Happy to Chat at Brunel

Some photos from today's Happy To Chat on Brunel Campus... the campus full of exams with students either just out of a morning exam or about to go to an afternoon exam. I took my graduation photo to show me when younger but also to show achievement. My degree in nursing was after studying O levels and A levels a night school, plus while working full time as a Senior Staff Nurse and a wife & mother. Then trained as a midwife. The spin off for my daughters was no issue doing homework as our dining table was full of books from my studying. Sometime we were studying the same subject at the same time.. I remember having notes stuck on the kitchen wall to learn while I cooked dinner. Of course in my time of study no google but reference hunting in the library! 

It was lovely listening to the students and their career plans. One physiotherapy student had a plan to go into clinical work in the NHS. We discussed how important physio was in ITU as well as rehabilitation.  I was in my element when I spotted a baby of one of our Indian couple who are studying data analytics.. They were impressed at my Hindi speaking too.  The campus is a community within our wider community and open to our locals. I was discussing this on the bus going and coming back with elderly neighbours. More feel they would like to get involved. 

Today we had Happy ro Chat over complementary pizzas... hhhh with hungry students had to get in quick for mine.. Good fun and great sharing.. scroll down to see more photos .. and the yummy every Wednesday stall of breads, pastries, cakes and baklava.. got some treats to have with a cuppa for my supper.. 

The Allergen chart a good idea..

I also took the poverty report from yesterday's parliament meeting. The students took photos and I told them can be pdf downloaded from the APPG Poverty website. Some were inspired that they could attend meetings in parliament. 

 Photos with permission of the parents of the cute baby boy .. 

full of curiosity then fell asleep so sweet. 

Poverty Report

yesterday attended the combined APPG Poverty & APPG Migration meeting in Portculus house Parliament.. The report reveals an in depth look at the effects of the UK Immigration Asylum & Refugee Policy on Poverty. I will be studying this and bring more to my blog on my reading. You can download a pdf of the report on this link Asylum & Refugee policy effects on poverty  I was early for the meeting and as always the parliamentary staff take care of me. We have a great time of sharing. The speakers and attendees of the meeting where very interesting to speak with. Lots of hugs for me which I appreciate as many know about my campaigning. 

Useful promotion tool to raise awareness

This doubled sided laminated A4 placard is a great tool to discuss with contacts about Mo'men my nurse in Rafah. They can see his academic achievements and there are QR codes to open this blog to read more and see my work as retired nurse midwife and campaigner. There is a QR code to the GoFundMe. I was able to use in a migration parliament meeting and to gain advice and support. Also at our local university. All conversations reveal so many people do not wish horror shows in the world ..they wish peace, harmony and togetherness.  Shalom Salem Peace Om Shanti. 

Matilde Aprile,  the GoFundMe manager of this appeal is in email contact with me. She is planning a fundraising event in Milan her home city. If an event here in London she could attend too... we need to see what bargain flights there are as I may be able to visit her.  We can set up a zoom meeting too. I am including my MP John McDonnell to update on what we are trying to do to help Mo'men. I used to write up reports on my Syrian Family Link Up project when actively fundraising and visiting Eleonas camp Athens to send to my MP & UNHCR legal team London. So all aware of my projects. Note also GoFundMe are helping to ensure all fundraising for Gaza is above board and achieving results to help those in need to evacuate. 

Urgent Appeal to help my Nurse

 GoFundMe to Safety

A colleague from an NGO that has been helping in Gaza has set up this appeal many thanks to Matilde Aprille.. 

🚨🙏🤲💞👩‍💻 please help!  Momen is my Palestinian nurse I mentored through his BSc Nursing.. he went on to achieve a MSc in Public Health. He helped improve the Breast Cancer Care pathway in Gaza with a published paper in the European Journal of Oncology Nursing ref: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S1462388922001314

He is working with MSF and been coordinating care of patients and injured in Rafah. His wife is a mathematics teacher and they have a newborn daughter.. the funds are needed to evacuate to Egypt from the merciless offensive plans that the international community are failing to stop.... once in Egypt there is help and support. He is a born nurse with extensive clinical skills to help others as he rebuilds his life in safety for his family.. Shukran, Thank You, Merci, Bedankt for your help.  

GoFundMe to Safety    . 

Reference to Published Work Breast Cancer Care in Gaza

I had opportunity to meet Momen in person when he came to Brussels for some intensive training to to coordinate care in extreme situations. Photo by Eurostar Brussels Midi. A very kindly person with a lot to offer the world in care & compassion.

I have his achievements file from over the years I have mentored him. I was proud of him presenting his Breast Cancer Care work in a conference. 

GoFundMe to Safety

With Many Thanks 

Jusoor meeting booked

 

Jusoor

The link to the Jusoor conference I attended at Kings College as part of my investigative work for my project Family Link Up Kings College conference looking forward to more time with this group of caring people. 

Interesting Talk Brunel University

Another stimulating evening at Brunel University. What an amazing presentation by Prof Amanda Harvey. A presentation that took us on a journey through her career building and how much had been unplanned. That journey has taken her to perform some very much needed work on cell biology and breast cancer cell behaviour. It was touching to hear a member of the audience in the question time who was a breast cancer survivor be so grateful to Professors' work. The presentation touched on her work and gave insights but has inspired me to reference hunt to learn more.  I am first and foremost a biologist that chose my career to be in nursing and midwifery. My nursing had taken me in experience in oncology too! Plus as a retiree had helped at the local Community Cancer Centre a patient run centre so the whole topic touched upon was of great interest to me. I would love to attend more of Professors lectures on Cell Signalling and behaviour. I had opportunity to meet with her associate researcher Alessandra Devoto, in their collaborative work with the Royal Holloway University. 

In amongst the evening had time with Amanda's mother who is also very interesting to be with. Plus had time with a breast cancer patient. 

My questions in the presentation time was the acknowledgement of the dynamic changes in the breast tissue from hormonal response in the menstrual cycle, pregnancy, lactation and menopause and had this been studied. Plus also why was there an affinity for bone mets in breast cancer? 

Later in the over drinks discussion I also wished to know more of Amandas work on acute and chronic wound healing. Very relevant to me as after my bilateral mamaplexy my wounds broken down and I needed negative pressure vac therapy to heal the craterous wounds. So my interest was both from academic and a patient perspective. 

Here are some references to follow up as I will be too from this stimulating evening of sharing... :- 

PubMed link to article

Jasmonates Science Direct further reading

Parliament Lobby & Peaceful Walk

Wednesday I managed to lobby my MP John McDonnell to express my concern over my nurse in Rafah and indeed all NGOs working there and all the over a million citizens, patients & injured trapped there.  We had a good time of updating on issues and it was a good atmosphere in parliament at this time. The parliamentary staff always kindly to me and our police caring and ensuring our safety. 

It was a pleasant evening so I decided to go for a walk through St James's Park. There had been the incident with the horses bolting in London so I hoped I could get an update from the barracks sentry if one on duty. It was quite upsetting to see the injured white horse in the film footage. But the army gave an update on the social media to thank all that were concerned. 

My walk reinforced that folk simply wish to live in peace. I had a good talk with other campaigners in Parliament Square and with the police. Then with some tourists. A time of general chatting and sharing together even the odd fun remark to have a laugh together. Isn't this what many want togetherness and respectful kindness to one another. I walked past some of our Londoners sat quiet reading novels in the serenity of the park listening to music with those earbuds that have become popular. Tourists were enjoying filming our cheeky squirrels that have learnt to come to us humans for nuts and will brazenly come close even scamper up legs and sit on hands to feed. The ducks and the geese got filmed and photographed as a lovely image of nature in the city. But I could not see our famous Pelicans in by the pond.  There was an air of tranquility so precious for us all to keep.  i wandered up past Buckingham palace and up Green Park to the station to travel back home. There were a group of young women exercising together and I they had a laugh when I told them about my thighs being researched as a 70 year old at the Brunel University ageing studies. They loved my narration of this! a great time of jovial sharing together.. There is more power is Peace Love and Sharing with one another than all the war horrors we are seeing in the world. Time for Global Tranquility like a walk in the park!

Culture wars but in Peaceful discussion

Culture Wars & Social Change

This was a very stimulating evening at Brunel University. The panel looked at different aspects of how culture division can be augmented by media and perspectives that create individual and group perception of others. The media is a tool that can be used to put more spotlight on a particular perception to create division instead of mutual understanding of one another. 

I brought to the question time discussion how I go on the peace marches and how the media and the present government can distort the perception of this by their wording. I am indeed part of the MOB that the present PM labelled us with as we  the call for peace and ceasefire. A useful acronym I pointed out as I turned the label to Many Opposed to Bombing! 

I also shared how in the march there was amazing sharing with one another from all cultures, all backgrounds and religions including our amazing Jewish bloc with holocaust survivors and families. We cry together, hug one another, share with one another, listen to one another. 

I pointed out that from my clinical perspective I was observing in myself and others that we are going through a form of grieving. Grieving the loss of the world we wish it to be of Peace, love care compassion empathy for one another and this one planet home we all share. 

I also pointed out that we have an all party group that is calling for Compassion in Politics and we need Compassion in Policymaking. Compassion in Politics

My question from this sharing was if there are then more of us in this world that wish peace and togetherness why was there division and what purpose and whose purpose did it serve to create that division? 

This fit into the discussion as there was an emphasis on empathy and compassion and why division or perceived division in society. 

The evening continued with a further conversation over drinks and I found myself in an huddle of other retired nurses but I was the only one with midwifery. As nurses though we had combined neonatal experience. What an time of caring and sharing as our careers are indeed built on caring and compassion. One of the panel, Professor Anita Howarth from the Media department, joined us. The most important observation from our combined discussion  - was we were all well travelled and had shared time with other cultures in a vast array of countries as we shared our experiences. Plus as I pointed out as nurses we had cared for patients from all cultures and worked with health professionals from all cultures so we understood one another through that caring. 

I always point out from my befriending refugees my Family Link Up project that I have a ray of hope from the refugee children. That ray of hope is that they are becoming polyglots little professors of linguistics as they pick up and efficiently use all the languages they are exposed too. This in a practical way will help understanding one another and see how we think and live our lives with the same emotions and feelings. But we must be aware that those emotions and feelings can be subject to manipulation by others in either negative or positive ways.  Present day social media can be social or antisocial with who ever uses to create togetherness or division. 

Maybe with polyglots and those little professors of linguistics we will indeed become truly a Global Family and truly United Nations with Peace for our future generations. A very apt and very important statement I make in the background of Saber rattling at the moment on the global stage. 

We need to change the Saber to Sabr the Arabic word for patience. Patience to listen and understand one another. 

Shalom Salem Peace Om Shanti in the world to ensure our future on this one planet home we share!

Needed to be around flowers today

Scroll through and enjoy .. i needed to escape world stress and go to this local oasis of peace and beauty ..

 

Then a surprise find in my own garden my faithful yearly Aqualegia has blossomed and loads of buds appearing too ..