I have a friend — an acquaintance who is the spouse of a friend — who is in a life -threatening cancer situation. Last night he wrote a post on Facebook about the impossibility, in his situation, of planning for the future, and about his current state of living in the reality of the moment … Read more
Last night I checked out a monthly literary and music event called Library Girl. Each month the theme for the evening is inspired by a musical artist, and a line from a song. This evening’s inspiration was “Hot Tramp, I Love You So” from the David Bowie’s “Rebel Rebel,” one of those songs I don’t remember … Read more
My yearly scans: colonscopy, endoscopy, various ultrasounds and a trip to the dermatologist, are like my annual mini-gauntlet that must be run before the pleasant holidays. The first on that list is, of course, the least favorite, due to the day of fasting, followed by the night-long uncomfortable evening of “prep.” That evening was last … Read more
Facebook has this thing now where it randomly shows you a picture from your timeline on a random anniversary of when it first appeared. Last week it showed me this one: I’m standing outside the convention center at Dragon Con in Atlanta, checking out the line of people waiting to see the big-screen premiere of … Read more
I think I have Chris’ blog on my side bar–but I want to share this article specifically. It’s about a comparison study between curcumin and a chemotherapy agent called 5FU. 5FU was a large part of the chemo-cocktail that was proposed to me in 2004 in the wake of my colon cancer diagnosis. I didn’t end up … Read more
Got a call from my doctor / surgeon yesterday. “Surgeon” is perhaps not the right word for him, because we do a pretty good job of not using the word “surgery” for the minor procedures I’ve had this year. Instead we call them “procedures.” A “surgery” is defined by Merriam Webster as medical treatment in which … Read more
Lately I’ve been writing quite a lot, along with my co-writer. In the last three weeks we finished a full draft of a screenplay, which is faster than I’ve ever written a first draft–but it wasn’t pretty, and honestly neither is the draft. Which is not to disparage it–you don’t disparage a big lump of … Read more
In my last post I mentioned my friend who is having issues with his health and posted on Facebook the status, “nothing seems fair anymore.” His post got an overwhelming response, because he has so many friends who love him, and also, i think because they are words that hit a cord with all of … Read more
These words were yesterday’s Facebook status update of a friend from both college and LA. He is funny, talented, goodhearted. He has cancer. Several months ago, he went into hospice, but has continued, on social media, to be the source of upbeat quotes, photos, and memes. Most of our mutual friends have moved away, and … Read more
Was browsing this blog that I really like, and saw this report; Most falsely believe chemo is curative According to a study in the New England Journal of Medicine although chemotherapy is the primary treatment for patients with lung and colorectal cancer, it is not curative. In an American national survey of 1193 advanced-stage patients, … Read more