A Good Day All Round

Just a quick update on how my appointment with the transplant folk went today.

Obviously I have been suspended from the list since I got that stupid abcess about three months ago and the risk of it bursting during the operation would have been too great to take(trust me to do things in style huh?) The team from Newcastle wanted to review me to see what the situation was with the abcess and my weight.

All and all they were pretty happy with me and although the folk from England had not seen the results from my repeat CT scan the general feeling from the doctors here is that the stupid thing has decreased significantly in size. So what they are going to do is go back over to England and discuss the results with the rest of the team but certainly he can't see why if it has decreased I won't be put back on the list in the next few weeks as long as I continued to put on weight. On that front things are going well and I am at the 38kg mark which considering the way I was a few weeks back is a miracle. Seriously if there is anyone out there that doesn't believe there is a God take a look at my story. He is seriously just working miracle after miracle in my life now.

Things are now all set for the dolly walk which takes place tomorrow night and a BIG thank you has to go out to all the staff and pupils at Waringstown Primary School who had their own walk today THANK YOU SO MUCH

Char xx

Busy Busy Busy

Sorry I'm only getting around to blogging now but things have been hectic (well for me anyway)

I am now out of hospital five weeks today and my dream of avoiding being in before Christmas is beginning to look more like a reality. Now that I have been doing so well I am enjoying more trips out which I am really enjoying and I am defintley getting into the Christmas spirit. I had my CT scan today however I will not get the results until Friday when I have the clinic appointment with the transplant team from Newcastle. Please pray that the abcess will have significantly decreased in size/disappeared as this will be the main factor on whether I make it back onto the list or not.

Project wise things are going fantastically well with the total now over £31,000. The dolly walk is coming up this Saturday night and so I am looking forward to that. So any women out there who fancy a good night out we will be meeting at Dollingstown from 11pm and setting off to walk to Lurgan and back. On the dolly walk I have been busy getting it out there as I can and was lucky enough to have the lovely Tara Mills from BBC newsline come down and film me for a piece ( terrifying!!!!) and then on Monday morning I set off nice and early (well 10am :)) for an interview on U105 with Pamela Ballentine which was an experience lol actually seeing inside a radio studio was pretty cool. I will try and get both interviews up on the website

So all and all things are going well. Thanks so much to everyone who is continuing to support the project and I promise I will do an update sometime over the weekend after the Dolly Walk.

Char
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Sorry For Lack of Updates

First of all sorry for the lack of updates recently. I really have no excuse.

Healthwise I am really feeling as well as I have done in a very LONG time. The only problem is one of the IV antibiotics I was on was making me very sick hence I have lost the best part of 4kgs so I am working hard to try and get it back on as I have an appointment with the transplant team on the 11th December and I am hoping that they will list me again. It would be a perfect (early) Christmas present to be honest. However Chest wise I'm doing great and my energy levels have been great(well for me anyways!!!)

A big Thank You to all of you who are continuing to support the Project. Things are going EXTREMELY well with the total well over £27,000. Also thank you to those organising different events in support of the project.

Don't forget for all you Dollys out there the plans for the Dolly walk are coming along nicely but there is still plenty of room for more to join on the 12 of December with registration being at 11.30pm.

Also final call for those still looking Santa letters this is the final week to order them.

Thanks Again to everyone for all your support and prayers

Char

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Video

I will do a full blog tomorrow as it is getting late but I just wanted to get this little video up. We are going to use this video to promote the project. Hope you like it and sure let me know what you think. If you think you can use it within your church or whatever contact me and I will get a copy to you. Thanks
Char x

Bad Blogger!!!

First of all sorry to everyone that I haven't updated this in a while.





Since I got out of hospital things have been going ok. I'm still on IV antibiotics and had an appointment up at the hospital on Tuesday and they were VERY keen to keep me.To be honest I was just exhausted. They told me they wanted to change my antibiotics so I managed to convince them to let me try the new ones at home and I would come up again on Friday.





So Friday came and I was feeling SO much more energised and better so much so that I managed a driving lesson, lunch out and a wee trip to the shopping centre with Bethany and Serena on Thursday. Now I couldn't have done that last week. So I have to go back down to BCH on Wednesday but there was NO way I was staying :)





On the project front there is only one word to describe it:WOW!!!!


The Craft Fair at Jethro went really well bringing in £1000.


The Dolly Walk is fast approaching and there is still plenty of room so if you are interested check the website. Waringstown Primary School are also hosting their own walk the Friday before so yesterday the walk was launched from there with the help of Paddy Johns and David Humphries.

So check it out as the pictures and press release will be in the papers soon.

Thanks again everyone for your continued support.

Char

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p.s BIG NEWS!!! We have raised over the £27,000 mark Thanks so much everybody

No Rest For The Wicked!!!

Thought it was about time I updated this blog (I'm getting good at this game!!!)

After a long 2.5 weeks in hospital my bags are packed and I'm going home tomorrow!!!!! Thank goodness. Other BIG news is that I saw the X-Ray for myself today and the little annoying abcess is significantly decreased in size. Thank you all so much for your prayers they have really worked as I'm not really sure it should be as small as it is in such a small space of time so Thank You. God is truly AMAZING.

As the title suggests things are going well and I have the pleasure of welcoming the GMTV cameras once again tomorrow evening just when I am out of hospital lol

On the fundraising front there is a wee Christmas Craft Fair in the Jethro Centre, Lurgan on the 11th November at 7pm. If you need directions just give me a wee email

Thanks Again Everyone (on my last post from JAIL!!!)
Charlene
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£20,000...I Think So!!!

First of all the big news is we are now over the £20,000 which is actually AMAZING!!!!!! Also with fundraising activities really starting to take off I'm quite sure it not going to stay around that mark for long :) Thank you so much to everyone who has contributed so far.

Again I will mention that Santa letters and wordsearches are still available so if you would be interested in either just give me a wee e-mail at charlene@charlenesproject.org .

The sponsorship forms for the Dolly Walk are ready and are looking fabulous, so again if you are interested in taking part either in the Lurgan/Dollingstown area one or holding your own wherever in the world you maybe again e-mail me and I will get the sponsor forms to you. Thanks

On the health front I am starting to finally feel better and I am sure that that is due to the news of reaching the £20,000 mark. I ate today for the first time in three weeks ok so it was a starbucks(probably not the most nutritious but its a start!!) No but seriously guys thank you so much for all your kind messages and prayers they have really been what has gotten me through this last few weeks. Mum and Dad have literally been living up here with me so thanks also to everyone that has been kind enough to help out with the rest of the crew with lifts, meals etc. we all appreciate it so much.

Today the whole crew came up (well bar Dave) and literally took over my room but that is the way I like it and it was so good to see them all again.

Anyway I had better go here but Thanks Again everyone
Charlene
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The Only Way is Up

It has been a tough weekend health wise with learning I have an abcess and a clot on the lung and with my peg tube also falling out but thankfully has been re-inserted today. While I have had the frustration of lying in here I have been picked up by people out there fundraising for the project.
A big thank you to The McDonald family in Dromore for the coffee morning which they held in Dromore Non-Subscribing Presbyterian church.

Also to Barbara Bingham and my Auntie Tena who both had birthdays but instead of receiving presents asked that donations be made to the project.

As you can see thanks to these events and other donations made in recent days my total has nearly reached the £13,000 mark.

Thanks to all working hard out there as Im kinda stuck in here for a long time (but if I have my way it wont be like that)
Char
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p.s The icing on the cake was when Liverpool deservedly beat Man Utd today. Perfect

Fundraising Really Taking Off

A big thank you to everyone over the last wee while that has held various fundraising events for the project. These have all been really well supported and the donations made have really helped us in reaching our goal as we are now over the £11,000 mark.

Thanks Again
Char

Coffee Morning

Just to let everyone in know that there is a coffee morning being held tomorrow morning (Saturday 24th October). It is being held by Donna McDonald and her daughter Kerry ( who plays hockey with our Bethany & Serena). It is being held in Dromore Non Subscribing Pres. Church from 10am-12pm. All money raised will be going to the Charlene project.

Unfortunatley with still being stuck in hospital I will not be able to make it but guys if you around the area please drop in and say hello.
Thanks Very Much
Char

ps If you need directions check out the link below
http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?sourceid=navclient&rlz=1T4HPEB_enGB311GB301&q=dromore%20non%20subscribing%20pres%20church&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&hl=en&tab=wl

I'm Back

Just a quick update to say that I am beginning to improve. I think I can honestly say that this last week was probably one of the worst I have ever experienced. Sure there is still a long way to go but put it like this I'm already pestering the docs to let me home so that can only be a good thing!!

Thanks so much to everyone who is praying for me and the family,facebooking,us and texting us Mum and Dad have been sitting with me most days and I always love when they read out all of the texts that they have received Thanks so much folks they really do help.

On the fundraising side of things we have hit the £10,000 mark so keep it coming folks Thank you so much. Also if anyone else is interested the santa letters and wordsearches are still available

Thanks Again
Char
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Improvement and Thanks

Dickie again:
We are in so much a better place tonight than last night. Yesterday was very, very difficult but today Charlene has picked up the baton and fought and battled back against all the odds. The central line has been successfully removed and Charlene has a little bit more energy today and tons more fight than we could ever have hoped for. There is clearly a long way to go, and we have often been going two steps forward and two steps back, but things are again pointing and moving in the right direction - a real answer to the prayers of so many. Thank you to everyone who has been praying for and thinking of Charlene.

Sorry we have not been able to answer all the texts and messages, but your love and support means just so much to Charlene and all the other Barrs.

God is always good. God bless.

Ill

Dickie writing. Charlene has had a really difficult day. Has been very ill - antibiotics changed again, other medication added in and minor surgical procedure scheduled for tomorrow. Please remember her and if you pray, please pray for her. Thank you.

Yet another admission

Charlene got out of hospital on Monday past but unfortunately took very ill again during the week with high temperatures, chest pain and vomiting. She eventually agreed to be readmitted again yesterday (Friday). She looked so ill and the hospital changed her antibiotics yet again - she is now on a 3 antibiotic combination (this is her 16th course of intravenous antibiotics this year).
Today thankfully there is amazing progress. She is still not well and looks so weak but she wanted to come down to meet her Mum at the front of the hospital as I had brought down an Amazon package Charlene had ordered - it contained Michael Buble's new cd which Charlene had bought for her Mum. What can I say.

Thanks to Lynne Strong for doing a coffee morning today for Charlenes Project. Over £500 raised - thanks to all who supported.

Santa

I have been in contact with the big man in the North Pole and this year he is sending letters to all boys and girls before Christmas(just to check they are behaving themselves). He told me that he would be very grateful if for every letter he sends the children's Mummy and Daddy could donate £4 to the Charlene Project or £10 for a family with 3 or more children.If you are interested and would like me to pass your details onto Santa please let me know

Thanks Charlene

Home Again

Just a quick post to let you know that I got home again today which feels amazing although Im still on IV antibiotics.

Fundraising continues to go really well and some of the events are really starting to take off.

On the transplant front I got my letter in the post today to notify me that I am now on the list so the waiting game begins. Lets just hope it's not too much of a wait

Thanks Again
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Word Search

Charlene has been unwell today and her blood tests would suggest it is further infection in her chest. Clearly if she were to get the call at times like this she would not be well enough to go for transplant. Needs to see progress with things again so appreciate prayers. She sends her regards to everyone following her site.

Sunday Life ran another article last weekend and Craigavon Echo featured her on the front page today. http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/sunday-life/lurgan-girl-given-goahead-for-lifesaving-procedure-as-sunday-life-readers-donate-to--her-uganda-school-project-14521631.html

We appreciate this publicity so that money can be raised for Hidden Treasure.

A Word Search sheet is available to sell at £1 per sheet. Please get in contact if you can help Charlene by selling some for her.

Thanks

Chest Infection

This is Dickie, Charlenes Dad updating her Blog. She has been on IV antibiotics for over a week and unfortunately over the last few days she has been feeling things are going down so today she was readmitted to hospital again. Tonight when we were with her she was in reasonable form, her IV antibiotics have been changed and thankfully her weight hasn't dropped, still being 39.6kg.
Hopefully things will pick up quickly - we still haven't heard officially that Charlene is on the transplant list - hopefully we will have that confirmation early next week.
Thanks so much for being with her on this journey.

Interview of GMTV

Here is the wee clip from GMTV

Good News

So today was the big day where I would find out whether or not I would be put on the waiting list for a lung transplant. So as mum and I walked into the room I was rather apprehensive as to what was going to be said particularly as I was working so hard to reach the necessary 40kg. So off I went and stepped on the scales and the final number was 39.3kg/6st 3 lb (which they were happy enough with provided it continued to increase) Apparently the average weight for my height 148cm /4ft 8.5in is 45kg-55kg.

So basically the consultant from Freeman Hospital, Newcastle said that there were a couple of things to consider.

Initially there had been a query over my liver as it was a bit enlarged. However after exploring this they were not too concerned. Phew

Next was getting the right mix of antibiotics that would work best for me afterwards if i was to receive a transplant. So the microbiologists in Newcastle have found a couple of good mixes and have just to find the BEST one that will work.

At the assessment back in August they had to check my blood type and it turns out that I am O+ so as this is the most common it will work in my favour if I was to be listed.

So at this stage I was feeling pretty ok about the situation as they had not said anything that made me feel like it wasn't going ahead. However they then proceeded to tell me that there are antibodies in my blood that would mean that 20% of organ donors would be a no go. At this point i was not sure where the whole thing was.

Then after giving me a quick summary the consultant basically told me that if I continued to progress with my weight gain they were happy enough and that I would be placed on the list by… THE END OF NEXT WEEK.

Will Keep You Updated

Tomorrow is the Day!!!

Ok so tomorrow is the big day where I will find out what the craic is with the whole transplant issue and whether or not they are going to list me for a double lung transplant. To be honest Im feeling quite mixed about the whole thing as after working so hard to get my weight up to what was required I want them to give me the go ahead.

The fundraising for the project is going really well and my new target is to reach £7000 by the end of Septemeber. Also if anyone would like to hold a fundraiser for the project please let me know as I would be only too delighted to pass on any info about the project that is required.

GMTV went well the other night oh and look out for the Sunday Life this week as I may make a wee appearance.

GMTV Interview

well just got out of hospital there this afternoon to complete my IV antibiotics at home. The good news is that my weight has reached the 39.8kg mark so the 40kg necessary for friday's appointment is within reach

Jane and Nicola from GMTV interviewed me this afternoon about the school and my fundraising I was dead nervous but the girls were great and put me right at ease (even if one of them was a Man U supporter!!!!) It goes out tomorrow at 6.35am, 7.05am and 8.05am (how inconsiderate, they clearly are not aware that Miss Barr does NOT do mornings)

On the publicity front had a phone call from Sunday Life and they coming tomorrow to do an article. Who knows next I'll have my own reality TV show

Hope with all this publicity I get more of the funds needed

All My Love
Char

p.s website is now up and running and can be found at http://www.charlenesproject.org/ so be sure and visit :)

Quick Update

Ok so I let the old man take over the blog last time lol :) but now I'm back. Got home for a little while today (so glad to see normality again). I'm feeling really good actually however I am still on Iv's but to be honest I'm ok with that as it means we nip things in the bud quickly. Im getting home for good on Monday.Thank Goodness! On the weight front things are good as im sitting at 38.4kg so me thinks a week at home with mum's cooking and I will be flying past the 40kg mark lol.
On the project side of things everything going well. Can't believe I will be welcoming GMTV to the house this week lol. Talk about being petrified but to be honest my attitude is it will be over soon lol and lets hope if I pass my first media challenge it will mean that there will be many to follow. Thanks guys for all your love and Prayers
Char
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Portacath back in

This is Charlenes Dad, Dickie updating her Blog. Charlene is back in hospital and disappointed that she does not currently have internet access.

She went back into hospital on Tuesday for insertion of her portacath (the central line - that allows her to get her intravenous drugs easily when they are needed).

We all were a bit concerned as we didn't want her to have a GA with her chest as it obviously could have put her back weight wise with her appointment with the transplant sugeons coming up in about 10 days.

A lot of people prayed as she went down to theatres yesterday and the line went in easily under local.

Charlene was back in the ward and enjoying pizza last night. Her and her Mum had ordered so much pizza, there was even some left for me and Natalie when we visited later in the evening.

Although over all the medical staff are pleased with things, Charlene's white cell count is up a bit, so she has been started back on intravenous antibiotics again.

Her weight is over 38 kg so we are hopefully still on target for the 40 kg mark for her big appointment coming up with the transplant doctors.

The other big news is that GMTV want to interview Charelene - you can imagine the panic she is in - lol

We still need offers for coffee mornings, sponsored walks, table quizzes etc etc by many good folk to start the ball rolling well and truly with the fundraising.

Over 12,000 hits on this Blog - please please pass on about Charlenes blog site to all your friends and work colleagues so we make this all happen for her in Uganda.

Thanks, thanks, thanks for all your support and prayers.

Sorry For Lack Of Updates

Sorry I have not updated the blog in a while :(
Things are going really good and I am keeping well having been off IV antibiotics for about three weeks now (trust me that is a long time lol). I am still waiting on the transplant team coming over from England at the end of the month so until then I am continuing to work on getting my weight up to the 40 kg mark (who would have thought it would be so hard) Although I am currently well at the minute I am going into hospital tomorrow for a small operation this week so hopefully that will go well and I will be out soon. Things have been busy at home with everyone back to school and the likes so I am now really starting to get into the swing of things with the Charlene Project.

On the project side of things, it is all going great with the money continuing to come in (thanks folks) and also I have a few fundraising events in the pipeline. So it is all very exciting. I would ask that you guys keep praying for the teachers and pupils of Hidden Treasure Primary school and also the wee community that it is in as they literally have nothing. Thanks again guys for your contunied support and prayers
Charlene
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Time For An Update

Thought it was time that I updated this thing. Since my last post things have been going really well and I have been feeling great with the main focus being on getting my weight up to the necessary 40kgs. I have also come off my IV antibiotics after 10 very long weeks and so far so good. I can't believe the "summer" is over and I have really enjoyed having everyone around home so it will be strange when they all go back to uni, school etc but hey.

On the project front things are going really well and the fundraising is fantastic (thanks to everyone that has visited my Justgiving page) Also a number of people have volunterred to hold a few coffee mornings for it so we will see how that goes. If anyone has any other fundraising ideas please do not hesitate to e-mail me on charlenebarr15@hotmail.com. Thanks again to everyone
God Bless
Char

Thanks Everyone

This is just a wee update to say that I am feeling much better and am home from hospital (hopefully for a little longer this time :)) Also just want to thank everyone for their interest in both the blog and the just giving website I really am amazed at all the interest that the project has received in such early stages so thanks everyone. I will try my best to keep this blog updated with any news or developments on the school so keep checking in :)

Thanks again

Charlene

p.s If i have not updated this blog I also have a twitter page for the project. The link is www.twitter.com/charleneproject

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And so the dream begins

Well have finally got around to starting this blog. It is here that I aim to keep you guys up to date with what is happening with my plans to build a school in Uganda and also my journey as I prepare for a lung transplant.

I have recently just completed a series of tests in Newcastle England to test my suitability for a double lung transplant and if everything goes according to plan I hope to be on the list within the next few months. God willing.

As many of you know I have been unwell for quite sometime now and as a result had to leave school early . It was then that I came up with the idea of building a school in Uganda. I had been out previously once before and was due to go out during this summer however couldn't due to ill health. The need of the children shocked me and I saw that they were even been deprived of something as small as an education. Something which in this country we take for granted and children complain about going to school. As a result I want to make a difference to a small number of children in Uganda by providing them with a chance to go to school. When the Love For Life team were out in Uganda this summer I sent them with strict instructions to try and find me a primary school that they thought could do with help. they viewed a couple of different schools and found Hidden Treasure Primary, it is simply one little room made of sticks and mud where all of the children are taught together. I really do feel like this is the right school to be starting my project with and I pray to God that it will be the first school of many that the Charlene Project has helped to contribute towards. Thanks to everyone for your continued support and prayers.

Charlene
p.s. below are a few pictures of what Hidden Treasure Primary school currently looks like.

The ChalkBoard used to teach the kids

Outside the School

Here are some of the kids in the school and just look at what they are expected to sit on all day