More often, huh

Before I forget, cuz I have been doing alot of that lately. Tomorrow nite (Friday 9/5) at 8 PM on ABC, NBC & CBS please try and watch the show Stand up 2 Cancer. It is a collaborative effort to both raise money, awareness and educate about the advances and lack of them in the major areas of cancer research and treatment. It has been touted as a very good show. If nothing else you will see a lot of Lalaland stars. Info can be found at standup2cancer.com .

Well as you can see I am posting more often. It has only been two weeks instead of three. Today was my last chemo for a few weeks. My counts were down but not enuf to cancel the treatment. I will have to take my shots over the weekend to build up my whites. I was very happy to not have today cancelled as I do not want to wait another week to have my scan. I will have it on Tuesday and hopefully get the results on Wednesday. To say I am a little anxious is a big understatement. Once I get the news that it has not spread, I will meet with the radiation oncologist to schedule a radiation/chemo regimen. I really am not sure how many treatments or how it works yet. I decided to wait for the scan results before I investigate. I know that they will wait about three weeks before beginning to give the old body a chance to purge those toxic chemical cowboys from my system.

A couple of other notes of "cancer interest". Friends of ours are sponsoring a benefit for GIST cancer. This a unique gatrointestinal stromal tumor. Our friend Lenny had gist tumors in his liver and they were able to effectively kill them and then remove them surgically along with 1/3 of his liver. But his liver is growing back. We have only three organs that are capable of regeneration, do you know what they are? There are only about 5,000 new cases of gist in the world each year and less than 5% have the succesful results that he has had. Anyway the benefit is in early October and there will be a silent auction for goods and services. If anyone has something they would like to donate for the auction feel free to let me know. And as long as I am in the "hitting up mood" Cathy and I will be participating in a fundraiser for the Pancreatic Cancer Network on Nov 5. We will be doing a 5 K walk (not run) and anyone who would like to either participate with us or sponsor us are welcomed. Info on this can be found at http://www.pancan.org/purplestrideatlanta/. Okay no more bully pulpit hocking.

I have discovered over the last month that when I am talking "cancer talk" with other people who either own or are working towards taking control of their particular cancer the conversations are really captivating. We can get lost in the details without feeling like we are boring anyone. But I noticed there is another communication going on through the eyes. I see a warmth that is pushing through and making a connection. I have to admit what I see and feel is good. I believe that the reason for the connection is the unspoken common bond that exists. Not just the cancer but that sometime in this other person's past they received information in one moment that changed their life forever and not all for the good. Life speeds up. Decisions need to come quickly as does the need to receive information in order to better help yourself. So many things are happening so fast. I think this is the impetus for the connection. I particularly enjoy what I see in someone elses eyes. I am not sure why I bring this up except that we all have common threads that run through us with other people who are in our lives. Acceptance and connections are bonds that we all look for with others. They are ways that we feel a part of a more intimate bond. We seem to love when it happens spontaneously and then for some reason work very hard to suppress the desire to revisit over and over again. Just another observation.

I look forward to a great scan result and having a few weeks away from this toxicity. Come be clean with me. By the way, the liver, skin and brain are the only ones capable of regeneration. There is question about whether the brain actually regenerates or just internally can create new capabilities. Yes the skin is considered an organ.