skip to main | skip to sidebar

We Love You Freddie

Many of you will have followed my original weblog which was created after Freddie was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia in July 2006, aged three months old. That 'blog site seems to have gone now (after the company hosting it did some "maintenance") so I have recreated my daily ramblings from the archives. I have occasionally added some more postings with more recent news though.

Frederick James Wills

Born 19 March 2006 Died 2 May 2007

Wednesday 31 December 2008

Over the Christmas break we visited Fred as we normally do, and I thought I'd post a photograph of his little headstone, taken on Boxing Day.

Thinking of you Freddie, on New Years Eve........ Daddy x

Posted by Tim at 18:38

No comments:

Newer Post Older Post Home

Subscribe to: Post Comments (Atom)

This 'blog is for Freddie. His little sister also has one, and this is at:

http://heidiwills.blogspot.com

Freddie at home

Freddie at home

This is one of our favourite photographs. This went on to become his "media" photograph appearing unexpectedly in some national newspapers.

Statistics

My fundraising bit

You will see that on the 9 December 2007 I went back to Bristol with Charlotte, Emily and Hannah to do our sponsored abseil of Bristol Royal Hospital for Children to raise some more money for CLIC Sargent.

So far friends, family and colleagues have helped raise £9500.00 for CLIC Sargent, Bristol Royal Childrens Hospital, as well as The Grand Appeal.

How to use my 'blog

The Archive below shows the first entries as "July" and the very first entry I made is at the bottom of the page. Each month follows after that.

The latest posting will be what you see as soon as you log on to the site.

It is a bit confusing at first but I have had difficulty in re-ordering the posts from my old site.

Blog Archive (starting July 2006)

July (2)
August (3)
September (3)
October (4)
November (4)
December (3)
January (3)
February (3)
March (3)
April (3)
May (1)
July (1)
November (2)
December (2)
January (1)
February (1)
March (3)
April (5)
May (3)
December (1)
March (1)
January (1)
July (1)
October (1)

These are links to other sites for further information

Rachels woodcarving site
My old blog - text version only
Yvette Gates page
Bristol Royal Children's Hospital
Donate your bone marrow
CLIC Sargent
My fundraising page for CLIC Sargent
Glossary of terms I have used

Freddie, a few hours old

Freddie, a few hours old

Taken at Torbay Hospital on the 19 March 2006 some eight hours after he arrived. He weighed 8lb 2 1/2 oz, coming into the world at midnight 04

Stuck in hospital

Stuck in hospital

This was four days after being born and Fred had jaundice. His UV box is on the right

Fred in his UV box

Fred in his UV box

UV helps jaundice, hence spending long periods in the incubator. He was only in there for a couple of days but we were keen to get home, out of the hospital

Fred a few days old

Fred a few days old

All nappy and tags

Fred fast asleep

Fred fast asleep

Stretched in his moses basket

Stretched in his moses basket

His legs fattened out and generally he became a well rounded individual

Better out than in

Better out than in

I found Fred hard to burp, and so this caused him some discomfort. Rachel got the hang of it, managing to dislodge all sorts

My dad and Fred

My dad and Fred

This was the first visit to my mum and dads

My mum and Fred

My mum and Fred

First visit to my mum and dads saw Fred being passed around. Once settled he was fast asleep again

My brother annd Fred

My brother annd Fred

Fred by now is giddy with movement. He seems happy though

Fred and Claire

Fred and Claire

It looks like he has just finished his bottle, and a burp is en route

Freds pie

Freds pie

I made Fred a steak pie for heading home, although he only seemed to like milk

Big Hat, Little Fella

Big Hat, Little Fella

Asleep on our bed probably waiting to be loaded in to the car

Fred falls asleep at a friends christening

Fred falls asleep at a friends christening

18 June 2006 saw us at Daisy's christening in Somerset

Fred in Intensive Care (PICU)

Fred in Intensive Care (PICU)

This was taken three weeks after Daisy's christening. After being diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia, Fred was taken to Bristol Childrens Hosital by ambulance. Fred deteriorated significantly during the journey from Torbay to Bristol and was unconcious for most of the time in PICU, as seen here

Fred and I eyeball each other

Fred and I eyeball each other

Fred and his rattle

Fred and his rattle

One of the gifts sent to Fred by total strangers in the post after reading about him in the Daily's Mail and Express. I am sure he would have been an artist of some kind

Fred's birthday cards

Fred's birthday cards

Spent in Cubicle 2 of W34

Cash Cow - the beginning

Cash Cow - the beginning

I stated to make a papier mache money box whilst in BMT just to while away the hours in captivity. It took several weeks to complete

Cash Cow - partially complete

Cash Cow - partially complete

Various pieces of medical equipment is making this thing take shape

Cash Cow complete

Cash Cow complete

Pictured complete in our back garden once we had returned home without Freddie

Me in W34, Cubicle 5

Me in W34, Cubicle 5

I was feeding Fred here, via his NG tube

Fred receiving his bone marrow transpalnt

Fred receiving his bone marrow transpalnt

This was Day Zero

85mls of bone marrow

85mls of bone marrow

Donor unknown to us of course

Blood transfusion

Blood transfusion

Fred received over 100 units of blood during his stay in Bristol

Freds platelets

Freds platelets

Fred needed regular top-ups of blood products and his blood would be checked once or twice a day. The blood was stored at Bristol so came quickly whenever it was needed

Breakfast at BMT

Breakfast at BMT

Being in the Isolation Ward meant room service for us

Fred takes it all in his stride

Fred takes it all in his stride

Fred used to have a significant amount of drugs administered during the 24 hours, and here is asleep with some background oxygen follwoing a few problems after returning from theatre

Grandad Wills

Grandad Wills

The Scholar

The Scholar

Freds doughnut offers support

Bath time

Bath time

The Hickman line always used to get in the way and had to to be kept as dry as possible

Freds Mr Sunshine

Freds Mr Sunshine

Fred and mummy

Fred and mummy

Eyelashes come back again

Eyelashes come back again

Chemotherapy causes hair to drop out, and eyelashes and eyebrows are no exception. It was always good to see them returning after a block of treatment.

Lounge Lizard

Lounge Lizard

Granny June

Granny June

Taken at RD and E, Exeter

Granny Wills

Granny Wills

My mum with Fred

Grandad Colin

Grandad Colin

Grandad Wills

Grandad Wills

Taken on a rare trip back home

Christmas suit

Christmas suit

We spent Christmas Day in Cubicle 5 of W34, with Fred dressed up in his fluffy suit. We all later went down with Norovirus.

Tigger and Fred

Tigger and Fred

Bumbo and Fred

Bumbo and Fred

He was never comfortable in this darn thing

Rachel and Fred

Rachel and Fred

Fred and a flower

Fred and a flower

One of the last photos taken of Fred

Fred's big red hat

Fred's big red hat

Chewy books

Chewy books

Fred and Mr Duck

Fred and Mr Duck

Not at Alton Towers

Not at Alton Towers

Fred getting ready to head off somewhere

The Godfather

The Godfather

My brother Duncan stroking Fred's downy bonce

The Godmother

The Godmother

Frances holding Fred on his Christening Day in Bristol

Burnham on Sea

Burnham on Sea

My old home town on a nice day, opposite the Wetherspoons pub

Fart Bombs

Fart Bombs

Fred at mum and dads inspecting a pack of stink bombs

Fred and friends

Fred and friends

Freddies Christening Day

Freddies Christening Day

Just before we left Bristol to come back to a hospital nearer home we had Freddie christened. My brother Duncan was his godfather with our friend Frances his godmother. Both were present along with the Hospital Chaplain, Julia the music therapist and Rachel who was one of Fred's favourite nurses.

Bristol Zoo

Bristol Zoo

We went to the zoo and he was transfixed by the seals and whale calls

Just after the bath

Just after the bath

Rach and Fred get cuddlin

Moo suit

Moo suit

Early days

Early days

Fred when he was a few weeks old, at home

Big Bed

Big Bed

Fred checks out my bed in CLIC House

Paper proves a challenge

Paper proves a challenge

Opening a present kept him quiet for a while

Josh from Casualty

Josh from Casualty

Fred met Ian Bleasdale whilst in Bristols Broadmead

Blowing bubbles at Fred

Blowing bubbles at Fred

He tried to catch them but they burst

Home on leave

Home on leave

One of the two short trips home as a family

Ready to roll!

Ready to roll!

His fleece blanket was good in winter

I'm bored

I'm bored

Fred looks out whilst in BMT

Fred's Dennis the Menace outfit

Fred's Dennis the Menace outfit

Knitted by June