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Claire Goldsmith's page

Created by Naomi

About Claire

The Friday before last we woke in our flat in Bermondsey. I got up and made Claire a cup of tea in bed. That was the deal when getting married nearly 28 years ago. She wanted to get back home to Sussex and meet some friends for a cycle ride. Slinging on a few clothes, I thought how does she do that? Always so effortlessly chic. Claire left with Martha, who goes everywhere with her. Then early in the afternoon whilst at work I get 'that' phone call. All I knew was that Claire’s ride had ended prematurely and in an air ambulance. In an instant you're existing in a parallel and surreal world. Our boys rushed from Sussex and Sheffield to get to their mum, by now at St George's major trauma unit. Naomi waited agonisingly for a phone call in Australia. This morning, just over a week later, Claire remains unconscious and in a critical condition. She had sustained a significant head injury. The care has been nothing less than brilliant. Surgery to mend her facial injuries has been done for now. She still looks amazing. Stories have an ending. Right now we have no idea what it will be. Or when. We don't even know what Chapter 2 is. But it starts today. For now we can’t share it with the one person we’d always turn to (or perhaps we can). We can however share it with others, whose support already has been overwhelming. It will help us too; her immediate family. And of course Claire, as she recovers. What I do know is that she is wonderfully equipped to deal with this, by some way her biggest challenge yet. And so too is her family, thanks to her eternal loving commitment to prepare us for life and all it can throw at us. Now it’s time to repay that….. J x 20th April 2019