General Chat

Thank you for the kind wishes. G's Nanna is a very typical Maltese lady from the older generation when family were the most important thing. When we visited in 2007 she was still doing lots of the cooking at their home and gave us a traditional meal, which was nice but different to things we eat. My son was her first grandson, she had three granddaughters here in England and had been over to visit when they were smaller, with her daughter, but hasn't been able to travel or go far from the house for a while now, as she lives upstairs in a flat so lots of stairs to get down. It's a traditional type of flat with just a tiny yard about two metres square out from the kitchen but I think there might be access to the roof for hanging out washing, it would be shared with others in the block. To think she brought up six children there is amazing. She has two more grandsons now, my son's half brother who is 17 and another grandson who had to be brought up in care there due to legalities, she wanted to have him but his mother, who is a bit odd, wouldn't allow it altho she allowed the child to go into care rather than let him live with his father or grandmother. Now he is grown up, about 16 he lives with his father I think, but Nanna sees him often so she has known all the youngsters, and has seen my son every time we have visited, which is about six times now.

And yes, I am fond of her, she never denied my son being part of the family altho for a long time she couldn't put his photo on display for fear of upsetting my son's stepmother, but that's been resolved now and she has his pic out with the rest of them

Lizx

Thoughts and prayers for Nanna - do hope your son manages to see her again Liz. She sounds a lovely lady.
Love Mary xx

This morning I was setting the VCR for what needs to be taped while I'm working this evening (Monday, nothing but House tonight here), and spotted a program on Ontario public television: BBC's The Siege of Malta. I don't think I'd ever heard of it until you mentioned here what your son's grandmother had been through. So we'll watch that tonight, and she will be in my mind.

Hi Liz, don't know why I didn't see this before, hope G will be ble to go and see her. It's such a tiring disease, exacerbated no doubt by the chemo, why haven't they told her, sounds like, with her strength, she would fight it if she knew. JMHO.
Hugs to you too, as she obviously holds a special place in your heart.
Love
Mary

Thinking of you and your family....xxx

she sound a lovely lady liz

its so heartwarming to hear you stayed in touch with her, and your son kept visiting,
its something to always keep with you isnt it

i hope shes rallying thru and isnt in pain

Hi Liz,

I had not realized she was still ill from my last message, what a shame for the family.....and especially your son.
Liz I will light a candle on Sunday for little Nanna and some prayers at least her medication will keep her pain at bay.

Its so sad when one hears of such sad news just before Christmas when most of us are looking forward to seeing our loved ones .

Thinking of you both .....Marilyn xx

Thanks folks.
It will be very difficult as she doesn't speak English so we cannot converse easily with her, one of her family have to be with her to translate and continue the chat and then it becomes a bit stilted. She does understand English a bit but only knows a few words. She always enjoys visitors despite the difficulties tho and makes people welcome.
She never questioned that my son was part of the family even tho she didn't meet him till he was 3, but I had written to her to explain things and got the letter translated so she heard my side of the situation. I knew her son would make out I was to blame but she had seen me staying there with him and he had taken me to the house many times during our brief 'courtship' so she knew we were an item. There were difficulties later on about keeping visits quiet so my son's stepmother didn't know we had been round as much as we had. We used to go on the bus or the aunt and Nanna would come to where ever we were staying after my son's dad got married to a very possessive bossy woman. Son's father would be allowed to take us just once in the car, by his wife, or could take just my son and not me! Pathetic!
Well let's hope the spirit Nanna has shown all her life stays strong within her.

Lizx

Hi Liz, just read this thread, i am so sorry to hear of your son,s Nannas ill health. I hope that she can if not have a full recovery at least have a painfree time and that the family get to visit before her time runs out.
Talk soon.
Lily.

Best wishes to your son and his Nanna, Liz. I really hope he manages to get to see her soon.

Dear Purple

Hello

Warmest and caring thoughts on their way to your son's grandmother.

Take care of yourself

Very sincere wishes
xx

Update!

Managed to get hold of my son's uncle and aunt this evening - they found Nanna poorly but she has been told she has something wrong with her blood, no more than that, and has to take tablets. The medication is chemotherapy, so it sounds to me as tho the doctors are just trying to keep things at bay for a while, to give her a little more time?
The family here are hoping the other granddaughter with the new(ish) baby girl can go over after Christmas to see her, the excuse being for her to see the baby who will be a year old in February and I think the other daughter whose baby boy was 1 in October, will try and visit too. My son has said he wants to get over there somehow as well so we will have to hope the old lady can hang on and respond to the chemo without it taking too much out of her, and everyone can visit her again soon.
It's such a shame that this has happened to her, she is a very devout Catholic who did her best to bring up her family when her policeman husband died at quite a young age and never did any harm to anyone. She has her single daughter and one of her sons who never married, still living at the apartment with her - I don't know if it is provided by the Police force, but I think it might be as it is right behind the police station there, which coincidentally is where a friend of mine is a Police Sergeant.
Would you please send further positive thoughts that she can get through this and if not make a good recovery, at least have some more painfree time with her family.

Lizx

Bless her, I hope all is well.
Sorry Liz for missing this message too.
My head is in not mine at the minute.
Love Deanna X

Liz thinking of your son,s Nanna and all the family take care
Dutchxx

Thanks all, and for the pms too.

Nanna - I call her that too as she was never legally my m.i.l. - was a young teenager during the Malta siege in World War II and if any of you have watched the film Malta Convoy you will know what things were like, and what they went through. She was an only child I think, altho she has cousins on her father's side, living in Wales, and her daughter and four sons in Malta as well as the family here of her eldest son. She has a strong Catholic faith which I hope will help sustain her through all that is ahead.

I will let you know when I find out more, and thanks for the support.

Lizx

Special thoughts for you and G. as you wait and wonder.
It's such a worry when they are so far away.
I do hope that you are able to find out more soon and that Nanna can be treated and made comfortable.

Gwyn

Dear Purple

Hello

I am very sorry to hear your son's Nana is not well.

Hopefully, the Doctors will get some treatment sorted out very soon.

Thinking of your family.

Take good care of yourself purple

Very sincere wishes
xx

Oh lovie sending lots of positive thoughts
Love and hugs
Rachxxxxxx

Hi Liz,
sorry to here about your nanna, my thoughts are with you , my sister was diagnosed with Leukaemia 10 years ago she was treated with interfarin ( not sure of the spelling) she went through a bad time but today is fighting fit , she still has regular blood tests but to date every thing is fine so there is hope and help out there so keep positive.
best wishes Margaret x

awe bless her, shes made it this far and now suffering, poor thing,
i send her hugs, and thoughts for a hopeful outcome,
she should be enjoying life ,