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We have recently be informed by Graham, who is with Jonathan at his fathers bedside that he is "unlikely to last the night" at Barnstaple Hospital.

Our thoughts and prayers are with them

Mark North

APPROACHING THE END

Graham and I went to the hospital this afternoon. Dad is in intensive care, and in a semi-comatose state. On top of everything else he now has a punctured bowel, and acute renal failure. He is unlikely to last more than a few more days. I would rather that he be visited only by close family. My brother is on Compassionate Leave from the Army and is flying back to England tonight.

I will, of course, keep everyone posted about his progress.

Thank you all for your support and kindness.

UPDATE

I have just spoken to the hospital. They have asked me to come there now. My brother is flying back from Germany this evening. I have to say that it does not look good.

Keep us in your prayers...

MONDAY MORNING

I have just had a telephone call from the hospital. Dad is in considerable pain with a strangulated hernia and will be going in to surgery shortly. How serious this is I don't know, but I will keep you updated. Your thoughts and prayers are neded at this time more than ever.

SUNDAY EVENING

i sat with Dad for about three hours this evening just holding his hand. He is very weak and can hardly talk. It is very difficult to know what else to say. He was asleep most of the time so I just sat there with him. Hopefully tomorrow there will be more nes but I cannot truthfully see that he can be released in the next few days unless he perks up remarkably.

SATURDAY UPDATE

I went in to see Dad this afternoon. The Vicar was there, sitting by the side of the bed holding his hand. Dad was asleep, and woke to see me. He was very weak and feeble, and spoke so quietly, that I could only just hear him over the background noise of the ward. He couldn't sit up, and found it very hard to communicate. I stayed for bnearly an hour, but we only exchanged a few words.

As far as I know he will be coming home next week, but if he does he will need fairly constant nursing care from us, because although there is nothing medically that will make him bneed to stay in hospital, he is - in my opinion at least - far to weak to do anything for himself....

FRIDAY ON MY MIND

Finally news....

And it is (with reservations) good. The results of the analysis of the fluid taken from Dad's lung are back, and there is no sign of cancerous cells. However, the CT scan was inconclusive, and there "may be" a tumour, but we don't know. Dad is very feeble, and he can hardly raise his voice above the hubbub of the ward. However, I spoke to a doctor, and it seems likely that he will be transferred - either to Bideford or back home - next week, unless his condition deteriorates.