will help him through the days, and nights, to come. Peace be with you. Susan