The Most Difficult Post

This is a difficult post to write.  As you may know, last year I was diagnosed with cancer of the bile duct, and had an operation in November to remove it and reorganise my digestive tract.  This is surgery which is possibly curative, and that was what was hoped (and even expected in my post-release check-up).

However, things have not turned out that way.  A subsequent scan has shown that the original cancer has spread to my liver.  This is a particularly bad development as it’s not ‘normal’ liver cancer, and it is not curable.  I can have chemotherapy to extend my life, but it is not a cure, just something which will give me more time.

As you can imagine, this is devastating news, not only for me, but for my wife and family.  It’s been a very difficult week starting to try to deal with the reality of this, tell people, and make arrangements for the future to ensure as best as possible that my wife Tammie in particular will be looked after once I am gone.

To this end, I am no longer in a position to take any more work, or any contact as I will be concentrating on what’s needed for chemotherapy and trying to make the best of what time I have left.  I know that the timescale is “months not years”, and I have accepted that.

However, I am trying to secure as much as possible my family’s financial stability.  Prior to the appointment, I had largely finished the Cubase 14 version of the Complete Guide, and I’ve spent time since getting it to a publication-ready state.  It is now available for sale. This should mean that I will have some income over the coming months.  My wife is off work to look after me during this time – she wouldn’t be able to work anyway as she is a counsellor – so she will have no income either.

If you’ve ever found my YouTube videos useful, or considered buying the book, please do so (you can find it on this site, and it’s on Amazon in most countries).  It will mean a great deal.

In addition to this, a YouTube viewer set up a crowdfunder for me when I went into hospital (when things were looking positive but I was still going to be unable to work for a couple of months), and if you want to donate to it, then it is here.

It has been a real joy providing tuition and videos over the last few years, and I’ve really missed being able to put content out, particularly when there was so much to look forward to.  I had planned that this year I would be doing much more as I had finally finished my house extension, but it was not to be.

If circumstances and my health permit, then I may make some videos (as I need to do something to keep my mind busy), but obviously I have no idea if this will happen.

Thank you to everyone who has bought the book over the years – it’s been a great source of pride that I’ve created something which people have found useful, and hopefully it will be useful long into the future.