Today is Black Wednesday

Well today is the day, when we make a leap into the unknown. It is a day I never wanted to happen, but that dreaded letter is making its way to Donald Tusk in Brussels, triggering Article 50 and our departure from the EU.

Let this be clear: the right wing bigots in the Conservative Party are in control here. There is no coming together. I for one remain adamantly opposed to what this Government is about to do to this great country. I am not unpatriotic. I am not against the will of the people. I am democratically expressing my extreme displeasure at the direction Theresa May is taking us. This is a great country. There is no plan. My only hope is that this will conclude with us remaining in the Single Market and enjoying the freedoms that come with that.

This morning on Radio4 somebody said "it's about taking back control of our borders". I will never stop believing that this movement to Brexit has been about for the vastly main part about xenophobia. Nothing more nothing less. That we would walk away from the Single Market to feed this bigoted view is madness. Immigration is good. It feeds our cultures, it brings down barriers, it feeds into the economy, it funds our pensions. If schools and hospitals are full then this is about Government policy and lack in investment, not about immigrants.

This is Black Wednesday. I've cried already this morning. My resolve will never falter in opposing this lunacy.

 

Anywheres and Somewheres

I'm working from home today as I await my passport delivery. Quite the irony given that once I am on the transplant list I shouldn't really travel away from home too far. Still it doesn't feel right not to have the means the travel. I've been listening to Andrew Marr on Radio 4 this morning, with a discussion on Anywheres and Somewheres. I am most definitely an Anywhere, probably to the extreme, in that I am an ultra liberal who believes that immigration is a good thing for culture, economy and social progression.


Still, I stand increasingly isolated in the Theresa May view of the world; she who despises citizens of nowhere. I've lived in London for about twenty years now. I thrive on the multiculturalism here. It's what makes the city work. Believe it or not there is a small community here, be it friends from my building, friendly faces from Guys Hospital or others in local politics. The latter I am increasingly interested in becoming more involved in. I want to make a difference in my local community. Is it possible to be both an Anywhere and a Somewhere?

Not a good kidney week

This week was not a good kidney week. After seeing my consultant and the surgeon, we calculated a rate of 24 months before I might require dialysis. I think the NHS are manipulating me into finding a living donor, as by me going on the transplant list I will also need to wait a minimum of 24 months to find a deceased donor. Go do the sums. I understand why they are doing this, why they didn't put me on the transplant list last year where I would in most probability have avoided dialysis. It just isn't fair. Well life is not fair. Suck it up.


Then later in the week I received a call from Guys to tell me that my eGFR had declined from 15 to 13. This is important as it puts me much nearer to the 10 mark, when I might need to go on dialysis. In theory it could  get to 8 but I am not taking any chances. So now I have to come in for an additional appointment to go through the motions for that.


So now I am really looking at living donors. It's what the NHS wants and it is what I want. It just freaks me out to have to discuss this with friends and family.  If I find one, this nightmare could all be over in a month or so.


Yesterday I started feeling quite dizzy and came home early from work. I think it might be the increased medication to try to reduce my blood pressure. That really rounded off the week for me.