Well, when I got to work this morning there was a message on my voicemail from my oncologist's office. The good news was that the tumor markers went DOWN!! It was 2.7, down from 3.1 from the last test. It is still a tad high (the safe zone is 0 - 2.5), but the fact that it went down is good news. Roni and I were finally able to breathe again. :-)
The other good news is that I finally got my bike out of storage. I picked it up yesterday from a friends garage and took it for about a 30 mile ride before taking it to the dealer for some work. The only bad news is that when I called today it wasn't ready. So I have to call back tomorrow. It should be ready to be picked up after work, and then we'll have the bike back, ready for more adventures.
Thanks to all for your prayers and concerns. I can't tell you how much Roni and I appreciate all of you.
Thursday, March 31, 2005
Sunday, March 27, 2005
New Blood Test Scheduled
As you may remember, my last blood test was done about a month ago. The tumor marker test for the CEA was high. The safe range is between 0 and 2.5. My result came back 3.1. By itself, this does not mean that the cancer is coming back, but the fact that my markers have been rising since my surgery last Feb (although until now, they have all been below 2.5) had me worried. My oncologist didn't seem too concerned and said I shouldn't be either. Of course that is easy for him to say.
I was pretty upset when I got the results last month, but after a few days got back to realizing that none of us are promised a tomorrow and that we should live life one day at a time.
For now, I have a new blood test scheduled for Tuesday. Yeah, I'm nervous. I mean, what if the CEA level continues to rise? Does that mean more chemo? Another surgery? Right now, I'm praying the levels go back down.
All prayers for a good result will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your continued support, concern and prayers.
Kevin
I was pretty upset when I got the results last month, but after a few days got back to realizing that none of us are promised a tomorrow and that we should live life one day at a time.
For now, I have a new blood test scheduled for Tuesday. Yeah, I'm nervous. I mean, what if the CEA level continues to rise? Does that mean more chemo? Another surgery? Right now, I'm praying the levels go back down.
All prayers for a good result will be greatly appreciated.
Thank you for your continued support, concern and prayers.
Kevin
Climb to Conquer Cancer - A Success!!
Well, Roni and I had a great vacation in Tucson. Of course the main reason we went was to take part in the Tucson Climb to Conquer Cancer event held on March 12th.
We arrived in Phoenix late Thursday night and stayed over night. On Friday, we rented an Electra Glide Classic from Chosa's Harley-Davidson and rode to Tucson. The weather was great. While it was freezing cold in NYC, that day it got up to 88 degrees and was sunny. Riding from Phoenix to Tucson through the AZ desert was fantastic. It was great being on a motorcycle again.
Saturday we woke up early and was surprised to find that a bobcat had jumped the fence of the bed and breadfast where we were staying and decided to relax outside of our room. This was quite a treat and the owners of the B&B said that is only the third bobcat they have seen in 17 years. Of course because we had to take pictures of it, and show the digital pics to the owners, we left later than we wanted to for the climb. When we arrived, the event started and by the time we parked, got our t-shirts, we were some of the last to start the climb. Regardless, the climb was very successful and we had a good time. While it was good seeing the people with "Survivor" stickers on their t-shirts (yes, I had mine on), it was sad knowing that many were there climbing in honor of those who lost their lives to cancer.
After the climb, I took Roni back to the B&B to take a nap, and I rode further south to visit the Titan Missle Museum. 18 of the 54 Titan II missle sites in the USA, were located around the Tucson area. When the last one was decomisioned in 1986, it was turned into a museum. After the museum, I rode further south to see the "Longhorn Grill" and the "Cow Palace Restaurant".
On Sunday, Roni and I spent the day riding and exploring southern AZ. We headed to Bisbee, taking the back roads and just enjoying the desert, the quiet and the empty roads. On the way, we visited a winery and did some wine tasting. We only made it as far as Tombstone before we decided to head back to Tucson, as we were invited to the Allens for dinnner. We had a great time with Marisa and her family and once again, the few hours we spent with them seemed to just fly by. About 9:30PM we finally headed back to the B&B.
Monday was the day to take the bike back. We left in the late morning and took the long way back to Phoenix. We stopped a few times to take pictures and enjoy the desert. One place we stopped was about 20 miles south of Florence, AZ. It is a memorial to Tom Mix, who was killed in an accident there in the 1940s. Tom Mix was an old-time cowboy movie star, and was a pall-bearer for Wyatt Earp in 1929.
We arrived at the dealership to drop the bike off and my parents were there to meet us. They were in town, on their way to visit friends in New Mexico. We spent the day with them and went out to a good steak dinner. About 11 PM, they took Roni and me to the airport where we caught the redeye back to NY. We got home early Tues morning.
Almost everything about the trip was perfect, except the flights (Roni and I are just too tall for coach). We took pictures and some video. The pics are available now, and we plan to put a movie up sometime soon. You can see the pics here, here and here.
Thank you to all that contributed to our efforts. Together Roni and I raised over $1,200. Team Giant, the team we were a part of, raised $6, 578.86 and we were the top fund raising team. All together, the event is projected to raise about $123,944.55. That money will be used for cancer research and to help those who have been dianosed with cancer. All those who gave can be proud to be part of this effort. I know we are.
We arrived in Phoenix late Thursday night and stayed over night. On Friday, we rented an Electra Glide Classic from Chosa's Harley-Davidson and rode to Tucson. The weather was great. While it was freezing cold in NYC, that day it got up to 88 degrees and was sunny. Riding from Phoenix to Tucson through the AZ desert was fantastic. It was great being on a motorcycle again.
Saturday we woke up early and was surprised to find that a bobcat had jumped the fence of the bed and breadfast where we were staying and decided to relax outside of our room. This was quite a treat and the owners of the B&B said that is only the third bobcat they have seen in 17 years. Of course because we had to take pictures of it, and show the digital pics to the owners, we left later than we wanted to for the climb. When we arrived, the event started and by the time we parked, got our t-shirts, we were some of the last to start the climb. Regardless, the climb was very successful and we had a good time. While it was good seeing the people with "Survivor" stickers on their t-shirts (yes, I had mine on), it was sad knowing that many were there climbing in honor of those who lost their lives to cancer.
After the climb, I took Roni back to the B&B to take a nap, and I rode further south to visit the Titan Missle Museum. 18 of the 54 Titan II missle sites in the USA, were located around the Tucson area. When the last one was decomisioned in 1986, it was turned into a museum. After the museum, I rode further south to see the "Longhorn Grill" and the "Cow Palace Restaurant".
On Sunday, Roni and I spent the day riding and exploring southern AZ. We headed to Bisbee, taking the back roads and just enjoying the desert, the quiet and the empty roads. On the way, we visited a winery and did some wine tasting. We only made it as far as Tombstone before we decided to head back to Tucson, as we were invited to the Allens for dinnner. We had a great time with Marisa and her family and once again, the few hours we spent with them seemed to just fly by. About 9:30PM we finally headed back to the B&B.
Monday was the day to take the bike back. We left in the late morning and took the long way back to Phoenix. We stopped a few times to take pictures and enjoy the desert. One place we stopped was about 20 miles south of Florence, AZ. It is a memorial to Tom Mix, who was killed in an accident there in the 1940s. Tom Mix was an old-time cowboy movie star, and was a pall-bearer for Wyatt Earp in 1929.
We arrived at the dealership to drop the bike off and my parents were there to meet us. They were in town, on their way to visit friends in New Mexico. We spent the day with them and went out to a good steak dinner. About 11 PM, they took Roni and me to the airport where we caught the redeye back to NY. We got home early Tues morning.
Almost everything about the trip was perfect, except the flights (Roni and I are just too tall for coach). We took pictures and some video. The pics are available now, and we plan to put a movie up sometime soon. You can see the pics here, here and here.
Thank you to all that contributed to our efforts. Together Roni and I raised over $1,200. Team Giant, the team we were a part of, raised $6, 578.86 and we were the top fund raising team. All together, the event is projected to raise about $123,944.55. That money will be used for cancer research and to help those who have been dianosed with cancer. All those who gave can be proud to be part of this effort. I know we are.
Thursday, March 10, 2005
Still Time To Donate
As you may know, on Saturday, March 12th, Roni and I will be in Tucson, AZ. Not only to enjoy the warm weather (I think it is supposed to snow here in NYC), but to take part of Tucson Climb to Conquer Cancer.
As part of this event, Roni and I have been raising money, that will go to the American Cancer Society. We will be part of Team Giant which as of this writing, has raised over $4,500. Team Giant is led by Marisa Allen, who lost her brother Josh Allen last year to stomach cancer. Josh was originally diagnosed with the same cancer I was, but after his death and an autopsy, it was determined to be a much more fatal cancer. Josh died on Sept 26th, 2004. We'll be climbing in his memory.
To date, Roni and I have raised over $1,200.00 thanks to many of you that have generously donated to this cause. And for those that have already given, we give much thanks.
If you haven't given yet, but would like to, you still have a couple of days. You may donate to my donation page, or to Roni's donation page. (Just click on the links provided.) Also, don't forget that your donations are tax deductible.
We will be taking pics and movies of the event, and hope to have something on the web shortly after our return.
If you are unable to give financially, we would appreciate your prayers for a safe, relaxing and fun trip. And for continued healing of my bowels. They are getting better, but still have a ways to go before they are back to 100%.
We'll post an update to this event when we return on Tuesday, March 15th.
Kevin
As part of this event, Roni and I have been raising money, that will go to the American Cancer Society. We will be part of Team Giant which as of this writing, has raised over $4,500. Team Giant is led by Marisa Allen, who lost her brother Josh Allen last year to stomach cancer. Josh was originally diagnosed with the same cancer I was, but after his death and an autopsy, it was determined to be a much more fatal cancer. Josh died on Sept 26th, 2004. We'll be climbing in his memory.
To date, Roni and I have raised over $1,200.00 thanks to many of you that have generously donated to this cause. And for those that have already given, we give much thanks.
If you haven't given yet, but would like to, you still have a couple of days. You may donate to my donation page, or to Roni's donation page. (Just click on the links provided.) Also, don't forget that your donations are tax deductible.
We will be taking pics and movies of the event, and hope to have something on the web shortly after our return.
If you are unable to give financially, we would appreciate your prayers for a safe, relaxing and fun trip. And for continued healing of my bowels. They are getting better, but still have a ways to go before they are back to 100%.
We'll post an update to this event when we return on Tuesday, March 15th.
Kevin
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