Witty Wednesday

The doctor, after an examination, sighed and said, 'I've got some bad news. You have cancer, and you'd best put your affairs in order.' The woman was shocked, but managed to compose herself  and walk into the waiting room where her daughter had been  waiting. 'Well, daughter, we women celebrate when things are good,  and we celebrate when things don't go so well. In this case,  things aren't well. I have cancer. So, let's head to the club  and have a martini.' After 3 or 4 martinis, the two were feeling a little less somber.  There were some laughs and more martinis. They were eventually approached by some of the woman's  old friends, who were curious as to what the two were celebrating .  The woman told her friends they were drinking to her impending  end, 'I've been diagnosed with AIDS.' The friends were aghast, gave the woman their condolences  and beat a hasty retreat. After the friends left, the woman's daughter leaned over and  whispered, 'Momma, I thought you said you were  dying of  cancer, and you just told your friends you were dying of AIDS!  Why did you do that?' 'Because I don't want any of those bitches sleeping  with your father after I'm gone.'

Sister Sister

My sister is my hero.

She really is. Battling again, 21 years later. This time the fight is much harder but she's a bit older and a bit wiser.
I can't imagine hearing those words from your doctor.
I can't imagine the fear, pain, reality and then the process, but I'm beginning to understand. Now it's the hair...

She took control and got one of those cute, super short hair cuts. I told her how much I loved it! She's in good company.

 But she keeps making jokes about having another brother. The reality is, she has no idea how beautiful she is. It's not just about outer beauty, her inner beauty and strength is inspiring but right now, she just can't see it. I get it. I just wish she could see herself through my eyes.

I worry about her. She worries about me, and everyone else in her family. Can you believe that? She worries more about her family and less about herself. She knows that she will make it through this. We all know she will, and as she navigates through what is now her world I see an amazing woman emerging. That same woman I love so much and call my sister, but a woman who is an example of what can be, a woman of experience and strength.

This too shall pass. And when it does we are going to celebrate at the top of the Eiffel Tower with a bottle of Pink Champagne!

Lets Talk About Oral Sex

What's ironic about Michael Douglas' announcement yesterday that he contracted throat cancer from oral sex is that I had just watched, on Sunday night, Michael's latest movie, "Behind the Candelabra". His performance as Liberace, a beloved show-man and celebrity entertainer who was living as a closeted gay man, coupled with this stunning announcement, conjured up all kinds of sexual imagery and thoughts in my mind about the subject of oral sex. I could make a few crass jokes here, and say some things about the subject, but I won't because among all the imagery in my mind, there is one thing stands out the clearest.

Last fall Frack, my son, was at his annual check up and his doctor talked to me about immunizing him for the HPV virus, just like I had for my daughter Frick, two years before. I was a bit stunned and I might have laughed it off. After all, I thought HPV vaccinations were for girls and quite controversial, with the side effects and all. I had to think long and hard about the three-dose vaccine before I decided if it was right for her .She assured me that men need to be protected too and that this was a new area of concern for pediatrics. I said I would think about it and I pondered the idea of Frack complaining about getting a "girl" vaccine as a precaution. I then sort of decided it wasn't a priority and decided to revisit the subject this fall at his next checkup.

Today I don't feel that way.

Thanks to Michael Douglas, I don't feel that way at all.  Today I'm seriously going to have a discussion with my son about cancer and HPV and then I'm going to have a discussion with Frack's pediatrician and book the appointment for the HPV vaccine.

Thanks Mr. Douglas. Seriously? No matter what images came to mind when you made your announcement, your courage in divulging this to the public may save countless lives. The awareness and your celebrity bring this subject into the spotlight and give ordinary people like me something to think about.

And thanks for helping me to make an informed decision to protect my son against a deadly form of cancer.

Beantown Breakthrough

This is very cool.

The medical minds over at MIT have come up with a potentially life-saving device in the battle against cancer. Dr. Omid Farokhzad and Dr. Robert Langer created an effective approach to cancer treatments by using targeted nanoparticles called BIND-014. These nanoparticles act as drones who seek out and deliver cancer killing medicines to cancer cells only. This could be the big Kahuna for cancer treatment.

What really caught my attention was the story of a woman cancer patient in this morning's Boston Herald. She had failed chemotherapy and radiation treatments and had exhausted all other options for her diagnosed stage two cervical cancer. Evelyn Sorensen was told by her doctors that she had about a year to set her affairs in order. She was urged to take a vacation, say goodbye to friends and family and prepare for the worst. The 47-year-old demanded to see a list of clinical trials from her radiologist and spotted the BIND-Bioscience trial, based in Cambridge.

Sorensen, who lived in Cambridge in the 1990's, joined the trial in August. "People in Cambridge really know what they are doing," Sorensen said. What she didn't know was that serendipitous moment would change the course of her life and reverse her death sentence. Her tumors shrank by 70 percent after her first treatment. Sorensen reported to no horrid side effects such as nauseua and hair loss. She even joked about the docs slipping her a "placebo mickey" because she felt no ill effects. In the six months since the trial, Evelyn's body has no cancer and is still taking the medication to stay that way. She is now strong enough to return to work and is exersicing regularly. Her family is amazed at how far she's come in six months. "I'm starting to feel like my old self," she said.

Thank God for medicine, money and the brilliant minds who devote their lives to making incredible science. BIND-014 is very interesting and how it works was explained to me like this:

-Imagine these nanoparticles like microscopic robots who have a targeted, cancer-detecting "GPS'".

-These microscopic robots have their work cut out for them. Our immune system is designed to stop them before they get to the cancer. Like a division of our armed forces elite, these tiny robots must be quick and stealth to evade the immune system.

-When they reach their target they release their cancer-killing medicine, then slowly biodegrade and get absorbed safely in the body.

One can only hope that his breakthrough brings life and hope for so many battling this devastating disease.