I chose the title of this blog to go with a Beatles song from 1969. The title made sense in October of 2009 because fighting cancer might be a drawn out challenge. I take inspiration where I can, and hope to motivate with my musings about music, my status and anything else related to life. Anyone can post comments; no sign in or account is needed, just click on the comments section towards the bottom of the post and write me a note. A splendid time is guaranteed for all. Live Happy- Greg
"Whenever you find yourself on the side of the majority, it is time to pause and reflect." Mark Twain
The Beatles (John Lennon) wrote One After 909 sometime around 1957. They played it in early gigs and never released the song until near the end on Let It Be. Never the less, this attached rooftop version is my favorite. There are many highlights including George's guitar solo, and Yoko sitting looking bored as the boys pound it out. We made it just a few more than 909 stairs this past week (1311 total) as we completed another "Big Climb." Our team competed/completed with gusto and many happy faces. The team slimmed down a bit from last year, but was still enthused and everyone made it to the top to a great sunny view. We also raised more money per person than last year for the Leukemia/Lymphoma Society. The Long and Winding Road team was comprised of: 19 women and 9 men. Ladies Rock! After the climb some of us enjoyed a lunch at FaDo Irish pub just down the street.
Our racers averaged 12:40 for their races to the top for the top three, quite a feat! Our youngest team member Benjamin aged 13 did it in just over 10 minutes! Of the climbers, yours truly was slowest taking around 25 minutes to get to the top with gentle pushes on my rear end from Yvonne.
I will post some more photos as I get them from other photographers, for now these are random shots from before during and after.
PS: I am still going through tests at the Hutch. I developed a blood infection last week just before the Climb, then another in my mouth. My testing is going OK, the bone marrow biopsy showed zero cancer, the spinal fluid showed zero as well. Still a long ways to go with the tests, and a few liver enzymes out of whack... Thanks again to our team, and everyone who contributed and supported a good cause. Live Happy! Greg
One of my favorite 70's bands was REO Speedwagon. I was fortunate to see them open up for Ted Nugent in the late 70's and tear down the house at the good old Portland Memorial Coliseum. They are now remembered more for their 1980's ballads like Keep on loving you. You can take what you want from Roll With The Changes, I think Kevin Cronin and company wrote it to mean something a little different to everyone... For the past few weeks I have been struggling with making a decision to undergo a second stem cell transplant, or take less risks and live out my life with the possibility of more relapses, chemo, and who knows. I was still up in the air even up to yesterday (our first Fred Hutchinson consultation). I told Yvonne last night during the ride home that I wasn't sure I wanted to go through a second transplant mainly due to the lack of clear statistical efficacy data. I had a good nights sleep and hit the bike this AM with Roll With The Changes as the second song on my random playlist. That was all it took to realize I needed to take some chances and stick to it. I am actually feeling better and stronger now than I was last year for number one, here's what we learned yesterday:
My mini PBSCT (peripheral blood stem cell transplant) is scheduled to occur on April 19th. My unrelated donor this time is a 41 year old woman with the same blood type as mine, she is a 100% match and has other blood markers which go well with mine. We have started the testing process to make sure all of the logistics are a go. Lab work, x rays, c t scans, bone marrow biopsy, nutrition, social work, finance, etc. I don't look forward to most of it, but it pales in comparison to my first attempt. I am supposed to spend only one night in the hospital and do most of everything else in the Hutchinson clinic in downtown Seattle. I will be trying out some new chemo and light radiation to condition me before April 19. So here's to a great St. Patrick's Day, I plan on enjoying a Guinness tonight!
Hey All! I found a great video/audio showcasing a lesser known song recorded live during their last tour. And Your Bird Can Sing was one of those songs that might have had some meaning other than being a good fast rock and roller. The prevailing opinion was that John was alluding to the Rolling Stones' Mick Jagger and his then girlfriend Marianne Faithful, who happened to be a singer. "Bird" was a woman in 60's England. Nevertheless, the song was included on the Revolver album in the U.K. and was featured on Yesterday and Today in the U.S.
I am still recovering from probably my last Nelarabine chemo infusion. We checked into next steps about a month ago, the best option we could find was a mini bone marrow transplant if I could get to remission and find a new donor. We scored on both fronts- and are now scheduled to start the process with a new donor March 16. If everything goes well I would have the actual transplant the first week of April. I will explain more about the benefits of the mini transplant as I get closer to a for sure thing. For now I have some hoops to jump through and the 100% donor also has some to-do's.
