On this special day for remembering war heroes....tonight's message from Annie, if anyone actually CARES?
Good evening friends,
As always I would like to thank everyone for your constant support and prayers. Last night was an emotional evening so sorry there was no update.
Last night was the Pride of Britain Awards and if you’re anything like me it would have made you extremely proud to be part of this Country and have so many amazing people in it. The Special Recognition Award to the Counter- IED Task Force was an extremely proud moment to all us.
Jack was in good spirits this afternoon and worked very hard in physio but this really tired him out tonight. Susan the dietician came to see us today and gave us an update on results and what foods Jack can have now. Because of the potassium situation Jacko is now allowed one piece of fruit a day but still no vegetables, coffee or chocolate.
Last night was the amazing Kath the cake lady…what an unsung Hero. Mum had dads vanilla slice without telling him so he wasn’t none too pleased .
My dad has had to go away for a few days so has left me and mum in charge of cooking the meals for Jacko. Many of you that know us know that my dad does ALL the cooking in our house so I am not sure if Jack had much hope for our attempt tonight. We made him meatballs and pasta in sauce……he was very kind and gave us an 8/10 .
However after permission from the dietician we are bringing in fish and chips tomorrow evening .
This evening the Ghurka family cooked for us and it was there traditional meal which was very yummy however I don’t think me and mum have drank so much diet coke during any meal as it was very hot and they kept giving us more and more to try . They are such a kind family and we have become very close to them during these hard times. We shall miss them when they leave next week.
Please can I ask you all to pray for Jack and our Heroes at the Hospital.
Twiggs, people do care, at least I do. What his sister is writing daily, what more can anyone say? Been following them on FB too. We care Twiggs, I care, and thousands of Leeds United supporters care. MOT Jack.
RIP Twiggster, March 5, 2023
Chris & Kevin | Never Forgotten | April 5, 2000
Gary Andrew Speed, MBE — Always In Our Hearts, 1969-2011
Glad to hear that Dan - I do wonder sometimes..
Anyroad - here is Annie's latest post:
Good evening friends,
As always I would like to thank everyone for your support and prayers.
Today on the ward we had a Remembrance Service led by Father Michael. It was a very emotional service and always in our thoughts were Darren Deady and Andrew Griffiths and their families. Jack was asked to do a reading and it was very moving. The Military Liasion Office really made all the families feel very welcome this morning. It was a great honour to be in the presence of our Heroes on this Remembrance Sunday.
~~ Lest We Forget ~~
Let us today, on Remembrance Day,
give thanks and remember the men and women who gave their lives
during the many wars our country has been involved in.
Courageously they fought and died, that we may be free and live
in peace in our beautiful country.
********
They shall grow not old, As we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn.
With the setting of the sun, and in the morning we will remember them.
Lest We Forget
Jack slept well and was in good spirits today. He will be going back to theatre tomorrow and we believe it will be in the morning so will go in for afternoon visiting hours.
We would like to thank Sarah for coming this weekend, it was good to see you and I know Jack appreciated it.
Please can I ask especially tonight to pray for Jack and not just our Heroes in the Hospital but all over the world.
As always I would like to thank everyone for your constant support and prayers. The group continues to grow and we all appreciate all the messages and support you continue to provide us.
Jack had a good sleep and went to theatre today. As the theatre list can change he went a bit later than planned so when he got back he was very hungry and thirsty so we made sure he had plenty to munch on and drinks.
Today we welcomed back our great Hero Michael Swindells, who has come back to the Hospital for an operation. Guess what…..Michael was in the Sun newspaper today on page 9 of sporting section. He was at the Man City v Birmingham match on Saturday and there’s a picture of him. He always makes us smile and what an amazing person .
We would like to thank Julie the Trauma Sister for her continual support. She is becoming a very good friend and is great support.
Mike one of the Military Drivers came in to see Jacko today and brought with him a very special gift…a signed Leeds United photo…….Jack was so happy .
Jack also received another amazing gesture today. He was given a Christmas card addressed on the envelope “to a brave solider please”. The card said “if you would like a friend, I could send you scarf, Hazel aged 83.” Words cannot express how touched we all were with this and I am going to write to Hazel and express our gratitude.
Please can I ask you all to pray for Jacko and our Heroes in the hospital.
As always I would like to thank everyone for your constant support and prayers.
Jack didn’t have the best night’s sleep as he was having medicine constantly during the night so was pretty tired today. He was in pretty good spirits though and after a few naps he perked up and had some good banter going.
Jack had a lovely visit from a Nurse who looked after him in Critical Care and it was great to see her. We can’t ever forget what those amazing people did for Jacko and can’t possible find the words to thank them except to say thank you for his life.
We had a great surprise today...a family we first met in Critical Care had come back to see us. During the hard times we became very close to them especially those first couple of nights back at our first accommodation. Although we felt we knew Phillip really well we had never properly got introduced to him except by waving to him across the Critical Care Ward . It was great to meet such a Hero and his lovely family again.
A special big thanks to my Uncle Barry who has come from Dubai to spend a few days with us and be with our Hero.
Please can I ask you all to pray for Jack and our Heroes at the Hospital.
As always I would like to thank everyone for your constant support and prayers.
Jack has had a good couple of days and is feeling better and in good spirits. Like I said before about mine and mum’s nagging about drinking fluids….he has just given up and doing what he is told which is pleasing us . He won’t be going to theatre tomorrow like normal with the usual routine but instead will be going on Wednesday. The operation that he is going to have is something that we have been waiting for and is going to be a pretty major theatre trip. We hope Jacko has a good few relaxing days in preparation as it will be a big day on Wednesday.
This morning we said goodbye to our Ghurkha family who we have been living with. It was very emotional saying goodbye. We have lived with them for a few months now and we all have become very close. We will really miss them all.
Last night Jack’s Casino Night at the Ladygrove pub went really well and just had a message from his very good friend Mattie at home who told me they raised £500. Thank you to everyone who attended and for The Ladygrove pub for supporting Jacko .
Tonight the X Factor contestants performed their charity single for Help For Heroes. The cover version of David Bowie’s hit “Heroes” is very fitting. I have met so many Heroes at the Hospital and know there are many more at Headley Court who I have yet to meet. To me Jack is one of the bravest Heroes but I am a bit biased .
Please can I ask you all to pray for Jack and our Heroes at the Hospital.
Good night.
Love Annie xx
Please buy the single...Help For Heroes is this forum's pinned Charity....thank you.
MASSIVE day for Jack this Wednesday....thoughts and prayers for him please:
Good evening friends,
As always I would like to thank everyone for your constant support and prayers.
Jack was in good spirits today and just getting himself mentally ready for the operation tomorrow. His new bed arrived today which he was getting used to this evening so when he gets back from theatre tomorrow it won’t be a shock to him. They have only had this bed on the ward once before and that was last year and I believe it took about 8 Nurses to set it up and get it into the room. It’s definitely an interesting looking bed but as long as it helps Jacko recover from the operation and does it job . He will be going to theatre early in the morning and we don’t expect to see him until tomorrow evening but we will constantly be thinking of him.
Saying goodnight to Jack this evening was sad and upsetting and I wish we could stay with him until he goes to theatre but he needs a good night’s sleep and might be harder if we are with him before he goes. Tomorrow will be a very long day for us and Jack joked it won’t be for him as he will be asleep all day . We will be with our Hero in spirit and so proud of him and love him very much.
Today we would like to thank Vicki, Will, Billy and Biskit for coming to see Jack today and wish you all the best for your new adventure.
Please can I ask you all to pray especially for Jack tomorrow and for our Heroes in the Hospital.
As always I would like to thank everyone for your constant support and prayers and for all your lovely kind messages for Jack’s big day today.
Jack went down early this morning and was down for a very long time. The Doctor said the operation went well but we won’t know how successful it has been for a couple of weeks but we are all in good spirits from it. Considering how big today was for Jacko and how long he was in Theatre he came round pretty quickly and was looking well. We are all relieved that today is over and hopefully will sleep better tonight .
Today we would like to say a big thank you to Sandra West who has become such a great support to us although we have never met. She sent Jacko an amazing gift which I have uploaded a picture. It’s a Star of Fame wall plaque which says on the bottom “Jack the Bravest of the Brave.” Thank you Sandra for everything.
The amount of Heroes grows in the Hospital and to see the pain in the faces of the families brings us back to our early days. I wish I could tell you all that the pain eases, we all have good and bad days and there isn’t a day that goes by that we don’t count ourselves lucky to have our Jacko still with us.
Please can I ask you all to pray for Jack and our Heroes at the Hospital.
As always I would like to thank everyone for your constant support and prayers.
Jack had a comfortable night and was in good spirits. After speaking to the Doctors they are happy with everything that is happening and Jacko is progressing in the right direction.
Although Jack’s new bed is great for what it has to do in helping him recover it does make him feel very very very hot. To cool him down we open the windows and put the fan on which means one thing……….his room is like being in Antarctica so I was wearing hat, scarf and gloves while he was baking up .
Today was Aaron’s birthday, a Hero that came to the ward a few weeks ago. His family came over from Ireland and Kath the cake lady made him an amazing cake so hopefully he had a good day as he deserved.
Please can I ask you all to pray for Jack and our Heroes in the Hospital.
As always I would like to thank everyone for your constant support and prayers, it really does mean so much to us all.
Jack has had a comfortable weekend and been in good spirits. The bed although doing a great job is proving a bit of a pain for Jacko as its very hot and not getting great sleep at night. I think today he was looking good in the face and getting some colour back.
We say bye to our favourite Doctor tomorrow Dr. Rex as he is moving on to his next post. He has been great support to Jack and us during our time on Level 4. We wish him all the best for the future and hope to see him one day in the future. Thank you Dr. Rex for everything .
Today we had a surprise guest to the ward….Stuart Pearce.. He was a really nice person and very interested in Jack and his progress. We asked him a few questions about England’s performance this summer and Wayne Rooney and he was very funny. It really put a smile on Jack’s face and it was great to see. I’ve added a picture to the group of them .
Jack continues to amaze everyone with his spirit and determination and I am so proud of him.
Please can I ask you all to pray for Jack and our Heroes at the Hospital.
As always I would like to thank everyone for your constant support and prayers.
Jack slept very well last night as he was so tired and was in good spirits. I have stuck his advent calendar to the door in this room in preparation for tomorrow with the only slight problem he can’t have chocolate right now but as a helpful sister I have nominated myself to help with the chocolate eating .
Many of you might remember me talking about a Ghurkha Soldier that was next to Jack when he first arrived in the Hospital. I am happy to say that he is making progress in the right direction. He has been at the Hospital longer than Jacko and we feel so much for his parents who are here with him. His dad speaks good English but his mum doesn’t so we just smile at her and she nods. He has his major operation on Thursday so please can I ask you all to pray for him.
The weather in Birmingham has been pretty bad and very cold but one nurse said today that its warmer outside then it is in Jack’s room .
Tonight I would like to thank Padre Francis for coming to see us and giving us great support.
Please can I ask you all to pray for Jack and our Heroes in the Hospital.
As always I would like to thank everyone for your constant support and prayers. As it’s getting late it will only be a short update tonight.
Jack’s new bed is making him feel very hot which in turn is making him very tired all the time so last night when we left him he fell straight asleep and didn’t wake up till the morning. He even joked he didn’t wake up when they were changing his medication. Jacko will be in Hospital at Christmas and we are all determined to make it a great one for him so tomorrow I am going to go and get a few things to decorate his room and get into the spirit
Our Ghurkha Hero had his big operation today and we believe it went well. Our thoughts are always with him and his family.
Please can I ask you all to pray for Jack and our Heroes at the Hospital.
Good night.
Love Annie xxx
Jack in hospital for Xmas? You can all hammer LUFC to get players and Simon and whoever to visit him then...
ON ON ON Jack
Found this thread on page two....I guess nobody cares then?
If anybody DOES - here is this weekend's message from Annie:
Jack has had an average weekend. The bed is making him feel so tired that he is sleeping A LOT but as long as he’s resting. He’s been in good spirits and we have a good laugh this weekend….mainly at my lack of common sense for quizzes and our flukiness at getting questions right .
Beginning of the weekend we had some bad news that our Ghurkha Hero had to go back to Critical Care after some problems from his Operation but I am happy to say this afternoon that he came back up to Level 4. I think like Jacko his journey has been very bumpy but he keeps fighting on.
Operation Decoration took place today with the help of Sarah Jack’s girlfriend. The room looks really good and I know it gave Jacko a boost. Thank you Sarah .
Today we would like to thank Mattie, Joe, Malachi and Tom for coming to see Jack just unfortunately today he wasn’t well enough for visitors.
Please can I ask you all to pray for Jack and our Heroes in the Hospital.
Good night.
Love Annie xx
I know most of you are on facebook and can post your messages to Jack there - but for those who aren't is why this thread exists..so I can post on your support messages to Jack, from MOT Forum....
Precious few TBH....
Jack has had a better day than yesterday and was in good spirits. The Doctors are happy with the progress he is making and I think this has given Jack a boost. The bed is still making him very tired but we believe he is now over half way with having this bed which is good. We had a lovely surprise yesterday from Jack… he sent us Christmas cards . It was so emotional to receive them and although it might seem a little thing but if you were to say to me a few months ago we would be receiving cards from Jacko I couldn’t believe you. He is such a thoughtful person and what an amazing Hero. Please can I ask you all to pray for Jack and our Heroes in the Hospital. Good night. Love Annie xx
As always I would like to thank everyone for your constant support and prayers. This group keeps on growing and all your support really does mean so much to us all.
Jack has had a good few days with plenty of sleep and been in good spirit.
The room decorations are growing daily and the talk of the ward . It is looking really good and getting us all into the spirit of Christmas. Thank you to our amazing friend Julie for providing us with more decorations which went up today .
All the Nurses say they love looking after Jack because of the person he is, he truly is such a remarkable 22 year old and I am honoured that he is my brother.
Please can I ask you all to pray for Jack and our Heroes at the Hospital.
Jack has had a good comfortable weekend with lots and lots of sleep. He is definitely on top form with his banter and his big Sister is on the receiving end of most of it .
Today my Uncle and Cousin came over from Dubai for a few days and it was great to see them and it really gave Jacko a boost.
Big update on the diet………….Jack can now have one cup of coffee or one small piece of chocolate a day . He will only have a coffee from a very special lady who works on the Ward that does the tea and coffee’s as she has asked him everyday day he has been on the Ward without fail if he wants one and tomorrow he can .
This is the third season we have experienced whilst being at the Hopsital, who would of thought in August we would have been here to see the Christmas tree put up in the Hospital.
To all you Leeds fans…….what a result this weekend and Jack says…..”MOT to the Premiership.”
Please can I ask you all to pray for Jack and our Heroes at the Hospital.
.
