28 December - Inside I am Dancing
I have wondered whether or not this a a suitable subject for Bonkers as we
wait for Bexley Council to sober up. The only justification is that it confirms my opinion that
the health services in Tory Britain are a disgraceful failure and it may just
help someone, if they have enough money.
When I lived near Aldershot then ‘The Home of the British Army’ my daughter was
spotted by the army while performing at a school gymnastics display. They said
she was good enough to be trained for the 1988 Olympics. I spent many an
afternoon at their gymnasium idling away my time on a running machine while she
was doing something more demanding.
Unfortunately the training conflicted with her love of ballet because different
muscles were being developed. Kirsteen used to win all the local dancing
competitions and Hampshire County Council paid for her to attend the
Italia
Conti School of Dance and Stage etc. Those were the days!
There she trained with several well known names most of which I have forgotten; except Naomi Campbell and a much younger
Martine McCutcheon who would sit on Kirsteen’s knee.
Kirsty passed all her exams and was recruited into one of the London ballet
companies, performed at the Edinburgh Festival and Sadler’s Wells and in a
Channel 4 film which I have on a Betamax tape somewhere. But then disaster
struck. The disaster was called Multiple Sclerosis.
Her story was picked up
by The Daily Mirror, The Sun and the lifestyle magazine ‘Me’ from which this
picture is taken. A company based in her home town gave her an almost new car
and Esther Rantzen a job on her then popular TV programme ‘That’s Life’. Except
for time out to obtain a degree in journalism Kirsty has always been in full time employment.
Her job in journalism and her roots in show business has provided a wide range of
contacts in politics, newspapers, film, TV and radio. Best not to
mention names but if I did it might start with Boris Johnson. (Interviewed once.)
She is fairly well connected in the world of medicine too and
been involved with various Multiple Sclerosis trials over the years; which brings me to the point of this holiday filler.
When I went to help her out of her car four months ago she declined some of the
offered assistance and unsteadily walked to her brother’s house with minimal
support. She had been prescribed a new pill by a friendly consultant in a London hospital. It is
called Frampridine and has transformed Kirsteen’s life. Mobility is hugely
improved and she can now walk hesitantly around her house unsupported. A variety
of other things are improved too; appetite and tiredness among them.
And our bloody useless health services will not provide it.
Fortunately because of the friendly consultant and Dad’s £200 a month Kirsty continues to improve
although that will plateau out. Frampridine is not a cure and according to NICE
will help only a small proportion of MS sufferers. If they had an ounce of
decency they would prescribe it for a short time to see if it helped that minority.
If they were not liars they would quote an 80% success rate as their
counterparts in other countries do but they would rather see suffering than
spend money. My understanding is that other countries quote 80% because they
take account of the full spectrum of improvements but in England only mobility
is considered to be important.
Multiple Sclerosis victims might be well advised to scrape together the money
for at least two month’s worth of pills to see if it begins to make an improvement to their lives.
By the way, I have still not heard from Bexley Group Practice after Erith Urgent Care Centre told my
GP that he should phone me urgently.
That was three weeks ago.
Note: Yet another obscure film title. Sorry!