Friday, December 7, 2012

Merry Christmas


CHRISTMAS 2012

Ronald and Beryl Just


Greetings to all, and best wishes for a happy Christmas and New Year.

It seems incredible that it is only a matter of days until Christmas Day. The year has just flown by and we have been kept busy with all sorts of activities this past year. There have been plenty of activities in our over-50s village; outdoor and indoor bowls and other Village social events, and involvement in the community and in our church. Not to mention the regular visits to local specialists and every three months to Wesley Hospital, in Brisbane, for outpatient reviews with Ron’s clinical immunologist.

One of the highlights of the year was Ron’s 70th birthday celebrations, held the weekend of Queen’s Birthday in Queensland. Ron’s sisters came over from New Zealand and we had friends and family come up from around the state to celebrate the birthday with us.

In September we caught up with friends from New Zealand who were visiting Queensland and we spent a few days with them when they were staying in Coolum, Sunshine Coast. We really enjoyed time with them. We also had a great time with dear friends, now living in Tasmania. They stayed a few days with us, and we had a great time catching up!

In the first quarter of 2012 Ron was admitted to hospital with dehydration and renal impairment. He spent a few days on drips. A few weeks later he had a gastroscopy procedure.

In the midst of this was Ron’s regular visits every 28 days to the Hervey Bay hospital chemotherapy unit for intravenous immunoglobulin infusions and intramuscular penicillin injection; tri-monthly visits to the clinical immunologist at Wesley Hospital, Brisbane and a physician in Hervey Bay. He has an irreversible chronic primary immune deficiency disease (PIDD), and undergoes the treatment mentioned above. Blood tests continue to indicate renal impairment and CT scans indicate bronchiectasis and two nodes in the right lobe of the lungs. Beryl has 6 weekly visits to her GP to be reviewed for her diabetics. Fortunately this is under control and being kept stable by diet and medication.

Beryl is busy with activities in our Village. Beryl is treasurer of the social club and this position keeps her busy. Ron is busy with JP duties, particularly at the Hervey Bay courthouse. This year Ron resigned as secretary of the Hervey Bay branch of the Queensland Justices Association due to health issues. We have a fair level of involvement in our church: worship leading, music, ministry, and we have become involved in a group that visits an old people’s home every few months.

We are planning to visit New Zealand for 15 days in February 2013, having already purchased our flight tickets, booked accommodation and rental car.

We will be spending Christmas Day with family on the Gold Coast and we are looking forward to this. We will be back in Hervey Bay toward the end of December and will celebrate New Year’s Eve at home. In early January we begin the round of medical appointments, specialist visits, and monthly infusions again. And so life goes on!!! If anyone has Skype and wants to have contact by this means, our Skype address is aussiejusts.
 
 We trust you have a blessed Christmas and a happy new year.

Ron and Beryl

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