James Titcombe
@JamesTitcombe
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Author of Joshua's Story | Patient Safety | Co-founder @HPts_Alliance - views here personal
Cumbria
Joined September 2011
Born at 7:38 am, sixteen years ago today, we thought we’d have all the time in the world to know you. I’m forever sorry I couldn’t keep you safe. Precious & much loved - we will keep pushing for safer maternity care in your name. #RememberingJoshua
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Losing a child isn’t a singular event that fades with time, it’s an eternal absence that grows and changes with you. Remembering Joshua who would have turned 14 today ❤️ #neverforgotten
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My dear dad had a heart attack yesterday. The ambulance came within 30 minutes & he received good care at FGH & was then transferred to Blackpool where he is stable & on a waiting list for a bypass operation. No doubt at all that the NHS saved his life. Hoping for the best. 🙏.
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This is the last photo I have of my son. The simplest of medical interventions would have saved him. I won’t stop pushing 4 change until the fundamental systemic, cultural & ideological problems in our maternity system that led to his death are resolved once & for all.
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Remembering baby Joshua… much loved and never forgotten xxx #WaveOfLight #BabyLossAwareness
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This time 16 year ago today we held you in our arms for the last time. Then the cold, smoky air & crackle of fireworks as we walked across the hospital car park, got into our car & somehow drove home. Forever sorry that we didn’t get to take you with us Joshua. #alwayloved
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I treasure this photo of Joshua being cradled by his sister & grandfather - gone from our arms forever just days later. The simplest of medical care could have saved his life. Thinking of all bereaved parents in #BLAW2022 & thanking everyone working to improve maternity safety.
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‘…if you are unsure, insist on a second opinion, or a third. Remember that it’s entirely possible you will be “managed” & “reassured” but not told the full truth… - A deeply powerful & moving account - a must read for everyone who works in the NHS.
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Remembering Joshua - always loved & never forgotten. The reason for all I do. Thinking of mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, grandparents, relatives and friends affected by the loss of a baby this evening #waveoflight2020 #BabyLossAwarenessWeek #SayTheirNames
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People have lots of reasons for doing what they do - this is mine & he should be starting secondary school this September. Proud that he has made a small difference but often overwhelmed with how cruel that last 11 years have been & the pockets of unkindness experienced.
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A difficult photo 2 share, but this is the memory of my son that I have etched on my mind & can't escape. When I see my daughters sleeping, I often have flashbacks to this image. The life changing consequences of #babyloss r profound - we must do more to improve maternity safety.
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Should be celebrating his 12th birthday today. Our very much loved and wanted little boy. Never forgotten Joshua x . #patientsafety #saferbirths
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The @TheGreenParty manifesto states :- “We will change the culture of the NHS so that birth is treated as a normal, non medical event”. Sad to see a political party promoting such a harmful message. Let’s change the culture in the NHS to one that strives to ensure as few women &
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@ShaunLintern @CNOEngland Lots of respect to @CNOEngland for having the integrity to standby her principles and values.
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Always loved - never forgotten x #Joshua #WaveOfLight #GlobalWaveofLight #BabyLossAwarenessWeek #BLAW2023
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Remembering baby Joshua & thinking of everyone effected by baby loss x . ‘There is no footprint too small to leave an imprint on this world’ . #Waveoflight2022 #WaveOfLight #saytheirname #BabyLossAwarenessWeek
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Remembering Joshua - gone too soon but remembered every single day & in all that I do. #WaveOfLight #BLAW2019
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A little visit to Joshua’s grave today - getting reading to take his sisters to Whitby this weekend & feeling incredibly blessed but also deeply sad for the life this little boy missed out on. Grateful to everyone working hard to make healthcare safer. #RIPJoshua
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Literally in tears at the beauty of the aurora outside the house right now…
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If Joshua had been born in a maternity unit where midwives & doctors worked as one team, with a shared purpose - free of the influence of ideology & tribalism - the simplest of medical interventions would have saved his life. Much loved.Never forgotten .Badly missed. 2/2
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After speaking at todays regional PSIRF event, 2 midwives approached me & told me about the positive difference they felt Joshua’s life had made. It’s been a pretty tough week & I can’t express enough how much that meant to hear. #rememberingjoshua
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The sound and smell of fireworks really break my heart… remembering Joshua this evening ahead of the 15th anniversary of his death tomorrow. Our little fighter - always remembered xxx
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Whatever your views on Harry & Meghan, it’s impossible not to smile at the love and happiness captured in this imagine. Whoever took this photo must be feeling pretty pleased!
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"The measure of a safe & a well-run organisation isn’t one that purports to have no problems – it’s one that constantly seeks out safety issues & concerns. [&] openly acknowledges & acts on problems. ".
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£8160,000,000 a year, £22,356,000 a day, £931,506 an hour, £15,525 a minute, £258 a second. We must all stop & think about what these figures actually represent. The entire compensation my family received for the life long trauma & pain of losing Joshua - every 2 minutes.
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12 years ago today, after 8 days of intensive care - Joshua’s life support was turned off. He died as as a consequence of profuse internal bleeding - an unnecessary & easily avoidable death had he received even the most basic medical care at the hospital where he was born. 1/2
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This Christmas will be the first since Joshua’s death that we haven’t been waiting for some form of inquiry/investigation/report relating to what happened. An unimaginably painful journey. Thinking of our little boy who should be looking forward to his 11th Christmas #RIPJoshua
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Very pleased to have started a new advisory role (1 day a week) with @NHSEngland on Ockenden Report implementation. Looking forward to working with @SaschaWells and team & continuing to help drive change to support safer maternity care. #saferbirths #patientsafety #joshuasstory.
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A peaceful visit to the cemetery with my girls today - and a lovely chat about patient safety, culture and the difference Joshua has made 🙏 . Sadness, tears & hugs - at the same.time - feeling lucky & blessed. #complicatedgrief .#remeberingJosh .#PatientSafety .#moretodo
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My Grandad passed away this morning at the age of 96. A truly amazing man. He was seriously injured in Normandy during World War 2 but pulled through. He lived a good life - kind, clever, adventurous & always thinking of others. RIP Gordon Axten - 09/08/1924 - 07/09/2020 x
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Quite emotional watching literally 1000’s of bikers all travelling to Barrow to celebrate Dave Myers - he will be looking down with a smile . #DaveDay
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Anniversaries always bring back hugely difficult memories -but on the 13th anniversary of Joshua’s death I’m thinking about the many positives & the changes that I hope his short life has played a small part in bringing about. #RememberingJoshua #PatientSafety #saferbirths 🕯 🙏
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Refusing / delaying c-sections, reluctance of midwives to escalate care/involve doctors, women not being listened to & staff raising concerns being victimised. Sound familiar? That's because these are the hallmarks of every major maternity investigation there has ever been. 1/2.
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Some personal good news - my mum was discharged from hospital today and is now home again. She seems much better than she’s been in a long while - so feeling optimistic & positive at the moment.
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Tomorrow would have been Joshua’s 10th Birthday. We can’t give him any presents but Hoa, Emily, Jessica and I have just ordered a memorial bench for him & chosen a beautiful little spot in the grounds of conishead priory to place it. #neverfogotten.
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Have avoided commenting on the strike action so far, but for what it’s worth, I think junior doctors are right to demand better pay & conditions. People using the NHS want the people caring for them to be paid inline with the responsibility & professionalism the role demands.
@CarverEmily 1. Yes .2. Even at the top end of a “junior doc” which is a very experienced doc -it’s 28£/hr - that’s pretty low.3. Not matching inflation can only be “ok” for so long.4. You shouldn’t have to rely on overtime to pay your bills-a big one being outstanding debts. Hope that helps.
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“…yet again, an example of a leadership culture that seems to plague the NHS time and time again– where organisational reputation is put above safety.”. Some reflections on the ghastly news this week in Today’s Sunday Times. #Letby
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He had the perfect ‘normal’ birth but died because of dysfunctional relationships between maternity professionals that really needed to be working together towards the same goal - a safe outcome for mother and baby. Please let’s make 2020 a year of change x
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Today is #WorldPatientSafetyDay. A heartfelt thanks to everyone working to make healthcare safer. It’s approaching 15 years since Joshua’s death & whilst there’s been change since, there’s not been enough. Let’s keep working together for a better future - so much more to do. ❤️
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Not sitting on the fence with this one - this is a terrible decision & needs to be urgently reversed.
NHS England is rolling back its mental health support for NHS hospital staff. No new patients will be accepted. given the parlous state of services and how some staff can be broken by their work this seems a backwards step.
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We all have reasons for doing what we do… and this is mine. On #WorldPatientSafetyDay2021 also remembering Jasmine, Robbie, Sam, Kate, Ellen, Harry, Louie, Chester, Alex, Charlotte & all other precious lives lost following medical error. Gone but not forgotten x
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Remembering our precious son Joshua who should be celebrating his 9th birthday today. Always loved, never ever forgotten xxx
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Top 5 qualities for leadership in patient safety? I’d go with. Integrity .Humility.Authenticity .Empathy .Kindness . Lucky to know some inspiring people doing fantastic work who definitely live these values & are making a difference. #patientsafety.
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In the past 10 years I’ve gained an understanding of how tough being a politician can be & always try 2 c situations from all sides- but the way this gov r behaving at the moment is breaking so many principles of basic morality, transparency, consistency & fairness -I’m appalled.
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Sadly my mum remains very unwell with a serious psychological illness. This morning I’ve take her her to a hospital in Manchester where hopefully she’ll get the care and treatment she needs. Difficult times. 😔.
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No words can describe my shock, disbelief and sadness at this news. One of the worst acts of wrongdoing in the history of the NHS. Thoughts and prayers with the families involved - their journey is only just beginning. The ramifications of this news will be profound. #letby.
🚨 BREAKING: Nurse Lucy Letby has been found GUILTY of murdering seven babies and trying to kill another six babies at the Countess of Chester Hospital
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We'll be lighting a candle & remembering Joshua tonight. My heart still aches from his loss.
Sunday 15th is #waveoflight - join us in remembering all babies who died 2 soon by lighting candle at 7pm #babyloss
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Tonight feeling thankful for all the colleagues & friends who have supported me in being able to work in an area I care so much about & doing my utmost to forget the tiny minority who have used my loss & work in memory of Joshua for self promotion & personal gain. #RIPJoshua 🙏
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Daughter tells me someone wrote "[Child's name] go back to Romania" on the wall in the girls toilets at School today. 😢.
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Really pleased to be starting a new role with @hsib_org from 1st November (1 day a week), working with the investigation science education team. Improving the way healthcare organisations investigate & learn following adverse events is something I'm hugely passionate about… 1/2.
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The pizza order I’ve just picked up for teenage daughter & friends 🙈
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Joshua was buried a week later, the blue toy elephant seen in this picture by his side along with a letter we wrote saying how sorry we were & promising not to ever forget him. Good work is underway to help prevent tragedies like this - please let’s keep the momentum going x.
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Mum about to start her second week in hospital in Manchester - she is still very unwell but the family feel she is making some possitive progress.
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On #WorldPatientSafetyDay I’ve written about my personal journey & shared some reflections on healing & forgiveness after harm & where we need to get to. #PatientSafety #Joshuasstory .
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Very distressed recently dealing with multiple ‘complaint’ letters about me sent to people I work with. Many of these letters follow the same template - it does feel like a coordinated effort. Hugely grateful for support & friendship here. 1/2
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This time exactly 16 years ago I came back from work feeling unwell, tired & relieved it was the weekend. We were looking forward to the arrival of our second child in 3 weeks time - but events over the next days and weeks shattered our lives forever. #babyloss #maternitysafety
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Happy International Midwife Day to the amazing midwives up & down the country who work tirelessly to provide safe & personal maternity care for women & babies. Bringing new life into to world with expertise, kindness & compassion & making a lifelong difference to so many. 🙏 👶
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All healthcare scandals follow the same formula:-. Catastrophic mistakes+punitive culture+lack of leadership+inadequate regulation+absence of citizen led scrutiny = denial, self-preservation & cover-up. If we don’t change the formula the outcome will always be the same.
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The cost of harm from clinical negligence in maternity services is now more than twice the entire cost of providing maternity care in England. - a shocking statistic following research by @babylifeline & analysis by @thetimes . #maternitysafety .
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The saddest part of today - listening to @NadineDorries describe why the gov is not supporting the reinstatement of the mat safety training fund. We have a system that pays out £6.5m / day in maternity litigation but we can’t fund training to maintain safe care in the place.
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The darkest moments of our lives - made so much harder by the years of denial and cover up that followed. Proud to work with some wonderful people dedicated to making healthcare safer & the response to medical harm kinder 4 all. @babylifeline @Mothers_Inst_UK @HPts_Alliance 2/2.
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I’ve experienced a strong backlash from some over the last week or so following some of my tweets. In particular, after highlighting some midwifery job adverts which mentioned ‘promoting normality’ - which were then picked up in the national media. 1/11.
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Finally, in 2022, my view is that an NHS job advert asking for the applicant to be ‘…committed to the philosophy of normal birth…’ should rightly be be questioned. Doing so isn’t attacking a profession, it’s drawing attention to a particular focus & arguing for change. 11/11.
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“Dear Lucy, We would like to apology for any inappropriate comments that may have been made…We are very sorry for the stress & upset that you have experienced.”. My god, the details now emerging are chilling to the core. Let this be the moment the NHS changes for ever. #Letby.
The doctor who helped catch Lucy Letby told ITV News that 'babies could've been saved' if the hospital had acted sooner. Dr Ravi Jayaram, who is a consultant paediatrician at the Countess of Chester Hospital, told @PaulBrandITV he repeatedly raised concerns about his former
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I’m thrilled about this role and really looking forward to contributing to this important Journal.
We are delighted to name leading patient safety campaigner @JamesTitcombe as the new Associate Editor of the Journal of Patient Safety and Risk Management #JPSRM – the international journal for patient safety and risk
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Who’s joining me in a toast to a new POTUS and a slightly brighter world tomorrow?
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“Human error is never at the root of your safety problems. Human error is the effect of trouble deeper inside your system.” - Sidney Dekker . #patientsafety.
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I’ll only say this once. The occasional but truly horrid examples of trolling, harassment & intimidation that come my way (always from familiar places) only strengthen my resolve not to stop telling Joshua’s Story until there is no longer any learning to be had from it’s telling.
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Our family has had its share of tragedy - but couldn’t be prouder of these 2. 💕 . #NationalSiblingsDay2021
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I urge everyone interested in maternity safety to read this report from @BBCMBuchanan today. The extract below is one of the most chilling things I’ve ever read.
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Thanks for everyone’s concern this morning - my mum has been found safe and well so I’ve deleted my tweet so not to cause more concern. Appreciate everyone’s kindness.
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Saying goodbye to Cumbria for a couple of weeks - off to travel around Japan with my daughter who has just finished her A-Levels…. Will be sharing a few photos from the trip 😊 ✈️ 🇯🇵 📷
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Inspired by 'Is it cake' - we've gone for a hyper realistic design. 😂
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“This post is an absolute slap in the face to mothers. A maternity unit that wasn’t able to offer gas and air during labour for several months is advising women to tightly grip a comb.”
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On the last day of #NLNB22, families whose babies have died as a consequence of a lack of timely intervention/siloed working/maternity care where blinkered ideology trumped safety - have been sharing photos. This is Joshua. He would have been 14 in November.
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En route to London for a few days - just crossing the Morecambe Bay estuary in time to see the sunrise… #lovethelakes
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I’ve just been reminded that Joshua’s Story was published exactly 7 years ago today. A book that I wish I never had cause to write - but I hope has made a small difference to the patient safety movement. #JoshuasStory
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With truth, honesty and a genuine apology - forgiveness & reconciliation is possible - but it takes humility and courage.
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I take it everyone else’s recycling boxes look like this at the moment too. right?
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Remembering our precious baby Joshua & all other babies gone too soon. Never forgotten - always loved. #waveoflight
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Emily’s drawing won a school competition & has been made into a Christmas Card. 👏
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A new addition to the Titcombe house -a 6 month old girl… not decided on her name yet 🤔 🐈
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Journalism at its very best - a well researched, balanced and important piece from @ShaunLintern . I was brainwashed by the NCT — and nearly died | News | The Sunday Times
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Newly posted adverts on the NHS Job Website today: . “We are seeking a highly motivated…midwife…who is committed to the philosophy of normal birth…”. “These teams are staffed by passionate, normality-focused midwives…”. @TeamCMidO @BWCHBoss @DOckendenLtd @morris_ep
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Tomorrow will be a very important day for maternity safety. It will also be a hugely difficult time for families directly affected by what happened & for anyone with personal experiences that relate to the issues the report will cover. 1/9.
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A lovely walk around the grounds of Conishead Priory today & a visit to Joshua’s bench. Reflecting on everything that’s happened since his death - the constant reliving of what happened & the battles & frustrations… has it been worth it? I’m not sure - but I hope I’ve given him
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