There’s nothing like palm trees swaying in the tropical breeze! We had a restorative, relaxing vacation on the Big Island. It has been over a year since we’ve been on an actual vacation.  Our dear friends Annabelle and Paku are tremendous hosts. They somehow kept a surprise from us in the weeks leading up to the trip. They picked us up at the Hilo airport and we spent the first night at their place in Volcano.  Volcano is the village right outside of the Hawaii Volcanoes National Park near the Kilauea crater at 4000’ on the mountain.  The next day we were instructed to pack a bag and get in the car not knowing what they had in store for us. We drove over the Saddle Road to the leeward side where it is usually warm and dry. The leeward side (Kona) gets an average of 18.9 inches of rain per year, in contrast with the windward side (Hilo) which averages 145 inches.  Imagine our delight when they pulled into the Mauna Lani Resort! The Mauna Lani Resort is 3,200 acres on ...

 Have you ever been lost? There are several ways to be “lost”. Let me tell you about the time I got lost as a young 16 year old.  A few years earlier my Dad took me on my first trip on an airplane from Phoenix to Denver.  I loved it and decided I wanted to be a pilot when I grew up.   So, Dad offered to send me to flying lessons at age 16.  One of the requirements in those days was for the student to complete a solo round trip triangle with each leg being at least 200 miles long.  My instructor decided my trip would be from Phoenix to Blythe, CA to Yuma and back to Phoenix.   With full confidence I was ready, my Dad and instructor saw me off in a rented Cessna 150 on a clear, beautiful Arizona day.  I had worked hard in the preceding days preparing my flight plan on the map with directional details and radio frequencies, etc….  The leg to Blythe seemed relatively benign and everything was going as planned.  For those of you who are now d...

Or, everyday Angels? Diane and I just returned from Houston following my first treatment with the new trial.  As I previously mentioned it was a long week.  The trip took 5 nights, but most days were pretty light on appointments. Monday was a little busy.  I did an early morning fasting blood draw, then an Electrocardiograph (EKG), followed by visit to the Vascular Access department to flush my port.  The port is imbedded above my right breast that allows vein access for chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and normal blood draws.  It was placed there for the chemotherapy I took last summer.  However, it has had very little use since then because the previous immunotherapy trial I was on required arm access for the transfusions.  This new trial will use it for multiple blood draws.  I’m happy to give my veins a little break! On Tuesday we only had one appointment but it was an important meeting.  We met with a trial doctor for final approval and clea...

Well, you don’t have a choice, so here’s the Good News! When we went to Houston last week for my 8th treatment of the new immunotherapy trial drug, my doctors offered us to move to a different clinical trial (still at MD Anderson).  This trial is among the latest effort of Targeted Therapies uniquely targeting genetic mutations.   The treatment uses Small Molecular Inhibitors (SMI) to target a gene pathway that regulates the survival of cells.  Mesothelioma has a deregulating, or abnormal pathway.  This new medicine is a blocker, like a switch, that tells the cells to stop growing and even shrink.   We are very excited to enter this new treatment.  If you refer back to the graph I posted in the previous two blogs, you’ll see this procedure is listed in the “Experimental Treatment” column of cutting edge efforts to control Mesothelioma.  And, here’s some of the reasons we are so optimistic: Unlike Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy, which are both transfusi...

I warned you I was new at posting blogs. My intent with posting the graph on the previous post was to include the entire fundraising letter from the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation.  But, when I was writing the original blog it kept coming out  blurry so I reduced it to just the graph.  Once I posted it I went to the actual posted blog and realized if you click on a picture or attachment it will launch and allow you to zoom in or enlarge the print. So, for those of you interested here is the letter in it’s entirety: Click on document to launch This foundation has done wonders for research and progress for those affected by Mesothelioma.  Diane believes that every time a patient is diagnosed with this cancer anywhere it should be mandatory that doctors refer the patient to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation.  They will get that family on the right track from the beginning. You can see why this group adds a great deal of hope to our journey. We ...

Wow!  Sorry for the long span between posts. Most of my posts are pretty positive.  Sometimes I wonder if readers think I have a Pollyanna attitude…or that maybe things aren’t quite as rosy as I portray them.  In fact, at times I almost feel guilty when I feel so good and I know others undergoing stressful medical issues are not so fortunate.  Another clue is when we have visitors (often friends from Alaska) who make a trip to Arizona partially to see how I “really” am.   Well, I’m going to do it again.  I’ll begin with a rosy picture of the last few weeks, then I will tie it into our reason for hope.   The Latest: The last three Immunotherapy treatments have been side affect free!  The treatment day itself, however, has not been 100% smooth.  Each time there’s been an obstacle to overcome, either nausea during the drip or a bout with the rigors.  The good news is when something occurs the nurses know what to do.  On the last treatm...

Have you ever been really scared?  Not Halloween scared, but scared for your life… Let me share a time in my life when I thought I was going to die.  As most of you know I’m a lifelong river rafter.  This is a story about how different people react differently in stressful situations. My first experience in a 16 foot rubber boat traveling downstream in an occasionally torrential river was right here in Arizona on the Upper Salt River, which is one of the few designated Wild and Scenic natural rivers in the state.  The runnable section of the Upper Salt river flows 60 miles from the Salt River Canyon bridge to Roosevelt Lake with Class III and IV rapids.  It requires permits from the White Mountain Apache Tribe. I was around 25 years old when my friend Steve Byers invited me to run the first 7 miles of the Upper Salt. Boaters can run the first 7 miles, sometimes a few times in one day.  But, if you travel past that point you have 3-4 days to Roosevelt Lake. ...

Every trip is different! Immunotherapy treatment #3 started off like the first two.  It was a long day of tests and appointments leading up to the infusion at the end of the day.  By now Diane and I were comfortable with the procedure and the hour it takes to infuse, followed by the hour of observation.  So, when the nurse started the drip Diane left right away to get a cup of coffee and the nurse went back to her station. Within one minute I felt a gut bomb in my abdomen followed by instant nausea and my head started stinging like little needles.  I immediately pushed the nurse button and texted Diane to come back.  The nurse paused the treatment and I went into uncontrollable shivers.  Diane comforted me with blankets and the nurse gave me Benidril which eventually ended the shivers and got me to relax.   The next few hours were spent running a few bags of saline and consulting with my doctor.  Eventually, the decision was made to resume the tre...

Let’s lead with the funnest thing I did since the last Blog! I attended the Alhambra High School 50th Reunion!  I have attended several throughout these 50 years but I missed many because they were usually held during our Alaska time.  But, this one was like the Grand Finale at a fireworks show!  This is likely the last one as the committee (thank God for the committee!) have decided they served our class faithfully over the years.  I believe they pulled out all the stops to make it Grand.  I think they were trying to empty the budget account.  Many thanks to Krysta and Chuck Roseberry for leading the committee for 50 years.  Job well done to everyone! I reconnected with so many old friends.  I was feeling great that night and enjoyed so many conversations.   Many people have been following my journey via this blog.  Quite a few approached to lift me up and offer prayers, all without pestering me about cancer details.  That’s what I...