Everybody should be so lucky as to have a compromised immune system rather than a tumor ridden brain, so bear in mind when I say this that I’m not complaining whatsoever. I’m thrilled with my immune system, compromised as it may be. The gist of the story is that after having my body ravaged by chemotherapy for eight months, my once battered immune system will never fully recover. A routine check-up trip to the oncologist this morning revealed that my white blood cell counts were 3.9 this morning, almost all of the way to ‘normal’ but not quite there. The belief is that I might never make it back to ‘normal’, while some would argue that I was never normal to begin with. A WBC reading between 4-10 would qualify me as such, but it’s also pertinent to remember that even prior to undergoing chemotherapy, I checked in at the low range of ‘normal’ with a 4.7 reading. Like I said, however, I’m happy to live a full life being extra cautious around germs, even if I smell like Purell most of the time. As for the rest of me, at 180 lbs. with low, slow and cold vitals (109/70 bp, 64 heartbeats per minute, 97.6 degree temp) as usual, I’ve lived another day on top of the world. Everybody should be so lucky.
GBM
Could PD-0332991 (http://www.reuters.com/article/idUSTRE62T3Y320100330) be the answer that we’ve been looking for? Pfizer and Onyz (not to mention 10,000 Americans per year and hundreds of thousands of others across the globe) sure hope so. For cancer patients and their loved ones, the equation is simple: dollars = research = progress = life. Please continue to fund the war (http://www.braintumorcommunity.org/site/TR/Events/BTR-MA?px=1895028&pg=personal&fr_id=1520), and pray with me that PD-0332991 will bring to others what Dr. Watson, radiation, Temodar, Avastin, Irinotecan, family, friends, Duke and God brought to me (in no particular order).
GBM
I can’t quite summon the words to describe our newest television obsession - ABC’s Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution. It’s equal parts sad and amusing, horrifying and amazing…and while I only watched the first two episodes of it tonight, I’m already looking forward to the third installment on Friday night at 9:00 (8:00 Central). It reminds me of much of what this blog has been about, at least the parts about proper eating and good nutrition, but in a delightful British accent that I’ve been imitating ever since. Please do yourself a favor and watch one episode. I think you’ll be happy you did. (Read this article as well - http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100405/ap_en_ot/us_food_chef_crusaders - it gives Jamie his just credit.)
Other
Today I realized that I’ve been negligent with my failure to identify the leaders of field in the BrianSereno.com Ultimate Prognosticator Challenge after each round of the NCAA Tourney. Perhaps due to the bitter failure of my prognosticated bracket, and the too-early departure of the Orange from tourney competition, I haven’t been following the action nearly as closely as I have in recent years. Sour grapes, I suppose. Anyway, I’ve realized the error of my ways, as I shouldn’t hold my poor performance against those that have risen to the top. So, to Angela who paces the field, and Gina G. and Pete The Dentist who are hot on Angela’s heels, in a wild tournament that has seen more underdogs than favorites prevail, kudos to you. I’m not certain of all of the combinations and permutations of who will win the challenge based on what, but the current valedictorian and salutatorians of the class should be identified. Best of luck next weekend.
Other
15 days shy of the ten-mile Cherry Blossom Run in DC, Jessie started to get anxious about my preparation, or really, her perceived lack of preparation on my part. I’ll admit to momentarily analyzing the situation - “am I grasping the gravity of it all, if indeed I attempt to do something that I’m not properly prepared for?” - then I snapped back into reality. Of course I’ll be ready…and to prove it I knocked out six miles before I had to go to work today; six miles in sixty minutes, that is. Granted I still have some work to do, but if there was ever a doubt as to if I’ll be able to beat my time of 1:48:00 in my first ten-miler, the ease in which I completed today’s six mile course left me quite reassured. Now about those 26.2 miles in October…
Running
Three days shy of her 27th birthday, I’d like to offer a Happy Birthday/Thank You/Good Luck to the eldest of my little sisters, Denise. While it’s hard to fathom that I’ll soon have a little sister that is 27, I couldn’t be prouder of the woman she’s become. Tomorrow night in Massachusetts Denise is hosting a fundraiser to benefit our efforts (http://www.braintumorcommunity.org/site/TR/Events/BTR-MA?team_id=35700&pg=team&fr_id=1520) in the National Brian Tumor Society’s Boston Brain Tumor Ride. For that I offer my sincere thanks and a huge ‘good luck’, and for being my sister and a phenomenal supporter, I offer my love. Thanks Denise. I love you.
Other
On a night that saw Syracuse upset out of the NCAA Tournament, it is this story that has me upset (http://abcnews.go.com/print?id=10151392), yet again putting into crystal clear perspective what is important. College basketball games? Not important. Life and death? Precisely. Not a day goes by that I don’t thank God for my great fortune, my employer for my tremendous health insurance coverage, and Duke for a remarkable study that has spared me from the hassles and nightmares that I’ve read about.
GBM
With April 11th rapidly approaching, this week is the time for me to really dial-up my long distance running. I’m at a point now where I can knock out four quick miles with ease, but since the race calls for four miles two-and-half times over, I have obvious work to do. The plan is to run six this Saturday, and eight miles on the following Saturday, before easing through the week after Easter approaching the big race. The goal is 1:40:00 - a ten-minute per mile pace - and eight full minutes quicker than my previous ten-miler. In 18 days I’ll know how I fared.
Running
In case you haven’t gathered from the array of pictures from my youth, my tight-knit family also has somewhat of a collective Peter Pan complex. That is, in many ways we refuse to grow up. Case in point, while I would bet that more than a few American families celebrate ‘half-birthdays’ for young children, as 3-and-a-half, 4 ½, 5 ½, etc. seem to be noteworthy ages for kids (as they’ll proudly tell you when asked how old they are), I’ll also wager that I’m in the extreme minority of people that have ever received a ‘Happy Half Birthday’ email on their 30 ½ birthday, as I did yesterday. Thanks Mom for remembering, as usual, and for never letting me forget where I came from.
Other
I can’t speak as any kind of expert on President Obama’s ballyhooed health care bill, as all I know is what I’ve been able to make sense of in the dozens of articles that I’ve read. For me to say decisively one way or the other if this is good or bad for America would be a foolish attempt to pass myself off as someone in-the-know. All I know is that a bill that passed by a 219-212 count, with every single Republican and more than two dozen Democrats voting against, has to be viewed as a controversial and polarizing bit of legislation which seems to leave the country more divided than ever. That said, for me personally, the inclusion of the verbiage prohibiting insurance companies from denying coverage for pre-existing conditions single-handedly has me in favor of the bill at this point. I know there is always a cost of doing business and a price to pay for everything, so the debate over whether or not this will increase or decrease our astronomical national debt over time is inconsequential to me. I’m just pleased that the bill righted an egregious wrong, and I’m cautiously hopeful that the rest of this historic legislation turns out well for us all.
GBM