E-mail from Rachel, 17 July, at 11.41 pm:

Good evening,

I caught up today with Matthew and Diane under the fig tree at the Mater. I think the ICU nurses and wardies are quite enjoying this unusual gig they have of taking a patient outside for an hour or so each day.  Beats staying around the sick people!

Matthew was good, in brighter spirits today and all the more for spending some quiet time with Diane before I barged into the conversation.  Ten minutes with him is gold; he always brought clarity to any issue quickly and he is applying the same techniques now!  He had a laugh at how well (and intimately) the wardies know him by now.

Matthew went in late this afternoon for what we believe to be his final surgery, to remove his permacath which had been needed for his dialysis.  He returned to ICU this evening and we trust this will be the last assault on his body.  He may take a few days to get back up, we will see. It should be a walk in the park given what he has been through….but we might give him a quiet day tomorrow just in case.

x Rachel

[Note from Kate: Last assault, that is, until we get bionic arms fitted, maybe in a decade or so.]

Luke, Ben, and Will, with photos for daddy.