Ebony and Ivory

Pandas are THE thing in the boy's life at the moment. They are friend and patient. There are two pandas in his life.

The boy's own panada - imaginatively called "little panda" - is the boy's alter ego. He has developed from being something to cuddle, to having a central line inserted, a covering dressing and vest. Poor little panada needs to have regular blood tests. The boy takes the preparations for these very seriously. Examination gloves must be worn, a blood test tray must be laid out with four syringes for hepsal, flush and bloods. The tray must be cleaned before use and the central line alco-wiped before each access. The blood taken must be put in specimen bottles and
shaken before being put in a bag for the lab. This process takes ages and may have to be repeated several times. Then little panada may have to go to hospital in an ambulance driven by the boy paramedic because panda is often ill with a chest infection.

The other panda is even more important and is called - bet you can't guess - "big panda". This is special as this is auntie's panda. He is only seen on visits to aunties house or on special occasions when he come to visit little panda and brings some bamboo to eat. When big panda leaves, the boy delicately kisses big panda on each cheek and gives him a hug before waving auntie off down the road.