Rock 'n Roll

My dad’s back home and doing well after his latest trip to Boston, where they detected no major problems and are contemplating his next round of treatments, etc. He is still very tired and not 100% but my folks are relieved that there are no major complications with that previous procedure and they can now focus on what’s next in the treatment pipeline – looks like possibly Erbitux again or another round of Chemo, no rest for the weary!

I have now completed 5 of 8 treatments, am feeling physically strong and ready to push hard to the finish line and put this chapter of my life behind me. I felt great all day today; spent the day over at our new location in Falmouth getting things set-up for our opening on Monday – lots of lifting, moving, cleaning, etc. and I really felt strong. Went and got my shot of NeuLasta after I got done there and am looking forward to a great weekend, with some great friends.

At the outset we believed that the Chemo had a cumulative effect, meaning it was presumed I would slowly degrade as the treatments wore on, however now that I am over halfway done it appears to me that my body is actually getting used to the treatment and the drugs and I am actually feeling better with each successive treatment…knock on wood with that statement but I really can’t believe how good I have felt.

So tomorrow it’s another full day of work and then hopefully a cookout at a friend’s house tomorrow night, followed by golf on Saturday with the boys from BC (Bugbee, Neil, Dave) and then we meet up with the ladies for an afternoon on the Cape. Sunday may squeeze in a little more golf and then it’s time for our weekly drubbing in Softball, though I can feel a win coming in the not too distant future, maybe that will be my good news to report from the weekend?

Hope all is well with all of you, talk soon…Gary

CT Results

"No traces of anything abnormal..."
Great news, we're out to dinner celebrating!
Cheers, Gary

Update

My dad had to go back to Boston, via ambulance, again yesterday as he was coughing up blood and no feeling well at all…they are scheduled to do a bronchoscopy this morning and get some better images so they can determine what the problem is and what they can do to help things along.  I spoke with him yesterday evening and he still sounds remarkably upbeat; I think he was just incredibly happy to have made it through all the festivities of the wedding weekend without any affects of the procedure, and though this isn’t what he wanted to be doing, at least it didn’t happen in Newport and he was able to really enjoy himself the entire time.

We’re very busy here at work preparing to open our new store in Falmouth next Monday and I am very excited to get to the oncologist this afternoon and learn about the CT Scan results.  Treatment is tomorrow morning at 9am (which I’m dreading) and I’ll have plenty to do to keep me busy for the remainder of the week.  I have some friends from BC coming down this weekend (Bugbee, Katie, Dave, Bridget, and Neil) and I’m really looking forward to having a good time with them.

So, per usual, things are a little less than ideal, but overall we’re very pleased with how things are going and hopeful that things will improve with my dad and we can get him home by the middle of the week.  I remain upbeat about my condition and am already looking forward to the things I may be able to do following my treatments; ways I could give back to the community and help support other individuals who will share a common diagnosis and struggle with me.  This disease, and my dad’s, have opened my eyes to the thousands of people who struggle every day to get through life, and I have to believe that there are things I can do in the future to help, ways to give back, and a mechanism for me to thank the numerous caregivers who have done so much to help and comfort me throughout my diagnosis and treatment process.  What can I do?  I don’t really know yet, but I’m working on it and I look forward to making something positive out of this challenge and am confident I can.

I’ll post something quick this evening about the results of the scan and I truly appreciate all of your heartfelt support and thoughts…I continue to be wowed at how many people come here, read this stuff about my life, and actually enjoy it – thank you all!  Gary

Wedding and Weekend

What a weekend…we had a blast in Newport with the beach, rehearsal dinner, golf, the wedding, the reception, the after-party, the brunch – it was incredible!  I should have some pictures ready to post soon and will write more then.

Saturday night we went to another wedding here on the Cape (Chuckie and Gina for those of you who know them) and had a great time, though we cut that one a little shorter as we were pretty tired at that point.  Last night we were at the Cape & Islands United Way “Best Night of the Year” and had a great time there as well…the evening ended with an incredible fireworks display over the 18^th fairway at Willowbend – it seemed a fitting end to our weekend and to the evening.

Blood work is today, tomorrow at 4:20p I should get the CT Scan results and I am excited for the news there, which I expect to be overwhelmingly positive; then it’s treatment #5 on Wednesday.

I’ll put more up on the weekend and the wedding when I have time, and I will be sure to put a post up tomorrow afternoon as soon as I get the news from Dr. Aviles on the CT results. 

Hope everyone enjoyed their weekends, Gary

Big 2-9

So, I survived the night and am now officially 29, which means I have one more year until I am officially “old.”  Quick joke to start the day – no offense, but I’m quite sure I’ll get some juicy feedback for that line.

Playing in the New England Medical Equipment Dealers (NEMED) Golf Tournament today and am excited to catch up with some industry folks from around New England who I haven’t seen in quite a while.  We’ll talk about the standard stuff; new commode models, the hot adult-diaper upgrades for ’08, etc.  NEMED is a wonderful organization; I just know a lot of you wonder what we get into at these industry events, conferences, etc. and I’m well aware that several of my college friends are fascinated by some of the equipment and products we deal in.  The events are great for networking and talking to other providers about what’s working in their area and catching up with the vendors on what they’re doing and putting together for the future – then there’s the inevitable legislative discussions focusing on the woes of dealing with Medicare and what they’ll do next to stifle our industry.  But I’m quite sure many of you say, “a medical equipment dealer’s conference…that must be a blast,” and truth be told it is.  There are some really great people in our industry and we manage to have a good time when we can get together.

Tonight it’s dinner with the family and then we’re off to Newport tomorrow morning.  We have another wedding on the Cape Saturday and then the Cape & Islands United Way Best Night of the Year on Sunday. So it’s a busy weekend and I’ll be AWOL for a while…physically I feel wonderful and my spirits are very high as I look forward to getting back CT Scan results next Tuesday from Dr. Aviles.

I thank everyone for their wonderful words of support for our entire family, particularly for my dad, who is home and doing very well and is VERY excited for the wedding and all the festivities.  I look forward to some good news next week and hope everyone has a wonderful weekend…Gary

Cat Scan

This morning I had my mid-term exam - the CT Scan to see how the treatment is fighting the cancer. Of course I failed to get or drink the solution last night so the 15 minute procedure turned into a 3 hour process of going to the hospital, finding out I was supposed to drink the stuff (Barium shake), leaving with said stuff, drinking it (the vanilla isn't that bad), and coming back a few hours later for the scan. I sneezed again during the scan so I had to stay for "observation" - in this case observation means sit in the waiting room with an old issue of Time Magazine until the technician tells you it's okay to leave...I was fine.

So, next Tuesday (6/26) I will meet with the oncologist for our usual night-before-chemo meeting, where we will also learn the results of the CT Scan - which I am confident will be good.

My dad is on his way home now and feeling very well...I spoke with him this morning and he's excited to get back home and then head down to Newport for the wedding - which we're all really looking forward to, it's been a bright spot for our family for many months now and we're all very excited to get down there and have a big celebration. Kevin and his girlfriend, Katie, are home already and we're all getting together tomorrow night for me to bid adieu to 28...I head into the last year of my twenties tomorrow and am looking forward to mom's lasagna and a great night at my folks house with the family.

All else is well and I'm excited for a few days off in Newport - talk soon, Gary

PS - That is our cat in the upper corner, "Precious Girl," so named by her loving mother Kristina...this is the same cat that DID NOT give me "cat scratch fever."

Weekend Update

Weekend was kind of wild; Friday afternoon my dad was transported, via ambulance, from Falmouth Hospital to Beth-Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC) in Boston. He had a Bronchoscopy done in Falmouth where they found a tumor obstructing one of the airways going into the lung...there was a danger that if they let things go and he was to catch an infection that he would risk serious damage. Unfortunately he ended up sitting in the hospital for the entire weekend with no progress; he wasn't even on antibiotics or anything. He is scheduled to go into surgery shortly, 10am Monday, and should be able to return home to rest for the wedding this afternoon or tomorrow at the latest.

Kristina and I went up to visit him yesterday for Father's Day and he was doing pretty well - in good spirits considering everything he had been through. Kevin flew in last night for the wedding and Mike picked him up at the airport and they went over to catch the end of the U.S. Open with my dad. Not an ideal Father's Day, but through the last year I think our family has learned a lot about making the best of things and I think we were all happy enough to be able to spend some time with him yesterday and celebrate Father's Day with our dad.

I felt pretty well over the weekend and got in a lot of activity...Friday night Kristina and I headed out to a benefit for the Alzheimer's Association of the Cape & Islands, then went to a comedy show with the Cape Cod Young Professionals...it was a late night for me but I ran into a lot of people and was happy to be out and about. Saturday I played golf in Easton with a group of guys I play with once a month, and had a great time. I was having a nice round until the 15th, when I wanted to curl up in a ball and go to sleep in the fairway...I just flat ran out of steam - shot +9 on the last 4 holes and ended up with an 87. I was in great position to have a great round - but I blew it. When I told my brother he said, "sure, blame Chemo," tough crowd in my family - but obviously we all still have our sense of humor about us. Saturday night we headed out to dinner with another couple and Sunday was Father's Day in Boston, and then our weekly beating in softball...this week we managed to drop both games of a doubleheader - couple of late inning rallies fell short - oh well, we'll win one someday.

So, our thoughts right now are with my dad and we're very hopeful the surgery will be a success and he'll recover in plenty of time to tear it up at the wedding. I'll update when I know more - thanks for coming by and Happy Father's Day to all the dad's out there! - Gary