hey guys, Would like to say thanks to everyone who came the MCF training.
It was a very productive day for me and to meet so many faces of the MCF boards was great, You were all nicer than I could have imagined.
Only sorry we could not have met for longer
I hope we have good success with the Phone line.
Thanks to Dr J and the lovely Geeta for making us feel very welcome.
Hope you all had a safe journey home.

Paul

Hi Paul

It was great to meet you and I also had a very good day. Apart from the training being excellent It was also the first time I had met other people with mouth cancer/head and neck cancer or carers. As you say all really nice people.

I had an an amazing journey home and staggered off the train rather drunk (for the first time in many years!). Its a long story and perhaps best saved for another occasion when I can type straight.

love
Gwyn

Good Morning Paul & Gwyn,
It was good to meet you and the rest of the team yesterday.Unlike you Gwyn I had a very sober journey home,the young lady in the next seat drank red wine for most of the way but I am too tight to pay the railway company £4:50 for a minature of an inferior concoction. Not surprising when you take into account that I am a Yorkshireman who lived for ten years in Scotland and worked for a Swabian company for twenty five years, this is hardly a recipe for fiscal frivolity on a scale offered by GNER (Swabia is an area of south Germany where the inhabitants approach to monetary matters makes the Jocks & Tykes seem generous to a point of stupidity)
I look forward to seeing you next Friday Paul ,I am sure you will benefit from the meeting. I will travel down on Thursday evening with another delegate from Yorkshire, this will be his second meeting too.The venue is a govenment conference centre and a touch more palatial than yesterday.
Keep Smiling
John

Can somebody tell me what the Training Day is all about and who it is open to? Thanks


Chris

Hi Chris

The Training day was for those who have offered to be MCF Telephone Volunteers. There is more about it in posts by Dr Joshi on 24 and 27 January under the topic "MCF Telephone Volunteers" on this forum.

Hi John

The best thing about the wine that I drank was that I didn't have to pay for it!

I will also see you next week at the Conference. My husband and I (very regal, eh?) are also travelling down on Thursday evening.

Regards
Gwyn

Dear Paul,Gwyn, John and Chris,

I would have loved to be a part of the group but unfortunately the distance will not permit me. It would really have been wonderful to meet all of you'll and also spend some time in my favorite stop over city.

Oh! you wine drinkers - How I wish I could get down a sip!! In fact thats why I make an ideal guest at most parties since they all save a lot on the food and drinks!!

Do tell us all how things go - as this seems interesting.

Lots of love,
Ananth

Good afternoon friends,
Chris .....how on earth do you get a pen name like suedebottom, it doesn't do an old geezer like me any good at all to speculate on this.

Gwyn.......please let me in on the secret of getting free red wine, it could be the saviour our household economy is in need of.Ray Yeomans and I are travelling down on a late afternoon train on Thursday, we should be in the hotel in Bayswater by 7:30 ish. At 8:00 we will wander the odd hundred yards to a nearby pub for a snack and a pint if you are in the area you are more than welcome to join us. I can't remember the name of the hotel,I suppose I had better find out before Thursday. You might think about bringing your red wine supplier! Looking forward to meeting you and your hubby .

Ananth......that is a very clear piece of thinking, the next time I have a party the guests will be selected from the patients at the Maxillofacial unit.I have sent you the details you asked for please confirm the arrival.

Keep Smiling
John

Hi all, the training day was better than I'd hoped. It was good to meet you all at last and I came away with so much more than I thought I would. It's a shame it wasn't over a couple days rather than just the one but I'm sure there'll be more meetings at some point in the future. Some of you have suffered so much but keep on fighting and dont give up. I take my hat off to all of you.
I got to sit with 3 French students on the way home who were all knocking back the lager. I was gutted having no beer but not enough to pay First Great Western prices. Soon sorted that out when I got home though. Hagg.

Hello everyone. I have just about recovered from the journey home last night(at 11!) after the Training Day. It was good to meet so many lovely people face to face who have previously just been a name on the message board. (Maybe we should have an AGM for the MCF so more of us can meet and get to know each other!)

My tipple was no stronger than a cup of tea when I got in - I do envy those of you who can manage something stronger - alcohol taste like paint-stripper nowadays (not that I know what paint-stripper tastes like!!)

I hope I can remember all the helpful stuff we learnt yesterday - should I ever get the call!
All very sensible, sensitive and caring.

Warm wishes, Brenda.

Paul: I hope you kept your promise to me??

Hey Brenda, Yes did and now its 7 years bad luck,the mirror cracked

You was as well presnted and cool as i imagned you would be.
I was trying to say in the meeting not clear maybe it was nic to met the faces and to meet people who have gone through similar and still fight forlife not just survive.

Pul

Hi Everyone,

I'd like to personally thank everyone from the group for attending the CCT training day on Friday 8th Feb. It was good to see familiar faces and to finally put names to new faces.

I felt the day was successful and was very encouraged by everyones' enthusiasm to get the best from the training. I felt positive that we had finally moved forward with the telephone support system having tried hard (together with my dad) to set it up for over a year and a half!

I took a lot away from the day's event and am hoping to put together a synopsis/little guidebook over the next few weeks. I'm hoping it will act as a guide for us to refer back to whenever we feel the need.

Did everyone walk back to the station in the end? I remember Gwyn mentioning walking to Kings Cross...and Hagg & Julie ready to join her! We managed to get to the station on time and not have to run for the train :P

If anyone has any further thoughts or ideas about this exciting project, please don't hesitate to contact me or email me.

Kind regards, Geeta

Disclaimer: Please see your own dentist/doctor for a proper diagnosis as my words should not, in any circumstances, be taken as dental/medical advice.

Hi Geeta

It was lovely to meet you. I thought the training was great and look forward to getting the guidebook. I, too, feel very excited about the project.

Julie, Hagg, Denise and I walked together as far as Kings Cross. It was quite bracing and gave us the chance to chat a bit more.

All the best
Gwyn

Hi Geeta, we walked back to Kings Cross and made it in plenty of time but the tube did get a bit confusing lol. It was easier just following Vinod in the morning, at least he knew where he was going.
The day was excellent and I'd really like to work full time with cancer patients in some way in the future. I wasn't 100% sure until Friday but now I am. I cant wait to get started with the phone service. I wish I'd took some notes though so a guidebook would be good to read. Hagg.

Hi Ananth

It is good to hear from you. You hadn't posted for a while so I was a bit concerned.

I am sure that if you had been able to attend the training you would have been able to make some lively contributions to our discussions!

Love
Gwyn

Hello

it was good to meet everyone at the training day on friday. I felt quite nervous beforehand, but i thoroughly enjoyed the day. Hopefully there will be other opportunities to meet up,

The highlight of my journey home was managing to get a seat after standing up for the first 40 minutes!


Take care

Judy