The story of me

One of the time honoured traditions of the Nieman fellowship is The Sounding - a celebration, a performance, and an ordeal. Every Monday evening, one of the fellows tells their story : about their childhood, their family, their journalism & their special discoveries in life.  It's a very big deal to face the group of Nieman fellows, affiliates, staff, and the foundation's extended "family" in Cambridge  - around sixty people gathered around.  Daunting? Just a little.

I gave my Sounding on Monday 8th November. Richard and I put together images from our wedding and roadtrips and PT on the BBC News.  Dad emailed me early family photographs, including the beautiful formal picture of Heather and Jeff on their wedding day which began our larger-than-life Nieman slideshow.

And we set out the evening as a cocktail party, with wine and hot hor d'oeuvres to start. About ten days beforehand, I finally rented a cello, a fine instrument (Jay Haide) on which I practised to deliver my first ever solo performance, of the Prelude to Bach's Third Cello Suite.  I figured that if I made myself play in public, the speaking would feel much easier by comparison!

It's hard to write about the experience of delivering the Sounding, because it was humbling and memorable and hugely enjoyable as well, to open up to this small group of people who have become a big part of our lives.

At the end I spoke about my LAM, my lung disease. I have only once spoken about this before, to a gathering of clinicians at the LAMposium international conference in Cincinnati in April 2009, where I was the "patient" delivering my story to help put a human face on the disease for a few dozen researchers. This time it was really personal, and I almost choked on it.

My fellow Nieman Pablo Corral Vega , who is a superb photographer from Ecuador, was snapping away, and I've added a few of his pictures here to give you a sense of the occasion.

The sounding has prompted me to really think about my life, and the Lister family experience, and what we're doing, and where we are going. Before I get choked up again, I'm going to sign off, with the thought that it may have taken a shocking diagnosis to get me to slow down, look around, and  really truly value my family and friends for the fantastic people that they are.


P x

PS The experience prompted me to open up a US fundraising page for the LAM Foundation a month later, and within 48 hours my American friends had raised almost 1500 dollars. Plus an amazingly generous gift to the Foundation from a wonderful person who shall remain nameless (but knows who she is and how grateful we are!).
Here's the page: www.firstgiving.com/philippathomas
And here's the cause: http://www.thelamfoundation.org/