Holidays

It's Easter Sunday today, the start of the school holidays, we've had snow and of course it's cold and wet outside. This is always a trigger for thoughts of warmer climates and sun-filled holidays.

Last year I took Laura to Paris for our Dravet families get-together (with mum along to help out) but that was the extent of our holidays together in 2007. It was 2006 that halted our long run of great holidays with Laura. Up until then we had managed quite a lot of trips to Cyprus without any major problems. Of course we had had had an occasional seizure but nothing major and I guess looking back we were incredibly lucky.

Then in summer 2006 we ended up in ER first in Cyprus and then a month later in America, and then had to cancel a trip to Cyprus in October due to a very bad status seizure sending Laura into PICU for 6 days. 2006 was a bad year for seizures and hospitalisation and it made me scared to go abroad with her. I only went to Paris because Dr Dravet would be there and French hospitals understand Dravet syndrome, and plus it's not far and didn't require a flight.

But now I am starting to feel brave again and my desire for some sun is helping too... So the bad weather got me searching the internet yesterday for apartments at Aphrodite Hills, and I finally managed to get one for half term week. Mick won't go and Alex will be in the middle of his exams, so mum and dad have offered to come along. I did do it alone with Laura a couple of times in 2005/6 but after the ER trip and the realisation that most doctors in Cyprus don't speak English and the hospital in Pafos has no PICU, I decided going it alone wasn't really on anymore. Of course Laura is nearly 3 years older, bigger, stronger and has all her gastrostomy equipment now too, so I just couldn't lug it all out there alone.

I've just got to book some flights and keep my fingers crossed that we can get travel insurance again, although last time we used the E111 card and didn't claim on our insurance as that covers emergency treatment.

I always feel so much happier when I have some sun on the horizon! Having been almost totally deprived of sun last year (it even rained in Paris in August!!), I so need some this year. And Laura loves nothing more than being in and by the pool all day so we will both be happy!