Staying On Track

I apologize for missing so much time between posts, but the last week was incredibly busy for me. I celebrated my birthday last Wednesday, and met a lot of new friends over the weekend.

A quick update - we found out this morning that the tumor markers have continued to decline, which is a good sign. This is the 2nd data point we've obtained thus far to suggest that the current treatment regiment is working effectively. Still, I don't want to get too ahead of the game. I plan to remain patient and take it step by step, as I strongly believe I will get through this successfully at the end of the day.

That's all I got for now, but I promise to post more often this next month as I couldn't get on here enough in June.

I hope everyone is doing well. Oh, and I almost forgot. No laughter clip this week...but something a lot better. What I've realized from all the Michael Jackson coverage since his death is that nobody knows when their time is up. But it doesn't matter how long we are in this world, what matters is the impact we've made while here. Michael Jackson made a tremendous impact in this world, and I believe that one day, in my own way, I will too. We'll miss you MJ...RIP.

Great Story on Overcoming low odds

I hope everyone is having a nice weekend so far. I wanted to share a story I read in the LA Times yesterday called She Finally Has a Home - Harvard. This is an amazing story about a homeless girl who overcame tremendous obstacles to get accepted into Harvard.

I think it's a perfect example of how far focus and determination can take a person. In this girl's situation, no matter how bad things were, she kept her eyes on the prize. The story talks about how she had to fight and scrounge for the basic necessities of life - food, shelter, etc. - amidst trying to do well in school. She wanted to make a better life for herself, and she made it happen.

Reading this story reminded me that staying focused on the ultimate goal is also something I need to do. It's easy to get distracted and depressed when things are not going your way, but I'm trying to keep it all in perspective and remember that the ultimate prize, getting cured, can still happen.

On the treatment front, I have completed one cycle and I'm now in the midst of cycle #2. So far the response to this new therapy has been promising, so I am staying focused and hoping for more good news.

Enjoy the rest of the weekend...

Quick Update

After a fun-filled weekend (which included a Lakers championship), it was back to the grind again this morning as my 2nd cycle of chemotherapy got underway. The weekend was especially nice because at the end of last week my doctor informed me that my tumor markers had declined - a sign that this treatment, at least in its initial stages, is proving to be effective.

Now, we've been in this situation countless times before. Several of my past treatments were effective early on but ended up falling short. So, I'm trying not to let myself get too worked up or excited. But it does feel very good to know I'm moving in the right direction again. I'm very thankful to God for that.

It was very difficult for me to summon the strength to get back on chemotherapy this time, knowing how critical it is that it be effective. Sometimes when my eyes open in the morning, I wonder why I am choosing to get out of bed. 'Just go back to sleep', I think to myself. 'When you're sleeping, you don't have to think about this stuff. You can dream about beaches and cupcakes and the dodgers in the world series.'

But I'm always quick to remind myself that I know better. I know that each new day is a blessing, and each new day I am one day closer to being well. Quitting is not an option for me now, nor will it ever be. Patience and perseverance will keep me on track.

Since I haven't yet explained exactly why I'm back on treatment, or what I am taking, I will do that now. After my lung surgery to remove a single tumor in early April, we were hoping that my tumor markers would normalize and my scans would be clean. That did not happen. My markers remained elevated and were rising, while scans showed new spots developing.

As you can probably imagine, this was about as bad as it gets. What made matters worse is that my doctors, the best doctors in the world for my disease, were out of solid ideas. Their confidence was slipping.

They suggested I turn to a private medical lab in Los Angeles, where they do a special form of lab testing called chemosensitivity testing.

Chemosensitivity testing is a process where a sample of your tumor(in my case, a sample of the lung tumor which was removed during my surgery) is taken to a lab where all the approved cancer drugs are tested against it to see which drugs are most effective and which are least effective. The major benefit is that, since the tissue is literally taken from your own body, it's truly an individualized treatment approach. The major drawback is that lab results don't always carry over to the body.

The results of this test revealed a cocktail of medicines I had never tried before which might be effective in killing my cancer. There is no clinical data to back up using this combination on me - its based on lab testing and theoretical ideas. But it's safe, it's possible to do, and it's the best idea we have.

I will continue to post updates on the progress of this treatment as it unfolds. In the meantime, be well...

Inspiration on the baseball field

I saw something on Friday night that once again re-affirmed my belief that anything is possible if you want it bad enough and you work for it.

I was at the Dodgers baseball game that night with a friend. Most of the game was dull - very little scoring, and very few exciting plays. At the end of the 8th inning the Dodgers were losing 3-2. With just one inning left, it seemed unlikely that they would be able to come back and win the game.

Their first 2 batters in the 9th inning got out immediately. Now they were at the brink. At this point, with 2 men out and nobody on base, it was a tall order. For those of you who know baseball, you know that in these situations, coming back is almost impossible. I had certainly never witnessed a team comeback from these odds. I was hoping that maybe the next guy would come up and hit a home run to tie the game, and then they might be able to win in extra innings.

The 3rd batter managed to hit a single. A glimmer of hope, but still a near insurmountable task. The 4th batter managed to draw a walk, putting runners at first and second base with 2 out. The crowd began showing signs of life now. When the 5th batter came up and hit the ball, my heart sunk - it was an easy ground ball to the 3rd baseman. This game was about to be over. But suddenly, the 3rd baseman bobbled the ball and made a bad throw to 1st and the runner was safe. Now the bases were loaded. The baseball gods were smiling on the Dodgers that night.

When the 6th batter came up, the crowd was on its feet. Seeing three consecutive batters reach base under these circumstances, where one out would end the game, was amazing already. Could a 4th guy in a row get a hit?

I witnessed the impossible that night, as the 6th batter hit a double to the outfield, bringing home 2 runs, and the Dodgers came from behind to win. The entire team rushed out on the field, dog-piling on top of one another, a massive celebration on the infield. The crowd was going bananas - random people were hugging each other and giving high fives and laughing.

As I was driving home from the game I felt rejuvenated. Sure, this was just a baseball game - pretty irrelevant in the grand scheme of things. But to me it was a sign that I shouldn't forget that just becomes something seems impossible, doesn't mean that it is. No matter what the odds, if you want something bad enough, you can overcome.

You can make the impossible possible. It was a great night, and here's hoping for many more great nights in the future. I found a video taken by a random fan sitting in the outfield of the events of the 9th inning...Enjoy!

(apologize for the close-up shot of his face on the video)

My favorite month

Hey everyone. I can't believe how quickly this year has gone by. June is my favorite month of the year. Besides the NBA Finals (which will include the Lakers!) and baseball season in full swing, my birthday is in June. I'm expecting big things for my birthday. I believe my situation is going to be completely turned around - some great things will happen in my life, and I can't wait.

Treatment continues to progress well. We have not received any official marker readings or updated scans yet because it's too soon. Those will start coming in a few weeks. Meanwhile, I'm keeping myself busy with work, playing chess, exercising and eating (I need to keep my weight up).

I haven't posted a laughter clip up in a while, and I apologize for that to those who enjoyed them. I can't take credit for finding this clip. It was shown to me, but it was too funny to not put up here. Enjoy!