We're Baaaaack

Wow. What a cool first cruise. Thanks Phil, How and Hannah.

Carpe Diem.

Bermuda bound

We leave today on our Bermuda cruise out of Baltimore. The Suskin gang, Phil, How and Hannah. I'm not sure if I will be able to update from the ship but we will be back in 5 days (Thursday July 30th). My first cruise so I'm really looking forward to it. No hurricanes or triangles please!

Carpe Diem.

The eye check up

My friend Doc Steve was able to see 3 of our kids and I am thrilled to report no eye cancers but really bad allergies. He was able to give them medicines which will help. Wow, getting medicines in Zim is a rarity. Steve, Thanks again for all you do. I look forward to being in touch when you get back to the States.

Carpe Diem.

A small and decent world

Yesterday I received an update from Dennis (ZimKids). Mostly good news but unfortunately the reality in Zim is there is a lot of health issues that the kids (and most everyone else) have to deal with. With the medical system in such disarray you can only imagine the kind of help the people of Zim are able to get. One of the kids may have eye cancer (and is HIV+) with no one to help her..........or so we thought.

I remembered an old school mate who was from the USA and came to Zim with his family many years ago. We were at the same schools together and became quite good friends. The thrill of having a "yank" friend was so cool. Well, this old school mate now lives back in the USA in Georgia. He is an ophthalmologist and surgeon by profession and every July he goes back to Zim and does surgery, consulting and teaching for the whole month. I have not spoken to him or seen him in over 30 years but I was able to get in touch with him today in Bulawayo. It was great catching up with him but more importantly, he was able to set up an appointment tomorrow (Wednesday July 22nd) to see this young lady.

Talking about a small and decent world. Just when you think everything is going down the crapper along comes an individual like Doctor Steve. I think you would be hard pressed to find a more decent, caring and generous person. Thank you Steve for all the good you have done and will continue to do. Hopefully there will be something that can be done to help Ms. Siziba.

Carpe Diem.

MouseSkin update

Here is the latest MouseSkin update. There are a total of 12 mice. 8 have measurable tumors and the remaining 4 have palpable tumors. One may soon be ready to reimplant into additional mice. They are all healthy and making good progress. I have to laugh at the previous line as they are "healthy" except for the tumors. That's how I sometimes feel. Go figure.

Carpe Diem.

Weekend update and Luca's first swim.

On Friday How, Lil, Hannah and Luca (the dog) drove in from New York to visit with us. Phil was away in London. There was a method to their madness. We had to go to PF Chang for dinner and Luca had to have his first swim. Both took minimal arm twisting to arrange or agree to. Friday night we had an amazing dinner at PF Chang and then Saturday morning was the big day. Luca's first swim.

Luca is a 2 year old Golden Doodle. He still acts like a big and gangly puppy. Very sweet though. He did really well on his swim but tired the living hell out of Max (our 12 year old Wheaten terrier). Max enjoys swimming only when we swim. But in the video he looks like a slightly concerned lifeguard watching a floundering git! If you are interested the video is on YouTube. I feature as well.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=N4n6ejWyPac

Carpe Diem.

Up and coming travels

You know, for so long I was used to travelling a lot because of work. So it's taken some time to get used to being at home. With the 3 week chemo schedule it allows us to travel so we are................

July 25th we are all going on our first cruise. It leaves out of Baltimore and sails to Bermuda. 5 days total with 2 days docked in Bermuda. Phil, How and Hannah will be joining us. They are all veteran cruisers.

September (Diana, me and Robyn?) maybe off to London for a footy game and then a quick side trip to Europe.

October (Diana and I) to Toronto for one of our best friends' son's Barmitvah. and a visit with Diana's family.

November maybe Zim on my own. And I do mean maybe.

December to Israel for another one of our best friends' daughter's wedding.

And finally, to wrap up 2009, off to Boca with the whole gang.

Just one thought. How the hell are we paying for this!!!. But in all seriousness this always gives me something to look forward to. It's only money.

Carpe Diem.

Chemo 2 (Round 6)

Well it was a fairly good day for me all things considered. I am now back on Alimta and Avastin every 3 weeks and this regimen will go on for some time. It's ok because I seem to tolerate both drugs more or less ok. Also, from our genetic testing it showed that I have a sensitivity to both drugs. In a nut shell, it means I should do well with them. We will see as things certainly change with time!

My vitals were all good, my blood work was fine and I even gained 5 lbs. So what else does a guy need? Oh yea, to be free of this awful disease. One can only hope.

Carpe Diem.

Weekend update and more

Tuesday was doctor day. I already feel like a Florida retiree (with all due respect). Doctors, doctors and more doctors!!! I met with the cardiologist and he was pleased with the Echo cardiogram and the electrocardiogram results. Because of all this he has cut back on the 2 meds I take and hopefully, sometime in the not too distant future, I will be off them completely. I then met with the infectious diseases doctor. No, not that kind of disease! It was concerning the MRSA that I got in hospital. He is going to keep me on an antibiotic for a while to make sure that I do not get any recurrences.

The rest of the week I was pretty fatigued which is unusual since it was 2 weeks since my last chemo. But Friday we went to see "Bruno". There are some very funny scenes but also some pretty gross sh*t. See it at a cheap matinee or wait for the DVD.

The weekend weather was wonderful but once again, I just couldn't do much. Larry and Danica (my lunch with Larry friend) came over Sunday night for an informal and spontaneous dinner. It was good for me as when I'm not tired I enjoy the company. But when I'm knackered It's really tough.

Carpe Diem.

Short video tribute

This life don't last forever (hold my hand)
So tell me what we're waitin for (hold my hand)
Better off being together (hold my hand)
Than being miserable alone (hold my hand)
Cause I've been there before
And you've been there before
But together we can be alright
Cause when it gets dark and when it gets cold
We can just hold each other till we see the sunlight
So if you just hold my hand
Baby I promise that I'll do all I can
Things will get better if you just hold my hand
Nothing can come in between us if you just
hold, hold my, hold my, hold my hand.
The nights are getting darker (hold my hand)
And there's no peace inside (hold my hand)
So why make our lives harder (hold my hand)
By fighting love, tonight
Cause I've been there before
And you've been there before
But together we can be alright.
Cause when it gets dark and when it gets cold
We can just hold each other till we see the sunlight
So if you just hold my hand
Baby I promise that I'll do all I can
Things will get better if you just hold my hand
Nothing can come in between us if you just hold my hand

Thanks Akon and Michael J. (R.I.P.) I'm not a huge fan but he was an incredible entertainer. Sadly, a very f*cked up individual. Just my opinion!

Carpe Diem.