And then there were 3

Ellen has become a big sister again. Arthur Michael Walker was born on the 15th October. He is settling in well and Ellen and George are both very excited by his arrival.

Ellen continues to do well. She is in school full time and really enjoying it. She still has a few health issues - she is having to have all her baby vaccinations again - but, we are down to three monthly reviews at the hospital, a very welcome break from blood tests etc.

A year on

It is a year since the end of Ellen's bone marrow transplant. It is hard to believe just how well she has done. We have not been in hospital overnight for a year! Ellen is full time at school and really loves it. She has made friends, been to parties and play dates and has learnt to write and read (sort of). As the summer term ends we are looking forward to the holidays and even more fun.  

Thank-you to all those who have followed 'Ellen's progress'. We plan to update the blog on annual basis, so please assume no news is good news...

Disneyland and beyond....

Ellen is doing really well. She has just started back for her second term at school after an enjoyable family break in Dorset for Easter. A few weeks prior to this, she finally made it to Disneyland Paris after many months of anticipation. As you can see from the photos, it was a magical trip for all of us but also an emotional one. We have no idea what the future holds for Ellen and have previously been in the position where we "signed off" on the blog only to have to restart it again. However, her improvement over the past months has been remarkable and we remain cautiously optimistic that this will continue to be the case. Many thanks to everyone who has followed Ellen's progress and supported us all through such a difficult time.

As a final plea for support, and following the 'Running for Ellen' success in fundraising two years ago, two of our friends are again running the London Marathon for SPARKS. Please support this amazing charity and wish Tom and DJ the best of luck:

http://www.justgiving.com/Deej2012

http://www.justgiving.com/Tom-Sumpster

Ellen is 5

Ellen is now 5. She had a fantastic time celebrating with a 'Pirates and Princesses' party. Unfortunately, she had a viral infection for a week following the party but is now back to 'normal' and enjoying school again.

A year ago today

It is a year since Ellen was diagnosed with AML. What a year of ups and downs. Today Ellen ran all the way to school with her lunch box ready to have her first school lunch. She is settling in to school and really is enjoying it. It is remarkable to think how far she has come with all that she has had to cope with over the years. The first photo uploaded is a recent picture of Ellen. The second is a shocking picture of her when she was poorly, the third is of Ellen and George days before her bone marrow transplant and the fourth is the bag of George's bone marrow that has to date saved Ellen's life. These picture paints a thousand words!

Christmas, New Year and School

Ellen had a fantastic christmas. Like may others she was very upset when the Christmas tree was put away and the prospect of more presents was dashed.

This week has been a very big week as Ellen started school. She is only going part time initially but we hope that with time she will be able to cope with full days. She is very much enjoying being able to mix with other children and make new friends.