"The one with Dose Two.."

Hey guess what? I woke up this morning greeted into a white day! Apparently due to the little rain that basked Sheffield last night, we were treated to a light dose of snow. Not that significant to play snow angels or snow fights, but nevertheless constitutes as my reintroduction to frosty ice. Since I last tasted snow at the age of three, this is something that I've been looking for in ages.
Shame there wasn't anything I could do with it though. Too little to play with, but I'm satisfied that I was able to experience the little bit of snow on UK soil.

Today marked the 2nd dose of Afzal's chemo treatment. Alhamdulillah, everything went well and we're safely home after another 9 hours in the ward; for the admission of yet another round of his ABVD drug regime. We were off a bit late in the morning, only leaving by 9.25am to the Royal Hallamshire Hospital. As we walked uphill there, we were lucky enough to get a taste of the rare sun on winter's day.

Nothing much of a difference from the 1st round of his dose, but administration was a bit delayed this time. Afzal only received his drugs at approximately 3.45pm, and as usual we were the last to be admitted out of the ward. Same regimental procedures - general health check, blood extractions, etc. Once again I was amazed as to how professional, and highly dedicated the British medical service is. Heaps and bounds away from our national medical service.

Unlike his 1st dose, this time around our waiting was filled with Afzal reading up on his exams and me attempting Half Blood Prince. I got through 25 pages, which is a whole lot of improvement beyond my reading standards. I made it a point to cook up lunch for Afzal this time, and he looked as if he enjoyed my Nasi Goreng Telur. I certainly hope that he'll maintain his appetite to avoid getting sick, but I definitely wouldn't want my cooking to be a reason for him to as well.

So, being the bookworm nerd that he is, Afzal found no difficulty being geeky even at such an uncomfortable place to be.

We were also approached by the hospital's social worker, offering support and advice on everything related to social, economic and motivation. Previously I've heard that the UK government is high on social welfare, but to experience this first-hand is really an eye opener. The government are really serving the people. They made promises and have kept their word. If they can do it, why can't we.

Everything's going well so far, as expected. Abang Azhar's cooking tonight, so we're looking forward to a delightful dinner later on. Berkat doa dari semua, semoga semuanya mampu dihadapi Afzal dengan tenang, bertenaga dan barakah. Amin.

-JeP