The toll of the Three Peaks was evident as I crept downstairs on Monday morning. Step after step my legs felt like they were going to implode, creaking more than the floor boards beneath them I struggled to the ground floor. It's times like these that you can never imagine getting the true feeling back into the legs and it's hard to imagine my big toes looking anything like normal. The impact of wearing steel toe cap hiking boats was clear, and it involved black toenails. It also doesn't help that Lucia clumsily steps on my toes at least three times an hour, all day everyday.

We were due to go into Addenbrookes on Tuesday this week so imagine our surprise when the phone rang bright and early on Monday morning to ask us to come in. It took us a couple of hours to get ourselves together but soon enough we were sitting in the Day Unit awaiting a doctor to give Camille the normal once over.

Our consultant Amos came to see us on Tuesday and before long he was rolling on the floor with laughter. Camille has become increasingly pushy and demands strange objects to hold such as a wooden spoon, drinking straw or syringe. On Tuesday just before Amos visited our bay Camille demanded a "pink burger". Mick the chef scratched his head as he went back to the kitchen to prepare a burger that was pink and that wouldn't kill her. The burger he came back wasn't pink, but it was an awesome looking burger, but yet as soon as we gave it to Camille she launched at it, ready to toss the sesame seeded bap across the room. The following episode ended up with me going to queue at Burger King for twenty minutes to get Camille a burger, not to eat, but to hold. We admitted the story to Amos, who began to laugh. He then mocked me a little, and laughed again, and again. As I sat there being ridiculed by our consultant, it did begin to dawn on me how ridiculous this was. From that moment on I vowed never to waste good food again.

Wasting food is not normally something I live with very easily and as you may know over recent months my comfort eating has caused my stomach to swell slightly. When my cousin Stevie visited on Tuesday night, he teamed up with Hayley to mock me even more by calling me "Muffin Top" (with reference to my paunch popping over my belt). Hayley has since put me on a diet, no more Angry Whoppers or tasty food, just plain old Be Good To Yourself rubbish. It really panicked me when I noticed a slice of Banoffee Pie had gone uneaten tonight; would anyone take it? What happens if it's left? Would anyone notice if I had a nibble? For the second time in two weeks, random beads of sweat dripping down my forehead interrupted my thought process.

We got home late Thursday night in the end. Camille's hydration finished at 8.45pm, by 8.45pm and 30 secs we were in the car heading back home. Camille slept all the way home and woke up in her bed in the morning.

The major event of this week occurred just after dinner on Friday evening. I was half way through plate washing when my mobile rang from a private number. I was greeted with "Hi, this may be out of the blue, but this is the 10 Downing Street office". Yes, it was out of the blue. A couple of weeks ago Hayley and I had sent a letter to Gordon Brown explaining how impressed we had been with the NHS , after all it gets such a kicking and I'm sure they would appreciate the positive stories as well. It turns out that Number 10 have been moved by our story, enough that Gordon is going to mention the letter in a speech he is giving on the NHS this Tuesday. They also wanted to run a story on Camille's experience, however, due to our wish to keep a level of privacy this may not happen. We really don't want Camille becoming well known, she is our priority and it is safer to be cautious even if the exposure would have boosted the fundraising capabilities of Camille's Appeal ten fold. I did have enough front to ask for a Money Can't Buy Auction item for our Christmas Ball, which I think they will oblige with something great. I still think dinner with Gordon and Sarah is a possibility, but Gordon may have other ideas.

I have no idea when the speech is taking place on Tuesday but I will be scouring news channels and the web to find out what Gordon has to say on the matter.