I know it's now December 26, but I'd still like to send you a Christmas greeting. The gift of Jesus' birth in Bethlehem was precious to me at an early age, but I was also a typical boy in many ways. I grew up loving the Peanuts Chistmas television Special, and I have watched it as many years as I could since it first aired in the mid-1960s. The story of Charlie Brown's search for the true meaning of Christmas in a modern secular holiday season had profound meaning for me back then, and still does now. I love this cartoon, as well as the outstanding music that accompanies the program.
Here I want to share with you my favorite track from my Peanuts Christmas tradition. It's called "Linus and Lucy," and whether you are familiar with it or not, I hope you'll enjoy this jazz number as much as I do.
Have a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
Sunday, December 26, 2010
Monday, October 20, 2008
Coming home from the hospital
It has been two months since I have written an entry. There are a few reasons for this. I've been sick for the last month. I have been hospitalized in Hershey Medical Center for the last three weeks. I'm doing better now. I am going home tomorrow. I'm really excited about it. I will write another entry in a day or two upon returning home. I hope you continue to read my blog when I begin writing more regularly. Take care.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
I Was a Guest Editor's Pick
I want to thank Jude of My Way for choosing me as a Guest Editor's Pick in Magic Smoke on August 8. It was an honor to be chosen among those she selected. If you haven't checked out her blog, please visit; it's an interesting read.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Happy 5th, JLand
I wanted to write an entry tonight because this is the 5th Anniversary of AOL Blogs. I couldn't let this day go by without saying what JLand means to me.
I have been writing a JLand blog for less than a year now, about which I have received many thoughtful and concerned comments. I knew two years earlier, however, that JLand was a caring community where people would take the time and go to the effort to support and encourage others who they had never actually met. Even before I had gotten my bone marrow transplant, I was receiving a great deal of traditional mail from JLanders literally around the world wishing me well and offering thoughts and prayers that my transplant would go well. My wife, Krissy, often told me about the outpouring of concern for both of us in the comment section of her blog, and would read aloud comments left there for me by JLanders.
After my transplant, while I was an inpatient at Hershey Medical Center, Krissy would bring to my patient room each morning a stack of cards and letters from JLanders inquiring about my health and wishing both of us well. At Hope Lodge, where Krissy lived while I was hospitalized, the staff would keep our abundance of mail at the lodge office and would jokingly ask her if we had a fan club. The warmth and affection generously offered by JLanders played a large part in keeping my spirits lifted during the long year I spent in the hospital. All of you have my most sincere gratitude.
I learned that JLanders represented the best that humanity had to offer. Your interest in others continues today, not just for my wife and me, but also for other JLanders and people in general.
Happy 5th Anniversary, JLand! Your mutual interest and support for each other makes JLand a uniquely welcoming place.
John
Saturday, August 9, 2008
My cancer is not back
I haven't been able to write an entry for awhile, but I wanted you to know that my oncology appointment on July 28th went well.
My cancer is not back. When my oncologist returned from vacation he told me that the doctors who thought my cancer was back didn't have his experience in treating MDS. That's why they were mistaken.
He's quite pleased with my progress both with the transplant and with my kidneys. The reason my kidneys were not functioning as well as they had been was because of a medication I was taking. My oncologist is taking me off this medication gradually, and my kidneys have already begun to improve. I will be off this medication in about a week.
The only thing my oncologist is concerned about is my iron level. I have iron overload from the more than 100 blood transfusions I've had since my bone marrow transplant. My iron level is more than 7 times the normal level what it should be. In the near future, my oncologist is hoping to put me on a medication which will lower my iron level back to normal.
I want to thank every one for their concern, comments and prayers. Your support really means a lot to me. You made it easier to get through this. I'll do my best to keep you up to date on my future progress.
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Bad News in My Blood Test Results
For several months recently my blood test results were quite good. They showed that I was doing well in many ways, and especially that my immune system was stronger than it had been since before my bone marrow transplant. My oncologist at Hershey Medical Center was so pleased that he reduced my blood test schedule from once a week to once a month.
Then, about three weeks ago, my lab results showed that my neutrophil count had fallen well below the normal range, which meant my immunities were low, and were actually on the edge of being dangerously low. I waited a week, all the while wondering if my immunities were getting weaker or stronger. But after a week, I felt that couldn't wait the remainder of a month to see how I was doing. Hershey's Post Bone Marrow Transplant Coordinator, the person I call when I have a problem, was away on vacation. Since I couldn't reach her, I turned to my local oncologist's office for help. One of the nurses there said that I could have labs done twice a month for a while, since my neutrophil count was low.
I had to wait another week, but I had the labs done. The results showed that my neutrophil count was very low, much lower than it had been two weeks before. This means that I will have to stay in our apartment almost all the time, and when I go out I'll have to wear a surgical mask everywhere. I'll also have to wash my hands frequently and use hand sanitizer often. I can't have fresh fruit or vegetables, I can have no fast food, and I must avoid crowds of people.
My wife Krissy called Hershey to see if I could have a Neulasta shot to raise my neutrophil count. We learned that not only was the Post Bone Marrow Transplant Coordinator still on vacation, but my oncologist was also on vacation and wouldn't be back for two weeks.
The doctor and nurse who are filling in for them don't know me. They said that since my neutrophil count is so low two and a half years after my transplant, it could mean that I'm having a relapse of cancer. If that's true, a Neulasta shot could further damage my bone marrow. They said I'll have to wait until my oncologist returns and determines what's wrong with me. I have an appointment to see my oncologist on July 28.
I'm not too worried about the possibility of a relapse. The substitute doctor and nurse may not fully appreciate how much of the last two and a half years I've spent with a dangerously low neutrophil count. Even though I'm not a doctor, I'm reasonably sure that the cancer isn't back. My oncologist has told me many times that neutropenia (a dangerously low neutrophil count) can be caused by something as simple as a mild viral infection which you may not even be aware that you have except for feeling tired. I have been tired lately.
I have a feeling that when I see my oncologist on July 28, he'll tell me that my cancer hasn't come back. I think he'll say that the substitute doctor doesn't have his personal experience with my condition. If I'm still neutropenic at that time, I may get that Neulasta shot.
Even though I'm not worried about cancer, I have to be cautious about being neutropenic. I can't afford to get sick. With such low immunities, any infection could be very dangerous. The last time I was neutropenic, I got a blood infection that sent my temperature up to 104.4 degrees and kept me in the hospital for a week. This time I haven't felt sick -- just tired. I hope it stays that way until my neutrophil count returns to normal.
Thursday, June 26, 2008
The Man Who Hates Blogs
No matter what you try to do in life, someone will believe that your efforts are worthless. I had this fact proven to me again recently by a university PhD who paused during a presentation to launch into a five minute attack on blogs and online journals. Let me explain.
Not too long ago, my wife Krissy heard about a writer's meeting which was to be held at the local public library. The topic of the meeting was memoir writing, which is an interest of mine, so we attended.
The talk went well for a while as the university instructor and his female co-leader gave helpful advice about writing, with a focus on memoirs. Then, about 30 minutes into the talk, the man's attitude changed abruptly. He began speaking about blogs in a hostile, mocking manner, saying that blogs were worthless and boring (I believe the term he used was "mundane"), and he claimed that all blogs were written in "stream of consciousness." He was convinced that people who write blogs and online journals couldn't be considered real writers, and wrapped up his attack by saying, "Who'd want to read a blog, anyway?"
I wanted very much to stand up and walk out of the room midway through their presentation, but I forced myself to stay and listen to everything else he said, since I was planning to write him a scathing email.
When the presentation was over, I did walk out, while the audience stayed for refreshments. I was furious and I knew that if I talked to him that night I would have chewed him out in front of everyone there. I wanted to avoid that. Krissy, however, went up front to talk with the man. She told him that she and I wrote blogs, and that we've been told that we write rather well. To this he responded, "Not everyone who can use a keyboard is a writer." She tried to talk about this with him, but he just kept repeating that one sentence. Eventually he said that he might consider editing our work so that someday we might have some hope of becoming writers. Krissy refused his offer. She described him to me as being arrogant. Personally, I might go to him if I ever want lessons on becoming a pretentious snob.
When I'd calmed down a bit, I realized that this man had used arguments that anyone familiar with public speaking or debate would have recognized as being irrational. He might have read a blog or two that was not well written and assumed that all blogs were written that way. I was surprised that a college instructor (probably a professor) could have fallen into an illogical belief like this. Professors are expected to be clear thinkers. Also, despite his claim, all blogs aren't written in stream of consciousness, as anyone who has read a fair sampling of blogs would realize. There are many good blogs, including nationally known and respected blogs which are certainly well written. Instead of saying that he personally didn't like blogs, he tried to throw all blogs on the trash heap. I realized that he had not been giving his professional opinion that night. Instead, he had been expressing a pet peeve.
I never did write that scathing email. I saw that it wouldn't have accomplished anything. I could have given him a piece of my mind, but that wouldn't have changed his view of blogs. I got over my anger after a few days. I understood that I had been angry because he had put me down as well as Krissy and the many fine blog writers who don't deserve to be dismissed out of hand.
Everyone has a right to his own opinion, and if this one professor wants to harbor an unrealistic hatred of blogs and online journals, he's free to do so. My concern is that he may influence the minds of students and other professors, prejudicing them against blogs. Hopefully, one teacher can't do much damage to blog writers.
Maybe I'll write him a calm, thoughtful email about his irrational reasoning. I'll have to think about that.
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