About ten days later Max was almost unbelievably well. We went for a walk and he walked about half a mile before I had to carry him back. The pain had gone and his main problem was extreme tiredness.
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It was very important for Max to have a peer, a special friend with whom he could identify. He found that special friendship with a child who was admitted with an unknown brain tumour. They became very close and helped pull each other up each time they were down, and generally showed a lot of care and concern for each other. This friendship also helped turn them back into children again. Their mutual friendship helped us get them out of their beds and running around like little boys, wild, cheeky, mischievous and full of spirit. It was this indefinable spirit which helped them fight whatever lay around the corner. It is a bit like the Chinese concept of Chi. It is the power of your mind and body working in unison which can sometimes achieve the apparently impossible. It was this spirit that we wanted so desperately to nurture.
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I remember spending an hour chasing Max and his best friend around the Unit and they became so charged up that I decided we should go outside to the climbing frame. It was so good to get out into the fresh air and the sun and later the following afternoon we all went for a walk round the hospital grounds. Just being able to get outside was a huge relief for all of us. The boys became such good friends that neither wanted to go home because they would miss the other so much.
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I remember them and an older friend from Max's first treatment running around the unit like maniacs. The older friend was very mischievous and introduced the younger pair to the fun of syringes. They all raided the nurses work area for large empty syringes and filled them with water. For the next two to three hours there was mayhem as they squirted each other, the nurses, and any parents they felt confident enough to pester. I became one of their prime targets but bowed out after I had been soaked and was also unable to keep up with their frenetic pace. They ran round and round the Unit, and eventually had to be stopped because they were causing such chaos while the nurses went about their work. If you had walked into the Unit at the time, and had not seen their balding heads, you would have assumed that this was just wild play by three small boys. Their energy was amazing given their respective illnesses. Yet again this was a case where fun and play showed its vital importance in the healing process. Eventually they collapsed exhausted but had thoroughly enjoyed themselves.
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