Jon's Story Continued...

After his short stay in hospital he soon rallied again until he noticed his left arm beginning to swell. Very soon this was quite marked and the arm was becoming increasingly heavy. This is when the palliative care team became involved. A physio visited our home, bringing Jon a support to help him bear the weight of his arm which had been diagnosed as lymphoedema. A nurse from the said team phoned and then paid a visit to assess Jon's pain and set up a regime whereby it was kept under control.

April 25th was Jon's birthday and that morning he was very upbeat and came downstairs with a lovely smile on his face and wearing a red t-shirt to co-ordinate with his red arm support. Family and friends called throughout the day to wish him well and in the evening we threw a little party for him which he thoroughly enjoyed, with Jon even having a beer whilst wearing a silly 30th birthday hat that Matthew had picked especially for him. According to Catherine Matthew chose it himself and couldn't or wouldn't be dissuaded from buying it for his uncle Jon. He was most insistent that Jon should wear it and we were amazed when he did.

Sadly Jon's health went steadily downhill from that point. He began to be uncomfortable and breathless. His GP was attentive as usual and prescribed diuretics. Despite high doses of Frusemide the breathlessness had increased to the point where he was once again admitted to Belfast City Hospital. Whilst there, after a CT scan everything went crazy.

A pericardial effusion (fluid crushing the heart) had been detected which had the potential of ending Jon's life at any time. According to Jon's oncologist this complication of Jon's disease is most uncommon; in fact he had never witnessed it before.

A tap was carried out to aspirate the fluid but this was only to be a temporary measure. A surgical procedure was necessary to keep this fluid build-up at bay and for this a cardio-thoracic surgeon from the Royal Victoria Hospital was called. The ‘pericardial windowing' operation was carried out on Monday 12th May.

To add insult to injury MRSA raised its ugly head. It was causing a lot of problems in his affected shoulder. He hated all the fuss all of this entailed.

He was terribly unsettled in hospital. He missed the hustle and bustle of home and found it hard to cope with the lack of privacy. Although we all spent as much time with him as hospital protocol would allow, he still at times felt lonely and uneasy.

We were relieved when told we could bring him home on Friday - 5 days after his heart surgery.
Carried out with military precision, with Jon on oxygen and me in the back of the ambulance with him we were transported from Belfast to Larne. He was so glad to be home and tucked into his lunch with gusto.

That night however he had great difficulty breathing, despite being on constant oxygen. He was a bit agitated but settled down once reassured. His dad from then on slept in the room with him and this went a long way in relieving his stress.

Our GP visited over the weekend and very compassionately informed us that the situation was not good for Jon. He was never told just how ill he had become, as far as he was aware his problems were post-op.

He had friends and family come to visit, sometimes he was up to seeing them and sometimes not.
Lindy nipped in and out day and night to dress Jon's lesions and check on his condition. He always enjoyed seeing her and had absolute faith in her. Other members of the Community Nursing Services team were also very supportive, calling in to assist with his care.

Everyone who had any involvement in Jon's care or visited him during his illness said the same thing - he was a pleasure to deal with and so appreciative - never omitting to say ‘thank-you'. He's been called a gentleman.

We all maintained a constant vigil to keep him company, his sister and aunt having moved in with us to spend more time with Jon.

By Tuesday he was pretty low but still had a smile and was able to crack a little joke with us from time to time. He was in no pain whatsoever, his oral and IV morphine had been replaced by a syringe driver and he seemed relaxed though very weak.

Anyone who has read Jon's own story will know of his absolute abhorrence of the catheter he'd had to endure after his previous surgery and be glad to learn that he didn't have one again. He would have hated it and we promised it wouldn't happen. So when asked by his GP if he wanted a catheter passed, he declined. His decision was final and backed by all of us.

His sense of humour remained throughout all of this and his smile was ever present.

Just before 1:00 pm on Wednesday 21st May 2008 Jonathan Neil Herron passed away, his hard fought battle over, his suffering finally at an end.

He left this world in the same manner in which he had lived in it, with remarkable courage and dignity, surrounded by those who loved him and whom he loved.

On Saturday 24th May his funeral service was attended by around 450 people, such was the regard in which he was held.

We thank all of those who enabled Jon to retain his dignity throughout his illness and are eternally grateful.

Thank you also to all those who offered Jon friendship, love and support, we know how much it meant to him.

Our lives will never be the same without Jon, and he will never be forgotten.

He will be with us always and will walk with us forever.

It was a privilege to know and love him and be loved by him.

Jon's Family
Rest in peace my darling, my hero...
Love Always, Mum

On Tuesday 15th July, just 8 weeks after Jon's passing, his niece Alix Nicole was born. Its such a pity that he never got to meet her but we know that he is watching over her and her brother.

As she grows we will tell her about Jon and ensure that she knows just what a special man he was.