December 24, 2001|

The Response

It’s Christmas! What are you doing on my web site? 🙂 Shouldn’t you be doing last minute shopping? Or baking that last dozen cookies? Or getting the tree up? Or visiting family and friends? Surfing the web during a down time between it all? Me too. My little brother Billy just taught me about MP3s. Oh, that’s dangerous, especially being a music junkey. Like I tell everyone who encounters my towering collection- I don’t smoke, don’t drink, don’t play video games, don’t have a fancy car- but I buy music in the bucketful and record it (via my CD burners) like a fiend. I am allowed one vice, right?

The Deal

So here’s the new deal with my sabbatical in Manhattan at Hotel Hospital. December 30th I fly into LaGuardia- that afternoon is reserved for Steelers- Bungles game. Can you believe the Steelers? I gotta be out of the hospital by the Super Bowl! I can’t be in the hospital watching the Steelers in the Super Bowl on a lil’ 13 inch TV with no surround sound! We have a goal to meet, that’s for sure.

I digress. December 31st is CT Scan, PET Scan and Times Square Day. I don’t know how I am going to do it all, but I am going to be in Times Square on New Year’s. I can hear all of my second mothers in the reading audience protesting with rage over such an adventure that could endanger my weakened condition. “It’s cold.” “You are too out-of-shape.” “The bathroom situation is hideous.” Let me tell y’all. What is one of my major themes? Live life! Don’t be a spectator, be a player. Make a memory. I am there. The pictures will be online in a few weeks:)

Oh yeah. So I am admitted into Sloan Kettering on January 8th. Around the 16th I get Billy’s cells. We have been hounding him to eat. The kid weighs all of 70 lbs. sopping wet from a shower full of his pearberry and Bath and Body Works lotions. He drinks 15 cans of Pepsi a day and only eats mozzerella sticks. I have been beating him down all my life. Now it is his turn- via his cells- to get revenge. I have a bad feeling my cells are going to kick his cells’ butt, typical Artfashion. He better eat. Gotta save my life, know what I mean?

Serious Note

I have gotten such positive feedback on my last update. I have so much more information to pass on from experience and research on trials, tribulations and suffering, I don’t know what to do with it all. I am going to try to write a nice paper on it. Citations and all. That’s another goal when I am in the hospital. Thanks for all the wonderful e-mails.

You know what astounds me? It is hard to believe, as we are in Christmas time, that God, the maker of everything, came down to earth as a little baby. We all know babies. They are helpless, stinky, finicky…can you believe God came down in that form? Wouldn’t it have been cooler to float down in a super-herolike form? Big, tough, totally independent? The more I think of it though, it is amazing. Because He came down, was born a baby, was reared a child into a teenager into an adult, He can relate to anything we give Him. Hunger pains, bad haircuts, sore muscles, family death, tasty food, good times…He’s been there. That’s amazing. It’s more reassuring than anything. Whatever we throw at Him, no matter how difficult, He can say “Been there, done that, relax.” Just something to think about during this season.

Have a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year’s. And if you watch Dick Clark, look for the bald kid whooping it up…that’ll be me…ah, I mean..Yes ma’am…I’ll wear a stocking hat…I promise:)

December 15, 2001|

There’s Something About NYC

Maybe the doctor at the Cleveland Clinic was watching TV on Thursday night, saw the New York City Tourists commericals, and decided that I was what NYC needed- another body spending money there. Maybe. Or maybe he was making his opinion based on the medical data. Regardless, he (and I) recommended that I go back to Sloan Kettering to get my Bone Marrow Transplant. Why? First, he couldn’t get us into Cleveland Clinic fast enough. It would have taken a month to get all of the paperwork, tests, scans, everything before they would let me in. Second (this is my choice), he wanted to do a full transplant, while at MSKCC they wanted to do a mini-transplant.

Timing

The timing issue is important, as I need to do something- fast. Things are getting worse and worse everywhere. Leg, lungs, rib, neck, underarm, groin- the cancer is kicking art’s butt. This week I am going to do some Rituxin and Zivilin (brand new drug), which may put stuff at bay, but no gaurantees. The faster we can do this transplant, the better. Right now I may be in NYC for New Year’s. We gotta move.

Treatment

The treatment issue is important too. Technically, I have already done a full BMT, only having given my own bone marrow, last year. To do it again would suck majorly (not pulling any punches here). But at Sloan (and around the country) there is a new belief that the donor’s cells will do the job of the chemotherapy, and therefore why not let them do it. So the mini isn’t as bad- I won’t be as sick. There still are many serious complications, but it won’t be as bad on Art. And, the mini is brand new. Like I will be in the top 25 of people doing this in NYC. Like I have said before, no one gets this far except Art. I may be the first mini Hodgkin’s patient. Ridiculous, right? Everyone gets cured at first crack, not me. Need to be different.

Depression and the Tootsie Pop

One thing that I never ever want to portray on this site is that I am the model and perfect example of suffering. Never ever. I sometimes get that from people, and I don’t ever want to confirm that. I am just like everyone else. I have good days. I have bad days. Many of them lately, which is what I want to talk about.

I don’t handle them well. I mope. I sleep a lot. I watch TV and read the newspaper. That’s it. Really. I don’t read my Bible, I don’t try to get myself up to do stuff or call people, I don’t particularly do anything. I just think of myself. My poor self. Shingles, darn shingles. Can’t go outside. Stupid leg. Can’t walk around. Groin. Ugh, definitely can’t walk around. And my dreams of going to grad school next fall- down the tubes. And helping with the foundation, can’t get out to help with that- ugh. Why me?

Today, though, after three weeks of such behavior I got sick of it and really pondered it. Thinking of depression and down times is like a Tootsie Pop. It is so hard on the outside, that you have to work it, taking many licks and many small bites before you get the good stuff inside. That’s what I have been doing most of today (and have done most of this year). I don’t think I have fully gotten to the middle, but I am getting there. Here are some thoughts, really brief thoughts. You can correct me as such.

Everyone gets depressed. Don’t let anyone fool you. I don’t care how good of a do-gooder they are, they get depressed. And it is OK to be depressed. It’s natural. What’s the killer is staying on it. It will literally kill you if give it any legs of its own in your life. It will corrupt your relationships, your work, your personality. It is a killer.

Really, what depression is to me is simply a time when you are stuck on yourself. What are the questions we ask ourselves when we are depressed? Why ME? It is isn’t fair? (To who?) To ME. Why did this have to happen? (To who?) To ME. The center of the universe is Art and everything that happens goes against him.

What gets us out of depression is recentering the universe. Moving it to God and others. Getting away from self. It’s easier said then done. But calling others, serving others, going out with others – getting in other peoples’ worlds. From there, remembering God, remembering who is in control. All can be turned to good, it’s our choice. But we have to move from the self-universe to the others-universe.

I know this is not quite the good explanation or understanding of this deep and difficult topic, but I felt it necessary to remind myself and others, during this Holiday season, that we can’t get self-centered. It’s not about us. It’s about others. It’s about Him. Especially this Holiday season.

So for you New Yorkers, we have three months to play. Let’s roll.

December 1, 2001|

Sent Home Early

The shingles were at it again this past week. In addition to be a general nuisance causing itching, soreness and pain, they also got my chemo cancelled. I am definitely anti-shingles.

On Monday we rolled into NYC with plenty of time to spare on my PET Scan. Unfortunately, I was sent right to isolation, as not to infect anyone else. The shingles are contagious only to those with low immune systems. Think ANYONE who is at a cancer hospital. My PET Scan got bumbed to the last slot of the day, where afterwards there were big “DISINFECT” signs posted on all the rooms I graced. It was like being a leper.

Just when I thought the shingles had caused all the problems they could, then Tuesday it got good. “No chemo for you!” shouted the chemo-Nazi! To have done chemo would have weakened my immune system greatly, and therefore I would have NEVER gotten better from the shingles. So my Wednesday and Friday all day chemos were cancelled and I was sent back home to Ohio.

We did meet the bone marrow transplant doctor on Tuesday at MSKCC. Nice guy, knew his stuff. We are exploring our options to as where to do the BMT. Slaon Kettering, Cleveland Clinic, who knows? All that we know is that we will do it within the next month. The PET Scan showed that the cancer is regressed as much as we can get it.

Billy, my brother the donor, also came, to understand what his part would be. He also had to give some blood to be tested against mine. Amazingly they were able to get a half pint of blood out of the kid. I mean he weighs like 30 lbs wearing wet pajamas. I thought for sure they would miss his vein and hit his bone. Oh, the skillful nurses. As for being the donor, his job is pretty easy. He sits in a chair, reads the Sports Section of the USA Today and allows a few million stem cells to be taken out of him.

The Reunion: Drugged up and Scratching like a Fiend

Last Friday was my 5th year Class Reunion. As Class President, I have the honor of planning the reunions from now to eternity (another reason why I can’t let this cancer win). It was a blast, we had around 75 out of 208, not a bad yield for being so last minute. I was majorly drugged up on oxycontin, benedryl and hydromorpohone. Thank God for drugs; prescription drugs you sickie 🙂 I made it through the night without incident, but I did sleep much of Saturday. Some new pictures are up from the event in the photos section. The glasses were the key my friend. If you have good accessories, you can pull anything off. I was unrecognizeable with glasses. Let me tell you. I was the mysterious guy, the guy no one recognized…until I went over and hounded my classmates to pay up for food:) “There’s Art again, making us pay money- shoot!”

Confirmation: I am not Superman

This whole shingles event once again has taught me a valuable lesson: I am not Superman, like I tend to believe. Many times I get on this kick, that I can do anything I want. I am young, I am strong, I think postive, nothing can stop me. Ha! A simple bout of graduated chicken pox put me on my butt for a week. I didn’t do a thing last week, a thing! Didn’t read a book, didn’t watch TV, didn’t do e-mail, didn’t go out of the house. Basically I was a big mound of covers who occasionally coughed up an empty can of ensure for a whole week. I was so itchy, so sore, so tired. I couldn’t go down the stairs without getting winded. Geesh!

It’s amazing, sometimes I feel like I can take on the world. I feel like I can do it. Pride wells up. Then it takes something simple from the Lord to humble me. Send me begging for a little relief, a little help for a brother. My thinking/mentality has changed significantly from this episode. Maybe I won’t be ready for grad school next fall? Maybe I should just get better and relax all of 2002 (if the BMT works, granted)? Why rush life? Get 100%. Be humble. I hate those hard lessons 🙁 Gotta learn them somehow.

November 25, 2001|

Pass the Turkey and Shingles

At first I just thought I was really sore from taking so many naps. Then I started to scratch and itchy zit on my neck. The next thing I know I have a whole row of these itchy zits going from my hand to my ear and a fever of 101. What the heck was going on? Happy Thanksgiving! Ah yes, with a little investigative work and a few family friend nurses on the prowl, we discovered my recent ailment, shingles! http://my.webmd.com/content/article/1680.50895

Like the article says, 13%-15% of Hodgkin’s patients come down with shingles, so it was only a matter of time. My streak of healthiness came to startling halt. I am definitely anti-shingle. They itch like crazy, they are painful and look horrible. I forever indebted to the inventor of the turtleneck sweater. I was able to go to my 5th year high school reunion, and not have anybody see the streak of redness protruding off my neck. The week was hard though. I slept a whole lot, the only relieve from the pain and itching. Today was the first day I didn’t take a 3-hour afternoon nap. So anyway, hopefully this week they will clear up, as the anit-viral medicine kicks in.

Back to New York

The folks, Billy and I are off to New York City early tomorrow morning. I have a PET Scan tomorrow afternoon (no eating or drinking anything for 6 hours beforehand- eek!), an appointment with my doctor and the bone marrow specialist on Tuesday, and Wednesday and Friday 5 hour Rituxin drips. In between those I hope to study for the GMAT and figure out this whole grad school thing. Stuff like this past week’s bout with shingles makes me wonder if I should wait to apply when I am good and healthy. Who knows what could happen after the bone marrow transplant? Who knows if it will work? Ah, the cancer wild card, always making the game of life that much more interesting.

More pictures and news come next week!

November 14, 2001|

So Where You Going to School?

It’s been awhile since I last posted. There are a number of theories, but the reasons are as follows: a. I lost my domain name for a week and couldn’t get into my web site or e-mail, b. Nothing of note has gone on, and c. I have been in applicationland. Yeah, it’s that time of year again when students of all shapes and sizes eagerly open their mailboxes, hoping that it’ll be stuffed with brochures and booklets from their favorite colleges. The same holds for me. I am applying to grad schools for the fall of 2002, more specifically PhD Programs in Organizational Behavior/Management. I have been scouring the web and these brochures, deciding what school is best for me. I have also been writing essays, studying for the GMAT and updating my resume, no small task. It’s all about action verbs. I’ll give you more details about what schools and the application process in later postings.

The Benefit Deux

Some of you will be interested to know that it appears that we will have another benefit dinner (which you can read about in my late January and early February postings)- only this time not for me. The foundation of the Art Canning Foundation have been put in place and the wheels are in motion. While I don’t want to prematurely write anything about the foundation, I do want to get word out, so that if you are interested in helping get this foundation and dinner off the ground, we can get you on board.

Here’s the premise. There are a LOT of incidental expenses that come when you get sick. Any illness. I was fortunate to have this past benefit dinner to help pay those expenses. Many don’t, especially in Youngstown, especially students in the Youngstown City Schools. So if we can carry on the momentum of the previous benefit, and help someone else, let’s do it. While I am not thrilled about using my name as the title for the foundation, if it brings more people out, I will do it. So if you are interested in helping with the foundation, contributing in anyway, pop me an e-mail. This looks to be the start of something amazing.

1 Part Water, 2 Parts Chemical

Tomorrow I am back on the road, sans headphones (see previous posting), to Philly and New York. Quick conference, quick wedding. Next week, Thanksgiving in Ohio, the day after- 5th year high school reunion. The next week, back in New York for the entire week. I am getting chemo on like two days, 5 hours each. New drug- rituxin. No side effects. Cool. After that I disappear. I reappear December 13, the day after the GMATs. (If I do one more math problem I am going to explode.)

Make sure to watch the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade, the Youngstown Connection will be on again. Look for them to start off the show with the group America Sings. They will be the kids in the front.

Make sure to e-mail me if you want to help with the Art Canning Foundation! You don’t have to be local to help!

Have a happy Thanksgiving, let the Christmas season begin!

November 7, 2001|

Back Up!

I am sure you are wondering what happened to the site that past couple days. I was wondering the same thing. I spent days harrassing my web and domain provider, with no answer. Finally, Patrick figured it out. I hadn’t renewed my address. Hypothetically speaking, anyone could have registered www.artcanning.com these past three days and went bonzonkers. We were fortunate no one else caught the lapse. 🙂 www.artschmanning.com is still available for those who want to go bonzonkers, by they way.

So anyway, yeah, I let my domain name lapse. art = meathead.

If you tried to e-mail me in the past few days, and it bounced back to you, just resend it now, it will work. It should work. My apologies, it won’t happen again, at least not until 2004. 🙂

October 31, 2001|

“The Curse”

“From there Elisha went up to Bethel. As he was walking along the road, some youths came out of the town and jeered at him. “Go on up, you baldhead!” they said. “Go on up, you baldhead!” He turned around, looked at them and called down a curse on them in the name of the LORD. Then two bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the youths.
And he went on to Mount Carmel and from there returned to Samaria.”

2 Kings 2:23-25

Relevance you may be asking? Yes, it is that time of year again, when the chemotherapy drugs strike fiercely, decimating the thick and luscious mane of Frederick Arthur Canning III. The above passage so wonderfully illusrates what could happen if you happen to jeer one of us baldfolk. Sure, I used to make fun of my dad when I was kid. Now look what happened to me. 🙂 You too beware…

Anyway, it always takes a little getting used to. There exists a steep learning curve getting acclimated to any new thing, losing my hair holds no difference. It took a day to adapt, back to wearing hats again (it’s freezing up there!), but now, eh, it’s old hat, excuse the pun. 😉

“The Ticket”

So I was driving to New York City last week along I-80 in Pennsylvania. Cruise control set on 67 mph, minding my own business. To occupy myself on the drive, I typically listen to old sermon tapes from my church in NYC (www.redeemer.com). Because I have a CD player in my car, I typically just stick on my headphones and listen through my walkman. So there I am listening to the marriage series, supposedly Dr. Keller’s best series ever (btw, not that I am looking to get married or anything close to the sort, but you always want to be prepared…), when a Pennsylvania highway patrol car zooms by me in the left hand lane at like 80 mph. All of sudden he slams on his brakes, pulls up behind me in the right lane and turns his flashers on. I have no idea what is going on, I have never been pulled over before, I mean I have never, eh..err…let’s just say I have never got a ticket before, OK?

He casually struts up to my car and informs me that I can’t wear headphones and drive, it’s against the law. I had no clue! I have never been pulled over before for this on my 8000 trips to NYC! I have never heard of anyone getting busted for this violation before. I tell him I honestly didn’t know. He goes back to his car for what seemed like an eternity, and comes back with a ticket! Now I don’t want to undermine or badmouth authority and/or the government, but I will say this- there are far worse things going on on Pennsylvania’s I-80. I know, I have driven the whole length of it about 10 times in the past three months. To bust me for wearing headphones, seems quite trite…but anyway, I learned my lesson. The next exit I found a Wal-Mart and bought a mini-tape player with speakers. The first guy ever busted for wearing headphones while listening to a sermon on marriage. Dr. Keller, if you read this, know that I will and have violated the law to listen to your tapes.

“The Horror”

Last Friday I finally got a chance to visit downtown Manhattan and see my old stomping grounds. The site was amazing. The smell of smoke still permeated the air at Ground Zero and the surrounding radius. Tourists packed the area around Broadway, hoping to get a closer glimpse of the action. Everyone was taking pictures. Vendors on the sidewalk selling American flags, NYPD and FDNY hats, and pictures of the World Trade Center. It was somewhat reassuring to see things back to normal, at least according to those purveyonrs of cheap wares.

When I first rose above ground off the subway, I could still see the mall portion, I think that was WTC building # 5, still standing. Charred, but still standing. For the next five blocks, heading down Broadway, all I could see was rubble and metal piled high about two blocks from where I was standing. Because of the blockades, I could only go as far as Broadway. My heart dropped as I walked along that corridor. TV does not accurately potray the destruction. This is 5 blocks by 2 blocks of destruction. That is a huge huge piece of land. All decimated. Unbelievable.

I had another heart dropping moment on Sunday. My youngest brother Billy invited me to see U2 with him at the Meadowlands that night. As U2 sang “Sunday, Bloody Sunday” someone lifted an American flag towards Bono. He lifted it and wrapped it around him, as the crowd went bonzo, shouting “USA, USA!” to the rhythm of the song. It was electrifying. Then at their final encore, a giant screen appeared behind the band, 5 feet high by 40 feet long. As the band played “Walk On”, a touching song by itself, the names of all of those who had died in the plane crashes, the FDNY and NYPD scrolled on the screen. It was amazingly touching, especially seeing this in New York City. It was definitely the best concert I have ever seen. My heart may have dropped, but my spirits were lifted.

“The Health”

And lastly, I am doing well. I crashed hard yesterday, taking a four hour nap. All of the driving, the lack of sleep from goofing off on the retreat over the weekend, the emotions, all caught up with me. I was able to hike over 2 miles on Saturday, the first time I have done any physical activity since March. Hardly any leg pain. Sleep patterns are crazy, but manageable because of not having to work. Chemo again this Thursday, thankfully in Youngstown. Thanks for the prayers and support. Pictures from Ground Zero and the weekend will be up soon.

October 24, 2001|

New York, New York

I am heading to New York City today to start my next round of chemotherapy. I have been knocked out for the past couple weeks, I apologize for not writing sooner. The steriods did wear off, and consequently I developed a cold I just can’t shake. To top it off, I started sleeping again, but much more during the day. Two hour naps are the norm. It’ll be nice to get back on the steriods.

I have also been very busy trying to figure out what schools to apply to next year for graduate school. I am looking at getting an MBA or a PhD (in Organizational Behavior). I have been on the web constantly researching schools and programs. I have also been studying for the GRE and/or GMAT, which are like an SAT for grad school. Analogies, I stink at them!

More news next week…

P.S. I thought this was extremely funny…by the way…I can see the statistics of how many people view this page, what pages they look at, etc. One of the functions allows me to see how people got to this page via a search engine. Someone(s) got to this page twice via the search term “Margaret Thatcher Naked” (see archived letter from 8-11-01). That is gross! I don’t ever want to see Margaret Thatcher naked, do you? I guess someone did…

October 8, 2001|

Chemo Deux

Hi all!

It seems like it has been forever since I last wrote! Latest news on the health front: I did my second round of the chemotherapy on Thursday with lil’ fanfare. Other than a huge breakout of acne on my back and shoulders (caused by the steriods), I can thankfully say all is well. The pain in my leg is minimal, the nodes on my neck and groin have shrunk and the appetite is up and running. So far so good. This week I tail off on the steriods and start giving myself shots of gcf (white blood cells). Yeah, I have to give myself shots again. Remember last year? I said I would NEVER give myself shots. I ended up having to do it and eventually it wasn’t that big of a deal. Now, eh, I’ve been there, done that, no biggie. It’s amazing what you’ll do once you HAVE to do it, isn’t it?

Once I am off the steriods, though, I imagine the immune system will take a bit of beating and fatigue may hit. It has been crazy, lately, in terms of fatigue and sleep. The steriods don’t let me sleep. I was getting away with three hours of sleep a night the past two weeks. I just couldn’t sleep. Can you imagine me even more wired? It was great:) Reality will hit soon, and I predict that my body will crash from such a lack of sleep and I will be toast for a couple days. I shall keep you posted. For now though, I feel fine.

East Coast Trip

I returned last night from my East Coast tour, hitting New York City, Philly and Lancaster respectively. It was a lot of driving, but it was made enjoyable by having a new car (my new 2000 Dodge Neon. Cruise control! Holy moly! It’s the best!) and a backlog of sermon tapes to listen to from my church in New York City (www.redeemer.com).

I had an absolutely fantastic time visiting old friends who I haven’t seen in a year or two or three on the trip. For me, it was so rewarding and encouraging to see God at work in so many different people in so many different places. Plus, I hope it was encouraging for everyone to see me looking normal (hair, lil’ meatier, pigeon-toed, bowling shoes, etc.)

Prayer and Fasting Calender

I am not sure if you noticed, but a new prayer and fasting calendar is up. I encourage you to sign up, not just for me, but the country, and yourself. Can you believe the change in the country since 9-11-01??? It seems like every politician, actor, musician… everyone is praying! God must be really busy now:) Anyway, given the current situation, we still need more prayer and fasting. Fasting is hard. Fasting is difficult. But the rewards are amazing. Do try it. For me, I kind of have to eat (Dr. Moskowitz would not be happy if I didn’t). But there are other ways to fast, which I am exploring. What consumes your time? Watching TV? Music? Coffee? Who knows, find that thing, give it up and look for God to give you the strength to deal without it. I look forward to hearing your stories… 🙂 Me, I am hooked on music, e-mail and the Web. When my day hits, no surfing and music. It’ll be hard, but that’s the point. Discipline, my friends, discipline.

Life, What Next?

I have really been pondering life lately. Lot of high thoughts- What am I doing here? What do I do with my life now that I am back at home? What do I do next year, healthy or not healthy? I have really been examining what I do now and figuring out how it fits what I am called to do. It hasn’t been easy. Figuring out what you love to do, where your gifts lay, what you are called to do, how you can do it…those are really difficult questions. I can see the gears in your mind moving, which is good. Take a night, hit Starbucks, bring a notebook, buy a cafe latte and answer those questions. You’ll be suprised how you act from that point on. It is so easy (and I am guilty party A1.) to get caught up in clockwork habits of life and not pull back and see the bigger picture. It has been eye-opening for me, it should be for you too.

Coming Soon…

Within the next few weeks Patrick and I are going to make a lot of changes to the site. I am working on the vision and direction of the site, while Patrick is working on the technological aspects. He’s done an amazing job, so far, hasn’t he? You can e-mail him and see his Web site (www.pataltman.com) and tell him so. Anyway, look for new pictures, new links, new stories and new information soon. If you have any recommendations for things you would like to see, pass them along. By the way, I only have so much memory on the site, so I can’t put pictures of everyone I know on the site. So I apologize now if your picture isn’t up. LOL:)

Thank you to all those who are praying for me (on the calendar or not:)). I can assuredly say that I feel so good because you all are praying for me. Thank you so much! Look for another update in two weeks. Till then, later!

September 28, 2001|

Chemo Accomplished

I just want to write a quick note of what is going on here. This past Wednesday I started my latest round of chemotherapy (ProMace-MOPP). I will be doing the first round of treatments in New York City, and if all goes well (translation: nodes shrink, pain decreases), then I will continue the treatment schedule in Youngstown. For now, though, that means driving to NYC next Wednesday and in three weeks. This is a strong regimen of chemo, but definitely manageable. I am currently taking steriods to boost my immune system and in two weeks will start giving myself shots of white blood cells. As for other side effects, I imagine I will become fatigued easier and I might lose my hair come November or December or so. In terms of how long I will be doing this regimen, it all depends. I am guessing at least until Decemember. After that, it’s Bone Marrow time.

Keep in touch and e-mail. Later!