Welcome to STANFORD PROJECTS
This web site has been set up to allow for me to place into the public domain details of my current projects, and to encourage people to view and comment upon what I am doing. I welcome all suggestions and stories.
Roses in December
This project was to get into print the fascinating story of my Grandmother and her husbands. It is an embelished version of a journal that she wrote a couple of years before she died and the request of my cousin. The book covers the fall of Hong Kong in 1941, the death of my grandfather on the Lisbon Maru when sunk by the USS Grouper, The Royal Scots 2nd Bat and other participants. It also covers the notorious CO-OP Wars in Dagenham in 1938 (!), the family and the effect of evacuation when they travelled on various ships to and from Australia.
Seven Creases (Down Each Leg)
See the relevent section for further details, but this is a current project to get my late father's own hand written story out into the big world. It is a marvelous anecdotal tale of life in the Fleet Air Arm between 1947 and 1974.
Diabetes
Joshua
See the little fella above. Cute? Yes, he is, very much so. Bright? As a button. So, you may well ask, what has he to do with Diabetes? Well this little guy, born in 2004, had a very bad virus when he was 1. Over a fraught weekend in October 2005 he got worse, to the point of a coma. The local hospital did what they could to stabilise him, but he ended up being blue lighted to a major London hospital to intensive care where he remained for a week before embarking upon months of recovery. The reason? He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes. For his mother, it has been a traumatic time ever since, and she has been fantastic in coping with the vagaries and inconsistencies of this wicked condition.
He now has three injections a day of insulin across various times. In addition, he has to have his levels monitored on a regular basis which involves analysing blood from a prick to his digits. From these samples, he has to have his diet adjusted, sometimes he has more injections if he is too 'high', or special treatments if too 'low'. In the picture above he is cuddling 'Rufus' the diabetic bear. When Joshua has his injections he always makes sure Rufus gets one as well, using the colour guide on Rufus to identify valid sites on the body!
It is a real battle for his mother, and as I said, he has grown and is otherwise full of health and vigour thanks to her dedication. She has the support of her family and friends, and she also has a wonderful support team at her local hospital.
BUT - he is very young, and experience in dealing with childhood diabetes is still a minefield. Knowledge is limited as it is usually occurs in children a little older, to be diagnosed at such a young age is very rare.
I love this little boy with every fibre of my being, he is my grandson.
My daughter and her support team are still testing the water. As he grows, they have to adjust all the time, they learn something new every day. It is not easy.
Yes, he can be a cheeky little lad, but he is, to all he meets, a happy, active, very bright, verbal, polite little boy who steals your heart.
I would love for you to help little ones like him. He was probably the youngest ever in this country to be diagnosed with this condition. Research is a must, so please, any spare coppers, send to the Juvenile Diabetes Organisation (http://www.jdrf.org.uk/), or to Diabetes UK (http://www.diabetes.org.uk/)
Also worth a look - http://www.iddtinternational.org/parentsandcarers/parents.htm
The level of research is growing, but still relies on public funds to help boost progress. The number of people, especially children, who are being diagnosed with diabetes is growing. I want to see this ended. We can only do that by supporting the research. One day, maybe, children like Joshua will not have to inject daily.
Also, you can visit his mother's web page on Myspace - http://www.myspace.com/leahsian where there are blog pages for you to leave comments and tips or advice on.
What she is looking for is anyone who has been, or is in, a similar situation. She would like to share experiences, and if possible, collect advice and ideas to help make Joshua's life easier.
As a family we support many charities, and I am sure you all do as well, based upon personal circumstances, but if you can help, or contribute, it will be well received.
I hereby pledge that ALL proceeds of my work will currently go to Juvenile Diabetes Organisation (http://www.jdrf.org.uk/) .
Please help get the message out, do all you can
In advance, I thank you!
Crohns
Kris and Josh
If my grandson's story highlights his bravery, then he must be joined with my son. Kris is 28, and for the last six years since being diagnosed with Crohns, has undergone an unbelievable number of intrusive, major, operations that have resulted in the removal of most of his colon. He now has to wear a colostomy bag.
For a young man that is something pretty damn hard to take. He is currently in remission, but this condition for which there is no cure, is ever present in its ability to strike when he least expects it. In the early days of this condition his body was butchered with horrendous operations as the consultants chased around inside his colon looking for the problems. He almost lost his life as a result of an operation that went wrong.
But, to his credit, and despite not being able to work, he is still a funny guy. Yes, he gets depressed, and yes, he gets angry. Who can blame him? But he has the support of an incredibly loving partner, and family, he is living proof that no matter what life throws at you, you can find a light at the end of the tunnel.
Don't get me wrong, he is not the sort of guy that takes things for granted, but his condition does mean that he lives for now and not for tomorrow.
To blog Kris and to find out how he is doing day to day, log on to www.myspace.com/kristianandkerry - it is well worth a visit!
He has to face what life has given him to face. Like my grandson, he relies on organisations to find, if not a cure, then a means to make life easier and more bearable.
This is not an condition to take lightly. It is horrible and takes sufferers to the limits of personal indignity.
Crohn's, like Diabetes, is where the body takes upon itself to fight itself, and there is a breakdown in the imune system. With diabetes the imune system destroys the production of insulin. With Crohns the sufferers face years of inflamation, ulcers, fistulas etc. The body loses the ability to fight these effects as the imune system gets weaker. In both conditions, sufferers are subject to getting common illnesses more frequently and with a greater degree of intensity, for examples colds and flu are harder to shake. They tend to get them more often that people with a fully functioning imune system.
One of the main Crohns organisations is the NACC (http://www.nacc.org.uk/content/home.asp) - National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease - it needs all the support it can get.
I am a member, but like with my grandson's condition, I am asking that every now and then, please remember these lesser known organisations, and give some support when you can.
Again, many thanksFuture Projects
I know that there are many stories from the war still out there that should, and must, be told. There are also many books containing war memories, like the 'Voices' series inspired by the Mass Observation Archive project. I would like to get some of these hitherto unpublished tales, out. No matter how short, let me know. If you go to the COFEPOW site (see the Links page), there are many examples on there of tales from the war.
If you have any tales that you would like told, please let me know, along with any pictures if possible, and a brief synopsis of the person it is about (Regiment/Squadron, rank, posting etc) and if I get a sufficient number of stories, I will put them together for publication. I may even start up a page here to summarise the tale and chart the progress of what is received.
I am also considering putting together a photo book of all the great photo's I have been lucky enough to take on my travels and visits to various places. Watch this space!
Contacts
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