At The Ivy

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Today, Nellie and Monk went with Floss and Flower to The Ivy Restaurant in the West End. Over the past few years, it's become a bit of a tradition to meet up at The Ivy on the first Sunday after New Year for a long, leisurely lunch to lick our wounds after the rigours of Christmas. This year we resolved to continue the tradition as Irene would have wished.

Photography at The Ivy is strictly forbidden but Floss risked surreptitiously taking a photo of Nellie. Sure enough, this provoked a rebuke from the management, to whom we apologised profusely. We weren't too concerned, after all, the only real celeb in the restaurant was Nellie, and she didn't object to us paparazzi taking her picture in any case!

Monk's Meanders

Monk remembered the New Year celebratory get-together in January 2004, just 4 months after Irene had suffered a brain haemorrhage in Greece in August 2003. Her chances of survival had been slim, but, in the words of the Greek neurosurgeon, by a miracle she had survived. After being unconscious for a week, she recovered enough after 3 weeks to catch a scheduled flight home, unaided and unescorted, save for Floss and Monk.

Monk and Irene had just arrived on the Greek island of Koufonisi, about 2 hours by boat from Naxos in the Cyclades, for a few days' stay. On the morning after their arrival, Irene had a terrible headache and Monk took her to the local doctor on the island. The permanent population of the island is around 250 people, although this triples during the summer. Part of the 'contract' for new doctors in Greece is that they spend some time in remote communities. Fortunately for Irene and Monk, the newly-qualified doctor recognised the symptoms and spent the whole of the afternoon persuading his counterparts in Athens to arrange for Irene to be transferred to somewhere with the facilities to cope with her condition. After much persuasion on his part, and no lack of pressure from Monk, a helicopter wes sent from Athens to take Irene off the island. Irene was laid in the back of a pick-up truck, with Monk standing over her holding the drip, and the truck drove slowly through the village and up over the rough track to the small helipad. On a beautiful Aegean evening, Monk kissed Irene goodbye and watched as the helicopter took off toward the sunset, taking Irene to the mainland. There was no room in the helicopter for Monk - no room even for the small bag Monk had packed with a few things he thought Irene might need until he could get to her.

In any emergency such as this, all medical staff involved are key to the survival of the patient - every link in the chain is equally important. However, Monk believes that, were it not for the alertness and tenacity of the young Greek doctor, Irene might not have survived this tragic incident and Monk would have lost those precious extra five and a half years he shared with Irene.

After the helicopter left, Monk was in turmoil and one of his first actions was to phone Floss. Fortunately, Flower was with Floss at the time; she helped Floss to keep herself together and they booked her on the last flight to Athens. Within an hour or so of Monk's call, Floss was on her way to Luton to catch the flight. She arrived at the plane just in time to run down the ramp, throwing her bag in front of her, to catch the flight seconds before the airbridge was drawn back. Arriving in Athens in the early hours of the morning, she took a taxi to Elefsina, west of Athens, where Irene had been flown. She found Irene there, in a distressed condition, her arms tethered to the bed - she'd been trying to remove the lines that had been attached to her. Floss stayed with her from that moment during the night and throughout the next day when she went with her in the sweltering ambulance transferring Irene to a hospital in central Athens which had a CT and MRI scanner.

In the meantime, Monk had been desparately trying to book a ferry from Koufonisi to Athens. The next boat the following morning was fully booked but the wonderful, young doctor negotiated with the shipping company and managed to get Monk a place on the boat. It was a long, long journey to Piraeus for Monk. Monk knew there would be a scramble for taxis at Piraeus and, half an hour before coming into the port, he went downstairs to be first onto the disembarcation deck. Down in the bowels of the ship, his mobile was unable to pick up the call from Floss to tell him that Irene had been taken to another hospital instead. Monk took the taxi to the original hospital in the north of Athens only to discover on arrival that Irene was in the Metropolitan Hospital, just two kilometers from Piraeus port. An hour or so later that evening, Monk finally reached the Metropolitan. Of course, Irene was unconscious by that time and it would be almost another week before Monk could speak with her. Each day, Floss and Monk stayed at the hospital from early morning until they were turfed out at around nine each evening. They were allowed to be with Irene from time to time for short periods during which they spoke to her, hoping that she could hear them.

Irene's determination came through and, after a week, she woke up and her strength came back quickly, despite having to learn to walk, talk and write again. By the time she went home 2 weeks later, she was almost back to her old self - she was so strong and so determined. There were many amusing moments during that period and we often laughed about them afterwards, but maybe more of that on a future post.

At Athens airport on their way back home, Monk had to arrange invalid transport, ironically, not for Irene, but for Floss. In her desparate dash to catch the last flight, she'd damaged her knee and ended up in a room a few doors away from Irene in the Metropolitan Hospital. Monk had 2 patients on his hands! Floss subsequently needed in-patient hospital treatment in London and, of course, Irene was at her side during that time. Floss had been there at that most important time when Irene needed her and Irene said afterwards that, drifting in and out of consciousness, she recalled being comforted by the 'illusion' of seeing Floss.

Irene's total recovery from such a potentially devastating condition was truly miraculous and showed the depth of her strength and determination - we thought she was invincible.

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