Jump to content

Recommended Posts

Did anyone watch this on bbc3 last night? I was in tears most of the way through. I think Miss JB is going to be having lots of cuddles today.


For those who didn't see it - it was a documentary following the last months of life of a 21 year old with terminal cancer. Clearly not a cheery subject but Alex was inspiring. Makes you appreciate what you have - and puts all those worries about getting the best pram etc into perspective.

Link to comment
https://www.eastdulwichforum.co.uk/topic/18570-alex-a-life-fast-forward/
Share on other sites

Yes, I watched it after having read reviews on BBC and in a newspaper. It was beautifully filmed and I also cried many tears. I have worked as a psychologist in cancer palliative care services and sometimes medical teams can forget the human impact. This is a poignant reminder.
Ali's sister (one of the bridesmaids at the wedding) is one of my best friends and so I feel lucky to know the Strain family. The documentary was done beautifully and reflects who these people actually are - Ali really is that nice a person, the documentary wasn't over-sentimentalised at all. I liked the way the programme focused on Alex's zest for life as well as his death - something we could all learn from. I know that one of the main reasons the docu was filmed was because the families wanted to raise awareness and money for this particular type of cancer so lets hope they achieve their aim.
I too just watched this on iPlayer, and it was really close to home for me, I knew a few people in the documentary having grown up just a few minutes away from the village. I too was amazed at the courage and bravery shown by everybody involved. Its beautiful they made such a bad situation the best it could be for everybody in Alex's life. Its so nice he got to meet Ali and find that kind of fulfillment in the final stages of his life. I hope the family get everything they aimed to out of making this documentary, it does really show life is what you make it! Very touching story..

Create an account or sign in to comment

You need to be a member in order to leave a comment

Create an account

Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!

Register a new account

Sign in

Already have an account? Sign in here.

Sign In Now
  • Latest Discussions

    • Honestly, the squirrels are not a problem now.  They only eat what has dropped.  The feeders I have are squirrel proof anyway from pre-cage times.  I have never seen rats in the garden, and even when I didn't have the cage.  I most certainly would have noticed them.  I do have a little family of mice which I have zero problem about.  If they stay outside, that's fine with me.  Plus, local cats keep that population down.  There are rats everywhere in London, there is plenty of food rubbish out in the street to keep them happy.  So, I guess you could fit extra bars to the cage if you wanted to, but then you run the risk of the birds not getting in.  They like to be able to fly in and out easily, which they do.   
    • Ahh, the old "it's only three days" chestnut.  I do hope you realise the big metal walls, stages, tents, toilets, lighting, sound equipment, refreshments, concessions etc don't just magically appear & disappear overnight? You know it all has to be transported in & erected, constructed? And that when stuff is constructed, like on a construction site, it's quite noisy & distracting? Banging, crashing, shouting, heavy plant moving around - beep beep beep reversing signals, engines revving - pneumatic tools? For 8 to 10 hours a day, every day? And that it tends to go on for two or three weeks before an event, and a week after when they take it all down again? I'm sure my boys' GCSE prep won't be affected by any of that, especially if we close the windows (before someone suggests that as a resolution). I'm sure it won't affect anyone at the Harris schools either, actually taking their exams with that background noise.
    • Thanks for the good discussion, this should be re-titled as a general thread about feeding the birds. @Penguin not really sure why you posted, most are aware that virtually all land in this country is managed, and has been for 100s of years, but there are many organisations, local and national government, that manage large areas of land that create appropriate habitats for British nature, including rewilding and reintroductions.  We can all do our bit even if this is not cutting your lawn, and certainly by not concreting over it.  (or plastic grass, urgh).   I have simply been stating that garden birds are semi domesticated, as perhaps the deer herds in Richmond Park, New Forest ponies, and even some foxes where we feed them.  Whoever it was who tried to get a cheap jibe in about Southwark and the Gala festival.  Why?  There is a whole thread on Gala for you to moan on.  Lots going on in Southwark https://www.southwark.gov.uk/culture-and-sport/parks-and-open-spaces/ecology-and-wildlife I've talked about green sqwaky things before, if it was legal I'd happily use an air riffle, and I don't eat meat.  And grey squirrels too where I am encourage to dispatch them. Once a small group of starlings also got into the garden I constructed my own cage using starling proof netting, it worked for a year although I had to make a gap for the great spotted woodpecker to get in.  The squirrels got at it in the summer but sqwaky things still haven't come back, starlings recently returned.  I have a large batch of rubbish suet pellets so will let them eat them before reordering and replacing the netting. Didn't find an appropriately sized cage, the gaps in the mesh have to be large enough for finches etc, and the commercial ones were £££ The issue with bird feeders isn't just dirty ones, and I try to keep mine clean, but that sick birds congregate in close proximity with healthy birds.  The cataclysmic obliteration of the greenfinch population was mainly due to dirty feeders and birds feeding close to each other.  
    • Another recommendation for Niko - fitted me in the next day, simple fix rather than trying to upsell and a nice guy as well. Will use again
Home
Events
Sign In

Sign In



Or sign in with one of these services

Search
×
    Search In
×
×
  • Create New...