A visit to the vet

No, not me. Max. A couple of days ago Max went to the vet for his yearly shots and check up. The good news is he is generally in pretty good health. The not so good news is he has cataracts and is going a bit deaf. What? Not bad for a 12.5 year old doggie. Before cataract surgery he is going to try glasses. It's just difficult for him to put them on and take them off!. In all honesty, I don't mean to make light of his health. We will do whatever is required to help my boy.

Today, we had more fun. Well, not really. On our usual walk through our forest Max got stung by a bunch of f*@king bees. We had to take him to the vet where they gave him a steroid and benadryl shot. I was really lucky not to get stung as I was helping him. He is doing fine now. Quite a tough boy. I now officially hate honey!

The kids are home this weekend from school. So much for the empty nest!

Carpe Diem.

Chemo 6 (Round 6)

Well, a bit of a long day but otherwise a good day. We got there for our 1pm infusion and only got out after 5pm. Normally it takes about 2 1/2 hours. My regular nurse Jen was not there and the person filling in for her was, shall we say, a bit slow! Had to stick me twice to get a vein. Aaargh!

We met with Dr. Schraeder (my Oncologist) and he was very pleased with the last scans. While the malignancy is still showing up in the right lung pleura (fluid) it has diminished slightly. The best news is that there is still no evidence of spread to anywhere else. The 2 drugs that I am receiving every 3 weeks seems to be doing the job for now. Dr. Schraeder even said that if I wanted an extra week during some of the treatments that it would be okay. I can think of one place where I would want 4 weeks off. World Cup 2010 in South Africa!!!

The MouseSkin family is progressing well. There is a chance that we may be able to begin testing early next year.

Carpe Diem.

Weekend in New York

After having a bit of a rough week, Diana, Max and I decided to go to New York to observe Yom Kippur with Phil and How and the family. The added bonus was that my Mom was there as well. We had an easy drive up on Saturday lunchtime and Saturday night we all went out together for dinner. Max and Luca stayed home and watched their favorite show on TV..........The Dog Whisperer!

Sunday morning Diana, Max and I went to Stamford Connecticut to visit Jack and Donna. We had a wonderful brunch with them and great conversations. But the visit was too short as we had to get back to New York in time for the beginning (start) of Yom Kippur. Early afternoon Diana managed to squeeze in a really good dance show thanks to Phil's connections. I managed to squeeze in a really good nap!

On Monday some went to services and some stayed home. Monday evening a couple of Phil and How's good friends and a few co-workers came to break the fast with all of us. After a quick but good, filling meal the three of us drove back to Baltimore. It was a fun and action packed weekend.

Carpe Diem.

Scan results

Overall good news. The disease is still there (in the right pleura) but it has reduced in size and has not spread to anywhere else. This is good as it tells the doctors that the chemo is working for me at this time. I will discuss these results with Dr. Sidransky (MouseSkin Dr.) as well.

Am I cured? Hardly. Am I happy with the results? Yes, of course. As long as we can "manage " this disease I will be a happy chappy. We will see what the future brings and what the MouseSkins will tell us. Until then................

By the way, the Man U shirt with AIG on the front is a sponsorship arrangement. In no way do I support or condone AIG's business practices!

Carpe Diem

Scans today

I had my scans done first thing this morning and am awaiting the results!!! I've had a really bad stomach ache for the last 4-5 days. Hopefully, all they will tell me is that I am full of sh$t. I've been told that before.

Carpe Diem.

A ZimKids thank you from Dennis

Dear Zimkids friends,

The 30 days of the Global Giving
challenge have ended and I'm writing to report that we raised an astronomical
$26,801, putting us in third place! In fact, we were at the top of the heap
until the last minute. Only three or four days before the end of the
competition did we discover that the other organizations that raised
significant amounts of money have US based paid staffs and professional
fundraisers. So we're still almost incredulous that Zimkids, which has only
volunteers in the US, emerged in such high standing.

The folks who run Global Giving were so impressed that they have informed us that they plan to feature Zimkids both in their publicity and in their dealings with large donors.

Pretty fantastic, what amazing friends my wife, Elli Burkett, our trustee, Adrian Suskin, our volunteer web designer, Hezvo Mpunga and I have. I will now return to Zimbabwe in November with enough money to not just fill stomachs with staple foods but to round out their diets
with meat, eggs and more vegetables in addition to covering their medical
expenses, other emergency needs but also to enhance the social and educational programs.

I wish I could say more than thank you,
that I could throw us all an enormous party with the kids in Pumula North so
that they could meet the generous organizations and individuals who will keep
them safe for the coming years!

Dennis.

Carpe Diem.

GlobalGiving Challenge

Thanks to the incredible generosity of so many people ZimKids was able to come in third and earn an extra US$1000. We did not miss first and second place by much!!!

1st. Education Scholarships for Child Laborers in India raised US$27,686 and 262 unique donors.

2nd. Support Entrepreneurial Drive of Women in Ghana raised US$27,373 and 121 unique donors.

3rd. Feed Zimbabwean Orphans, Body and Soul raised US$26,801 and 112 unique donors.

We are absolutely thrilled at the results and cannot thank each and every one of you enough. I do, however, want to single out the Foundation at the Independent Pilot's Association. The trustees involved in making this decision to help and the ultimate generosity of the pilot group (of which I belong) makes me very proud and honored to be a part of.

From all of us at ZimKids.com, thank you from the bottom of our hearts.

Carpe Diem.

Rosh Hashana (The new year)

To all my family and friends around the world celebrating Rosh Hashana I wish you a very healthy new year and well over the fast.

Carpe Diem.

New added stuff

Check out the video and article I posted from September 13th about our London visit. Just in case you missed it.

Oh yea. It's not too late. We need lots more unique donors. Small amounts will do and do one for your pet!

http://www.globalgiving.com/dy/v2/globalchallenge.html

Carpe Diem.

Sorry to appeal again

There is roughly 3 days left to contribute to our ZimKids project. I hate to bug you all especially those that have been kind enough to donate already. But, what we need in the next couple of days are small, unique donations. What I mean by unique is different people. It can be separate US$5 donations from you, your spouse and your kids. If you check out the links below it will better explain what we are trying to achieve. Many, many thanks from all of us at ZimKids.com.

http://www.zimkids.com/new/

http://www.globalgiving.com/projects/zimkids-feeds-zimbabwean-orphans-body-and-soul/

http://www.globalgiving.com/dy/v2/globalchallenge.html

Carpe Diem.