-
Perception & a New Reality
You’ve undoubtedly seen those mind-bending images, where you look at an image and see one thing, while someone else views an image and sees something else entirely. You know, like the image, below: What do you see? Do you see a young woman, looking away from you, over her right shoulder, her left ear and jaw line soft on an elegant neck? Or, do you see an older woman, with an elongated nose and chin, looking forward, forlorn? I see the younger woman. In fact, even knowing this picture, I have trouble finding the older woman – it always takes me a few seconds. I see one thing. You might…
-
2020: The Best of Times, the Worst of Times
A couple of weeks ago, our daughter Olivia, approaching her 25th birthday in October, stated at the dinner table, “This year has been the worst year of my life.” Our son, Raymond, who will turn 23 in December, quickly agreed. I responded rather typically with a sarcastic idea about holding a telethon for their benefit. But, that’s because I’m a smart ass. I do get it. The novel coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic has changed so much of our world, for so many of its citizens. It does suck, and I can hardly wait for the day when we don’t have to worry about this crazy disease. The year, 2020, has been bad.…
-
One Step at a Time, Literally
Since my diagnosis of multiple myeloma in March of 2019, I’ve taken an approach to my care that rather compartmentalizes things, and focuses on those areas that I can control. No since in getting ahead of myself, for that distracts from maximizing what I can do – what’s in my control – today. It might be correct, it might not. But, for me, it brings satisfaction and a peace of mind, and in both the short- and long-haul, I think that’s important. My approach to knuckling it up with multiple myeloma has been one with physical, mental, emotional and spiritual components. I believe those factors work in concert, together, and…
-
D+274, 9 Months & a New 3/4s Birthday
My good friend, kindred spirit and sista from another motha, Beth (Boggess) Baptist, was born on December 30 (I’ll let her fill in the year if she wants). Growing up with that birthday, Beth always felt her birthday was a bit overlooked. Her friends were coming off of Christmas and kind of gearing up for New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day. She was, well, she was stuck in the middle. So, from her late teen years on, Beth celebrated her “half birthday,” June 30. A new celebration was born! I kind of dug that idea. And, between her and I (birthday on March 30), we have birthdays or half…
-
A Differently-Abled Slant on Being Disabled
In March, when the novel coronavirus/COVID-19 pandemic really took root in the United States and started spreading like wildfire, I became a professional casualty of the virus. My employer had rather dragged its feet through a very long process to secure additional funding, and when the pandemic hit, the funding dried up. Almost instantly. It was probably the worst time ever to be in a business with a first name of – literally – retail. [Note: the company’s name is RetailNext, and its software rather acts like Google Analytics for brick-and-mortar stores.] No funding meant the need to make cuts for a retrenching business, and I had one of those…
-
Stem Cell Transplants (by a Dummy for Dummies) – Part 2
I’ve been putting off writing up the concluding chapter of my stem cell transplant post. Part of it has been that I’ve been busy. C’mon, give me a break. Although, I’m less busy right now as I’ve fallen victim, professionally, to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic sweeping the globe. Now, I’m a full-time blogger and musician, as well as, I guess, a full-time job seeker. Okay, so I guess you can’t have three full-time positions. You get my drift though. But, I think the biggest part of my delaying this seemingly inevitable post is that I’m not particularly enthusiastic about drumming up memories of November. I mean, I don’t want to…
-
Happy Anniversary, and the Turning of the Corner
Four days ago was the first anniversary of my diagnosis of multiple myeloma, and I celebrated … by having a PET scan. It’s weird. We didn’t have a celebration planned. No cake. No nothing, really. Just another day – another day that ends in a ‘y.’ I can’t even remember what we had for dinner that night. And, that was kind of a mistake, because I probably could have used a little pick-me-up. I wouldn’t say I’ve been unhappy lately. I still enjoy days of smiles and laughs, and I’m blessed with supportive friends and a loving family. It’s just that I haven’t been my super positive self. There’s been…
-
Hello Kitty, the Human Spirit, and Showing Cancer How We Do
Years ago, the buddies and I discussed the most ridiculous road trips imaginable. True boundary busters, like flying around the world for the weekend, showing up at work on Monday, and when somebody asked, “What did you do this weekend?,” responding with, “Well, me and the boys flew around the world, with pit stops in … .” We let the around-the-world-in-a-weekend trip idea slide, but we began to focus on another that fit the bill for ridiculousness – flying to Australia for a concert. Just a concert. Fly “down under,” hit the gig and fly back. We joked about how we’d be cocktailing at SFO ahead of time, then hopping…
-
Hair Today, Gone Tomorrow
When it comes to cancer, hair is a funny thing. Not often funny in a ha ha way, but more funny in a much more complicated way. A great many cancer treatments are extremely tough on the body. It’s the weird thing about cancer treatments – the patient often feels better before treatment than during treatment, lending further thought to the idea that the cure/treatment is often worse than the disease. On the many casualties; collateral damage, if you’d like; of cancer treatment is the loss of hair. For much of my life, I had thought, “What’s the big deal? So, you lose your hair to save your life. Lots…
-
Stem Cell Transplants (by a Dummy, for Dummies) – Part 1
The relatively standard treatment for multiple myeloma patients is an induction therapy of Revlimid, Velcade and dexamethasone, followed up by a stem cell transplant if the patient is healthy and young enough. When I first heard of stem cell transplants, I thought, “oh, cool, high-tech and cutting edge,” what with stem cells being the news so often the past decade. I didn’t even bother looking into the details, because I focused entirely, at least initially, on my induction therapy. I felt the need to compartmentalize my treatment, focusing on one step at a time and the variables I could exert some degree of control over. As I progressed through treatment…