Building it up - In the name of Thiago - Day 53

Today I’m going to bring things back to why I came here in the first place. And that’s my little big man Thiago. He was little in size but my God he had a heart the size of well, something fecking massive.

But his heart was broken and so it is that I am here pouring my own heart out night after night. Today is day 53 of this blog. Fifty three consecutive days of writing something vaguely coherent – though perhaps readers you are better judges of that – and trying not to go too far off beam.

So tonight is about saying again, for it needs saying every day for the rest of my life, that the reason I am turning my life around and doing something positive is down to the energy that Thiago gave me in the less than ten months he had with us to shape lives and create memories in his lifetime.

Today I met with Lamont Howie from BBC Radio Stoke. As well as being an outstanding journalist with a way which only comes from years of finely honing a skill, he is also a friend. We don’t know each other particularly well just yet, but we certainly get on very well and I can honestly say that he gets where I’m coming from with my emotions the blog the whole caboodle really. 

(Lamont and I pictured a month or so ago when we enjoyed a Saturday evening at his house with our good ladies)

The questions he was putting to me as part of the pre-recorded interview we did today, showed that very clearly. Thank you for helping me to tell my story Lamont.

If things go to plan you should be able to hear some of that interview on Sunday from between 1.30 and 2pm on Sunday. Do listen out if you can folks! This was me earlier today snapped by Lamont after we'd finished our interview at Westport Lake.

I’ve also had a good chat with another friend of mine this evening Mr Stephen Tibbals pictured below sat on top of a van (picture supplied courtesy of one Mr J. Hickey) who for as long as I’ve known him has simply been known as Tibbals or occasionally Tibbo. 

But never Stephen, which is what I accidentally called him when the phone rang earlier. I actually apologised to him for using his first name as it just felt weird!

In return he did manage to refrain from calling me Chris and used my pseudonym from years ago – Monkey. It’s a long story.

Anyway the long and the short of it is that Tibbals is the kind of bloke who will help you if he can and so we had a decent natter about how he might be able to support with some fundraising ideas.

There is no substitute for picking up the phone and chewing the fat with people as sometimes ideas just come from nowhere. I’ve come to the realisation that I’m going to need a few such ideas which just push that fundraising total up. Ten grand still seems a long way away but I’m building momentum and that reminds me that I’ll be selling the little felt hearts at work tomorrow so I’m sure that’ll bring in another £30-40 for Birmingham Children's Hospital and University Hospital Stoke.

Take care everyone, because you’re reading this you are bringing me some comfort on a day when a few tears have been shed.

Keep the fundraising going by donating if you can, thank you.