You may be asking (as my mom did), "Why is there a picture of the Iwo Jima Memorial of the flag raising on Mount Suribachi on your blog?" Excellent question! When I leave Georgetown, I go home over the Francis Key Bridge, through the city of Arlington, and down the George Washington Parkway to get home. Everytime I take the onramp to get on the GWP, I pass this statue. I've probably passed it 30 times or more over the last year and a half, and I've never stopped to see the memorial. Wednesday was a beautiful day, I was out of my appointment before eleven, my lunch "date" with my friend Elena had been overcome by events, and I found myself with time on my hands. So I stopped. It is a beautiful memorial with several informative plaques around. I learned that of the six men depicted (five Marines and one Navy corpsman), three subsequently died on Iwo Jima. Anyway, it was a neat place I've been meaning to visit, and now I have. It seemed like an appropriate pre-Independence Day pictureOn the the biopsy read:
This is where we are. I am not yet in remission, but we've beaten the living crap out of the CLL. The marrow biospy yielded no visible structures associated with the CLL, and the flow cytometry--which measures things at the microscopic cellular/chromosomal level--show a less than 1% involvement of the CLL still in the marrow. Consider that when this all started, my marrow was over 50% involved. Consider also that for some patients, merely stopping the advancement of the disease is considered a win. This is pretty good news, and we're not sure that the Revlimid has finished doing it's thing. I still have enlarged lymph nodes, but these are significantly down from where we started. I'm hoping for a comment from Nurse Louise to put this in some perspective for me.
Bottom line: we are now in "observation" mode. My next appointment is in three months.
Anyway, I'll soon be hitting you all up to sponsor me in Dr. Cheson's 50-mile Lymphoma Research Bike Ride this October. Help me stay on this guy's good side.
Have a happy 4th.
Count us in and also count the choir at St. Andrew's. We could not not sponsor you.
ReplyDeleteThis is great news on two levels. You have no idea how good this makes me feel. I've sort of been avoiding calling you because I didn't think I could get through a conversation without welling up ( the last thing you needed at the time). I should have been stronger. Secondly, my brother was just diagnosed with lymphoma (also not curable) and your progress has kept my outlook for my brother positive.
ReplyDeleteand, of course, I'll sponsor you. Just pass the information on.
Kent
WOOOO HOOOOO Way to kick the hell out of CLL!!
ReplyDeleteTim, I just want to say that I'm so proud of you and admire you so much for what you've committed to and for being an integral part of advancing medicine...TRULY....in the eyes of a clinical trials nurse, you are the epitome of a poster child as a clinical trials participant and much much more.
On so many levels, everyone around you has benefited so much from your selfless sharing of your journey, your flawless commitment to research, and your all around good natured way of allowing us to see this journey through your eyes.
I for one, feel so fortunate to have you as a friend and blessed that you're going to be around longer than I care to admit, to make me/ us laugh and to see the brighter and more important sides of life.
Love you Timothy and I will not only sponsor you in this bike ride but was wondering if you would mind if I ride along side of you...please?
Kisses
Louise
There are many that believe the power of positive thinking, the glass half full mindset, can go a long way to curing the incurable, to fixing things that seem truly broken. I know of no one that could have been more postive and determined than you - and the rewards are now hopefully being realized - chief among them that you appear to be kicking CLL's arse.
ReplyDeleteThis is going to sound sappy - you've given me a newfound appreciation on life and what it has to offer. I find myself slowing down and, when needed, having a fuller and more complete perspective when challenges are presented. Thank you, Tim.
As for the bike ride, count me in to sponsor. Unless you are wearing biking shorts, then I just can't participate in such an atrocity.
- Meno