Immunotherapy researcher Gordon Freeman takes stock

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It had been almost a year since I had last visited pioneering cancer researcher Gordon Freeman in his office at Dana-Farber. On this blustery fall day I was using a cane, hoping that the reason for my limp and sore thigh was tendon and tissue strain, not new cancer or complications from treatment, recent surgery, and radiation.

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Gordon Freeman

The security guard in the lobby printed me a temporary ID card and pointed the way to the staff elevator that would take me to the fifth floor.

“You’ll have to swipe the ID once you get in the elevator,” she said. “Otherwise you won’t be able to get up there.” Continue reading Immunotherapy researcher Gordon Freeman takes stock →

3. Everything Changes

Immunopatient -- The Book

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Downtown Keene, NH

I arrived for my appointment with Dr. Wu the next morning at 10:30 sharp. This time I didn’t have to wait. The receptionist, Renee, ushered me into the examining room and I spent a couple minutes to myself, trying to calm my racing thoughts.

Online, I had discovered that bone lesions were abnormal growths that had embedded themselves into the bone, and often were associated with cancer. A brief rap on the door announced his arrival. Whippet thin and nervous-seeming, Dr. Wu plunged right into the bad news. Continue reading 3. Everything Changes →

Beating the Worry that Comes with Cancer

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For a Stage IV cancer survivor I’ve got a lot going for me:
— Clean brain MRIs for more than a year; cancer free from the neck down for more than two.
— My older son is getting married in a few months. My younger son, who graduated last May, just got word he’ll be teaching in Austria next year on a Fulbright program.
— My wife and I support each other, and we’ve weathered the storm of a Stage IV cancer diagnosis, surgeries, radiation treatments, forced semi-retirement, and the uncertainty of a cancer diagnosis.
Despite my good fortune at being a complete responder, so far, in a clinical trial that I am fortunate to be part of, I can’t shake feelings of unease.

Continue reading Beating the Worry that Comes with Cancer →

18:  Toxic Treatment

Immunopatient -- The Book,

 

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Looking bloated as Katharina works to get me smiling

I thought I was well prepared for Day One of HDIL-2.  Dr. James Mier and Nancy Weinstein had thoroughly explained the whole treatment process, and the hospital also had sent an information packet.

Most helpful were members of the online kidney cancer support group who had written about their treatment experiences.  One line from those posts distilled the essence of what was soon to come: “It’s like the worst flu you’ve ever had, times ten.”  Continue reading 18:  Toxic Treatment →

These Three Resources Are Helping Me Beat Cancer

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This may seem like an strange mix to you, but a website for cancer patients, a guided imagery CD by a retired engineer from Texas, and audio books and CDs by a leading advocate for reducing stress through mindfulness meditation have greatly helped me cope with advanced stage cancer.

Here’s an overview of these valuable resources. Maybe they can help you, too.  Continue reading These Three Resources Are Helping Me Beat Cancer →

I’m not religious, but I appreciate your thoughts and prayers

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A former work colleague sends me the occasional email to check in, and always mentions that he prays for me every day. A devout Catholic, and a low-key, capable, and helpful telecommunications professional, Steve is one of dozens of friends, colleagues, acquaintances and relatives who has been thinking and in some cases praying for me during my illness. I can’t thank them enough.  Continue reading I’m not religious, but I appreciate your thoughts and prayers →

Visualizing Your Fight Against Cancer

If you want to use guided imagery to fight cancer like I do, it helps to have something to visualize. Off and on over the past five years, I’ve used guided imagery exercises developed by Gerald Myers, a long-time kidney cancer survivor, to visualize the different kinds of white blood cells in my blood stream tracking down and killing cancer cells. It may sound flaky to you, but there is evidence that it works. And if nothing else, it’s helped me relax on those anxiety-filled evenings when sleep has been hard to come by. Continue reading Visualizing Your Fight Against Cancer →