This was an email that Roni sent out on 3/19/2003. Due to technical difficulties, we are just now posting it on the web.
I know people have been wondering how Kevin is doing now that he's home from the hospital, and I'm sorry we haven't updated the blog.
Kevin is recovering, but the recovery has been slower, harder and more complicated than we anticipated. He bounced back so well from the surgery in Oct., that I think we both expected a somewhat slower version of that recovery from this bigger surgery. What both of us forgot to take into consideration was that in addition to recovering from a MAJOR surgery, he would also be recovering from the affects of a massive dose of very potent chemo.
The first week back Kevin had no appetite and no energy to eat. He was already underweight and couldn't afford to lose any more weight, but he was too lethargic to eat enough. So we visited the doctor to have them check his blood count. They found that he was still anemic from the chemo, even after the blood and shots he was given in the hospital. While still the Drs. office, he was given two Procrit-type shots for the anemia and they sent us home with cases of protein drinks to add to the stash I already had. Between the boost from the shots and taking a look at the nutrition numbers -- he was burning more calories each day than he was taking in -- he started downing enough protein drinks, peanut butter, etc. to begin getting back some energy. Last night, he even completed a series of physical therapy exercises, much to my relief. For awhile there, i was afraid he'd end up back in the hospital on intravenous nutrition.
Today I went with him to the doctor's office to have his sutures removed. We both expected it to be a slightly painful, but fairly short procedure. For reasons i won't bother to go into, it turned out to be a very painful long ordeal. Poor, poor kevin -- it was just awful. I got him home and pampered him as best I could. I pampered myself a bit while i was at it, I'd had a hard day emotionally.
While at the Drs. office, they took another blood test and were relieved that his platelet count, though still high, had come down significantly. It was only then I realized something had been up they hadn't told us. Turns out his platelet count had been "alarmingly" high, putting him at risk for blood clots. I still can't get over the fact that the doctors did not tell us at the time that they were alarmed -- though I know by now that they never do until after the fact. This is about the fifth time since October's ER visit that I have learned after the fact just how "at risk" Kevin has been. Maybe some people don't want to know, but I can't take one more, "I could have lost him last week and didn't even know it," type of experience. Today I looked the doctor in the eye (a very nice woman filling in for our oncologist, who is on vacation) and asked her, "Is there anything that you are alarmed about now, because if so, i want to know." She assured me that Kevin's blood counts, while still not in the normal range, were out of the "at risk" range and continuing to move in the right direction and that there was nothing else she was overly concerned about.
Even though removing the sutures was an ordeal, the doctor and nurse were wonderfully caring, patient and as gentle as they could be. They dressed the wound and asked us to come back tomorrow. The doctor just wants to check the sites where the stitches had been to make sure they don't show any signs of inflammation, then give him a clean dressing. They will also arrange to have a visiting nurse come on the weekend to change the dressing again and just make sure no infection is developing. They assured us this is just a precaution. They would hate for infection to occur over the weekend when the office is closed.
It's been hard coming down from the high of a better than expected prognosis to face a harder than expected recovery. Now we're working on readjusting our expectations so that we won't feel frustrated and disappointed about the phase we're in.
We just need to go back to the lesson of one day at a time we started learning in October, and look for the joy and victory that is there in each day. And we need to continue to ask for your prayers; that's hard for me, after having reported such a miraculous outcome. Those miracles happened, and the fact that kevin is still alive and has a favorable prognosis IS the result of answered prayers and series of miracles. But there's still a ways to go, and we still need your prayers for patience, strength and healing.
Thanks for reading. Sometimes we just feel like wining, and have to remind ourselves to be grateful. But when we remember all G-d has done, we ARE grateful and trust that He will continue to be near to us in what's left of this journey.
Thanks for listening and caring.
Love,
Roni
Friday, March 19, 2004
Friday, March 12, 2004
Report and musings from Roni
Kevin's energy level has been going down since release from the hospital. Realizing that this was the same thing that happened in the hospital when Kevin's blood counts dropped (due to chemo), we went to see our oncologist (Dr. Ratner) today.
A blood test did show anemia, so they gave him a couple of shots of a Procrit type drug and prescribed doubling Kevin's 2-3 bottles of Ensure per day. He's had no appetite, but they said not to worry about what he does, or doesn't, eat so long as he has the protein drinks, juice and Gatorade.
The nurse sent us home with as much ProSure, Vitacal and Resurgex as I could carry, and they've put aside a case of more protein drinks for us to pick up on Thurs., when Kev goes back to have his sutures removed. (I think they are thrilled to unload the stuff, and I'm trilled to take it!)
I just started a raw foods fast until Passover, so it looks like a cooking-free month! Woo hoo! Glad we went to the doctor's before I finished my grocery list. ;-)
Thanks for continued prayer. Please pray that the injections and energy/protein drinks will help Kevin get past this fatigue quickly. He's too tired for much of anything. He did walk two blocks yesterday, but that did him in for the rest of the day — too tired to even read the mail right away, keep up with email or talk about Harley trips we can take when he's better — believe me, for Kevin, that's tired!
Dr. Ratner is guessing mid-April for when Kev will be up to resuming chemo. My prayer is that he'll be recovered enough by Passover to really enjoy the two Seder nights (April 4 & 5) before beginning chemo again.
When I spoke with Deena (Dr. Ratner's office manager) yesterday to make the appointment, she asked, "How in the world did you get through things in DC?" Without even having to think, I responded, " By the grace of G-d and the prayers of many people."
Some people have told us that they've been inspired by strength we've shown though this, but in reality, I feel we've been carried so much more than we have fought.
Here's what I find inspiring: We all can find strength we didn't know we had, and when even that gives out, each one of us can be carried — all we need is to pray, ask others to pray for us, and learn to believe. That's how the Creator designed things to be.
"Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of G-d, and afflicted.
But He was pierced through for our transgressions
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the L-rd has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him. — Isaiah 53: 4-6
The more I embrace the truth of just how very much I need Him — and those who carry me to Him with their prayers — the more I'm set us free from the illusion that I'm in control. I believe in being strong, proactive and enabled (I'm a new Yorker, after all). But being "enabled" is a far cry from being Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent. Dealing with Kevin's cancer is teaching me to discern the difference. I hope I truly get this lesson and never forget it.
A blood test did show anemia, so they gave him a couple of shots of a Procrit type drug and prescribed doubling Kevin's 2-3 bottles of Ensure per day. He's had no appetite, but they said not to worry about what he does, or doesn't, eat so long as he has the protein drinks, juice and Gatorade.
The nurse sent us home with as much ProSure, Vitacal and Resurgex as I could carry, and they've put aside a case of more protein drinks for us to pick up on Thurs., when Kev goes back to have his sutures removed. (I think they are thrilled to unload the stuff, and I'm trilled to take it!)
I just started a raw foods fast until Passover, so it looks like a cooking-free month! Woo hoo! Glad we went to the doctor's before I finished my grocery list. ;-)
Thanks for continued prayer. Please pray that the injections and energy/protein drinks will help Kevin get past this fatigue quickly. He's too tired for much of anything. He did walk two blocks yesterday, but that did him in for the rest of the day — too tired to even read the mail right away, keep up with email or talk about Harley trips we can take when he's better — believe me, for Kevin, that's tired!
Dr. Ratner is guessing mid-April for when Kev will be up to resuming chemo. My prayer is that he'll be recovered enough by Passover to really enjoy the two Seder nights (April 4 & 5) before beginning chemo again.
When I spoke with Deena (Dr. Ratner's office manager) yesterday to make the appointment, she asked, "How in the world did you get through things in DC?" Without even having to think, I responded, " By the grace of G-d and the prayers of many people."
Some people have told us that they've been inspired by strength we've shown though this, but in reality, I feel we've been carried so much more than we have fought.
Here's what I find inspiring: We all can find strength we didn't know we had, and when even that gives out, each one of us can be carried — all we need is to pray, ask others to pray for us, and learn to believe. That's how the Creator designed things to be.
"Surely our griefs He Himself bore,
And our sorrows He carried;
Yet we ourselves esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten of G-d, and afflicted.
But He was pierced through for our transgressions
He was crushed for our iniquities;
The chastening for our well-being fell upon Him,
All of us like sheep have gone astray,
Each of us has turned to his own way;
But the L-rd has caused the iniquity of us all
To fall on Him. — Isaiah 53: 4-6
The more I embrace the truth of just how very much I need Him — and those who carry me to Him with their prayers — the more I'm set us free from the illusion that I'm in control. I believe in being strong, proactive and enabled (I'm a new Yorker, after all). But being "enabled" is a far cry from being Omnipresent, Omniscient and Omnipotent. Dealing with Kevin's cancer is teaching me to discern the difference. I hope I truly get this lesson and never forget it.
Wednesday, March 03, 2004
DC Update 6 - "Oh L-rd my G-d, I cried to You for help, and You healed me." Ps. 30:2
There is so much testimony to G-d's sovereignty that occurred since mid-October when we heard those words "the pathology tests are positive for malignancy." We can't wait to share all the miracles and encouragements along a challenging, scary journey. But right now, we're trying desperately to catch up on sleep, so those stories will come later.
Kevin continues to heal well. All tubes are now out except one IV line for fluids and electrolytes, and I am happily listening to him snore as I write this. We expect to be home before the weekend is over.
We saw another doc last night -- hematologist/oncologist. In going over with us what Kevin came back from --especially the dangerously low white count, but also the surgery itself -- he said "I hope you believe in G-d." No one has come out and said "miracle;" but we've repeatedly heard words & phrases like "remarkable," "much better than expected," etc. We tell everyone that G-d has answered prayer.
To put the good news in perspective, back in December when I first spoke with Dr. Sugarbaker's office, they did not consider Kevin a good candidate for cure, as in addition to the mucinous growths on the peritoneum, he had signet ring carcinoma, which is very aggressive and more often than not, terminal. Dr. Sugarbaker decided to take Kevin's case more because of his young age --wanting to at least buy him time -- rather than because of high hopes for cure.
To go from that to this surgery's pathology report, which showed no sign of cancer, and being advised to finish the systemic chemo treatments "just to be on the safe side" is amazing.
I believe it was divine intervention that led us to question what we were being told by the oncologist at St. Luke's-Roosevelt hospital where Kevin had his emergency surgery in October. That oncologist had excellent credentials, but most likely never encountered this rare disease before. (We have since learned it is not covered in Med school, and most doctors either never see it in their careers, or don't recognize what it is if they do encounter it). He would would have treated Kevin with a normal colon cancer chemo. protocol. Kevin's stage 4 aggressive cancer had less than a 20% chance of responding to that. The mucinous growths (slower growing and not "cancerous" like the signet cell tumors were) are at best rendered dormant by chemo. only to flare up again to slowly smother abdominal organs one by one.
Until quite unusual circumstances (which we believe to be G-d's sovereign leading) led us to Dr. Ratner (our oncologist) and Dr. Sugarbaker (one of the few doctors worldwide who has the expertise to perform the electro and laser surgery necessary to remove the tumors), our plan was to go to Sloan Kettering (within walking distance of our new apartment!) for a second opinion. We have since from at least four others with same diagnosis as Kevin's (some less advanced) who went to Sloan Kettering. The news they received from the SK doctors was that they had months to live, and SK offered them no treatment for this rare disease.
It is clear to us that G-d is not yet done with Kevin's journey in this life. He certainly knows that I am not ready to face life without my friend, partner, comic, anchor, fellow-adventurer and love of my life.
Kevin and I have both grown through this experience, separately as well as together. I pray we never lose the gratitude and humility we feel as the recipients of so much love, prayer and support. There are no words to express the gift of so many prayers... We will never be able to give to others on the scale of what we have received, but we certainly desire to have the opportunity to do our part to impart faith, courage and the knowledge of a loving, compassionate, powerful and comforting G-d to others who find themselves in desperate circumstances.
Our faith goes far beyond this marvelous answer to prayer. It is what sustained us when we didn't know for certain how G-d would answer our cries for healing, only that He would impart grace, courage and peace to face whatever was in store. Of course there were tears, anger and fear, but underneath the emotional ups and downs, we knew on a bedrock level that He was sovereign and that whatever the outcome, it would not be the result G-d's indifference nor random fate nor evil "winning" out. We feared hard times. We feared pain beyond what we could imagine being able to endure. But to paraphrase Psalm 23, even though we walked through the valley of the shadow of death, we did not fear evil, for G-d was with us. He truly is a very present help in time of trouble.
With deep love and appreciation for all the friends and strangers who have loved in both word and deed when we needed you most,
Roni
Kevin continues to heal well. All tubes are now out except one IV line for fluids and electrolytes, and I am happily listening to him snore as I write this. We expect to be home before the weekend is over.
We saw another doc last night -- hematologist/oncologist. In going over with us what Kevin came back from --especially the dangerously low white count, but also the surgery itself -- he said "I hope you believe in G-d." No one has come out and said "miracle;" but we've repeatedly heard words & phrases like "remarkable," "much better than expected," etc. We tell everyone that G-d has answered prayer.
To put the good news in perspective, back in December when I first spoke with Dr. Sugarbaker's office, they did not consider Kevin a good candidate for cure, as in addition to the mucinous growths on the peritoneum, he had signet ring carcinoma, which is very aggressive and more often than not, terminal. Dr. Sugarbaker decided to take Kevin's case more because of his young age --wanting to at least buy him time -- rather than because of high hopes for cure.
To go from that to this surgery's pathology report, which showed no sign of cancer, and being advised to finish the systemic chemo treatments "just to be on the safe side" is amazing.
I believe it was divine intervention that led us to question what we were being told by the oncologist at St. Luke's-Roosevelt hospital where Kevin had his emergency surgery in October. That oncologist had excellent credentials, but most likely never encountered this rare disease before. (We have since learned it is not covered in Med school, and most doctors either never see it in their careers, or don't recognize what it is if they do encounter it). He would would have treated Kevin with a normal colon cancer chemo. protocol. Kevin's stage 4 aggressive cancer had less than a 20% chance of responding to that. The mucinous growths (slower growing and not "cancerous" like the signet cell tumors were) are at best rendered dormant by chemo. only to flare up again to slowly smother abdominal organs one by one.
Until quite unusual circumstances (which we believe to be G-d's sovereign leading) led us to Dr. Ratner (our oncologist) and Dr. Sugarbaker (one of the few doctors worldwide who has the expertise to perform the electro and laser surgery necessary to remove the tumors), our plan was to go to Sloan Kettering (within walking distance of our new apartment!) for a second opinion. We have since from at least four others with same diagnosis as Kevin's (some less advanced) who went to Sloan Kettering. The news they received from the SK doctors was that they had months to live, and SK offered them no treatment for this rare disease.
It is clear to us that G-d is not yet done with Kevin's journey in this life. He certainly knows that I am not ready to face life without my friend, partner, comic, anchor, fellow-adventurer and love of my life.
Kevin and I have both grown through this experience, separately as well as together. I pray we never lose the gratitude and humility we feel as the recipients of so much love, prayer and support. There are no words to express the gift of so many prayers... We will never be able to give to others on the scale of what we have received, but we certainly desire to have the opportunity to do our part to impart faith, courage and the knowledge of a loving, compassionate, powerful and comforting G-d to others who find themselves in desperate circumstances.
Our faith goes far beyond this marvelous answer to prayer. It is what sustained us when we didn't know for certain how G-d would answer our cries for healing, only that He would impart grace, courage and peace to face whatever was in store. Of course there were tears, anger and fear, but underneath the emotional ups and downs, we knew on a bedrock level that He was sovereign and that whatever the outcome, it would not be the result G-d's indifference nor random fate nor evil "winning" out. We feared hard times. We feared pain beyond what we could imagine being able to endure. But to paraphrase Psalm 23, even though we walked through the valley of the shadow of death, we did not fear evil, for G-d was with us. He truly is a very present help in time of trouble.
With deep love and appreciation for all the friends and strangers who have loved in both word and deed when we needed you most,
Roni
DC Update 5 - Pathology report contains best posible news!
Scare over, healing progressing and prognosis better than docs expected. Here is an email my (Roni's) dad sent to family and friends.
10:00 p.m., 3/1/04
Just got a phone call from Roni with fabulous news.
Kevin's white count is up to 9.0 and climbing. It was below 1 four days ago requiring everyone going into his room to scrub, mask, and glove. Lot's of stories to tell but on to the best news.
The pathology report was excellent. The lymph nodes taken during surgery had no cancer.
The tumors taken were all dead cancer cells. There was no carcinoma in any tissue taken. The diagnosis has been changed to "peritoneal adenomucinosis" [proliferation of the mucin].
Dr. Sugarbaker says that according to his statistics Kevin has a 60 to 80% chance of non-recurrence within the next 10 years. Blood tests will be taken every 3 months for cancer markers. CT scans will be at 6-month intervals at first. He will have some more chemo for any possible metastasis.
Ostomy reversal will be in 6 months. At that time they'll take a good look around to make sure everything is still OK. That is, of course, the best way to know exactly what's going on.
Kevin walked down the hall to visit Alice today [she had surgery the day after Kevin]. He's sitting up and eating. They celebrated the good news with Klondike bars! It may be that Kevin will be able to go home this weekend.
Thanks again to you for your prayers and to G_d who has showed great mercies on us all.
Love, Vern
10:00 p.m., 3/1/04
Just got a phone call from Roni with fabulous news.
Kevin's white count is up to 9.0 and climbing. It was below 1 four days ago requiring everyone going into his room to scrub, mask, and glove. Lot's of stories to tell but on to the best news.
The pathology report was excellent. The lymph nodes taken during surgery had no cancer.
The tumors taken were all dead cancer cells. There was no carcinoma in any tissue taken. The diagnosis has been changed to "peritoneal adenomucinosis" [proliferation of the mucin].
Dr. Sugarbaker says that according to his statistics Kevin has a 60 to 80% chance of non-recurrence within the next 10 years. Blood tests will be taken every 3 months for cancer markers. CT scans will be at 6-month intervals at first. He will have some more chemo for any possible metastasis.
Ostomy reversal will be in 6 months. At that time they'll take a good look around to make sure everything is still OK. That is, of course, the best way to know exactly what's going on.
Kevin walked down the hall to visit Alice today [she had surgery the day after Kevin]. He's sitting up and eating. They celebrated the good news with Klondike bars! It may be that Kevin will be able to go home this weekend.
Thanks again to you for your prayers and to G_d who has showed great mercies on us all.
Love, Vern
Saturday, February 28, 2004
DC Update 4 - NG tube out -- yeah! Low blood count -- pray!
Please continue to pray for Kevin.
All of his vitals, except blood counts, are good, and he seems to be healing well from the surgery. However, he is having two severe side affects from the chemo -- low blood counts, both red and white cells.
The anemia along with continued sleeplessness (for a variety of reasons) has him very fatigued.
His white count is dangerously low at .9 (Should be 4.0-6.0) This places him at great risk for infection. He is now in isolation, meaning he can't leave his room (just when he finally started walking!), and others cannot enter without wearing a mask. I don't have to wear a mask, because he is already exposed to my germs, but I do have to scrub my hands and wear gloves before touching him.
He is getting Procrit for the anemia and received 2 units of packed, red blood cells last night/this morning. Two days ago they began injections of a drug that will hopefully stimulate his bone marrow to begin producing white cells again. As a precaution, they are giving him antibiotics, and they removed his chest port, as that site as a tendancy to become infected.
Good news is that his digestive system is coming along. He got the NG tube out yesterday (9 days post-op) and is now enjoying a liquid diet. Mmmmmm. Pudding.
With this complication, Kevin continues to need 24/7 care. My parents are driving back up from N. Carolina to help me, so I can go back to the hotel and get some sleep. please pray for good health for all of us -- especially me as I have had very little sleep -- as any illness would bar us from Kevin's room. And for Kevin, please join me in praying for a miraculous restoration of bone marrow production and a white count increase ahead of the week or so that it normally takes the drug to take affect.
Thanks for continued support.
Love,
Roni
All of his vitals, except blood counts, are good, and he seems to be healing well from the surgery. However, he is having two severe side affects from the chemo -- low blood counts, both red and white cells.
The anemia along with continued sleeplessness (for a variety of reasons) has him very fatigued.
His white count is dangerously low at .9 (Should be 4.0-6.0) This places him at great risk for infection. He is now in isolation, meaning he can't leave his room (just when he finally started walking!), and others cannot enter without wearing a mask. I don't have to wear a mask, because he is already exposed to my germs, but I do have to scrub my hands and wear gloves before touching him.
He is getting Procrit for the anemia and received 2 units of packed, red blood cells last night/this morning. Two days ago they began injections of a drug that will hopefully stimulate his bone marrow to begin producing white cells again. As a precaution, they are giving him antibiotics, and they removed his chest port, as that site as a tendancy to become infected.
Good news is that his digestive system is coming along. He got the NG tube out yesterday (9 days post-op) and is now enjoying a liquid diet. Mmmmmm. Pudding.
With this complication, Kevin continues to need 24/7 care. My parents are driving back up from N. Carolina to help me, so I can go back to the hotel and get some sleep. please pray for good health for all of us -- especially me as I have had very little sleep -- as any illness would bar us from Kevin's room. And for Kevin, please join me in praying for a miraculous restoration of bone marrow production and a white count increase ahead of the week or so that it normally takes the drug to take affect.
Thanks for continued support.
Love,
Roni
Tuesday, February 24, 2004
DC Update 3 - Sleep last night!
Today is, Tuesday, 6-days post-op.
Last night my dad stayed in Kevin's room, and with a higher dose of Benedryl, no surgical stockings, a day of forced activity (breathing into a spirmometer (?)), Kevin slept much better. I went to the hotel and slept in a bed!, so I ffel better, too.
Thanks, Dad!
It's nearly 10:30 a.m. Kevin is visiting with his parents, wishing he could just sleep and deciding whether to get up now or this evening. The doctors said they may take his chest tube out today. He may also get his NG tube out in the next 3 to 4 days. That is what is currently making him the most miserable. His meds give him a really dry throat, and the tube makes it hurt worse, but as long as the NG tube is in, he can't even swallow water, just suck on ice chips.
I really think the worst is behind us, and that he will start gaining strength each day.
I will try to find time in the next day or two to write some of the neat things that have happened.
As always, much, much gratitude for all the prayers and well-wishes.
Roni
Last night my dad stayed in Kevin's room, and with a higher dose of Benedryl, no surgical stockings, a day of forced activity (breathing into a spirmometer (?)), Kevin slept much better. I went to the hotel and slept in a bed!, so I ffel better, too.
Thanks, Dad!
It's nearly 10:30 a.m. Kevin is visiting with his parents, wishing he could just sleep and deciding whether to get up now or this evening. The doctors said they may take his chest tube out today. He may also get his NG tube out in the next 3 to 4 days. That is what is currently making him the most miserable. His meds give him a really dry throat, and the tube makes it hurt worse, but as long as the NG tube is in, he can't even swallow water, just suck on ice chips.
I really think the worst is behind us, and that he will start gaining strength each day.
I will try to find time in the next day or two to write some of the neat things that have happened.
As always, much, much gratitude for all the prayers and well-wishes.
Roni
Monday, February 23, 2004
DC Update 2 - Hard Day's Night
Two hard nights in a row have led to hard days.
But, the good news is that vital signs are still good, and the chest tube, which drain fluid from around the lung, may come out tomorrow. One tube down, lots to go!
Most of our "some less than stellar nursing care" led to Kevin being unnecessarily uncomfortable the last two nights, and with the anesthesia wearing off, he's feeling the discomfort. Also, the pain medication along with sheer exhaustion has resulted in some confusion and disorientation--for Kevin, too! ;-)
Kevin needs 24/7 care, and I've been "sleeping" on a cot in his room. I sleep lightly, and awaken when he stirs. Last night in the darkened room I looked up with my glasses off to see him scratching his nose, I thought. Next thing I know, he's looking in the tangle of sheets and tubes for his NG tube (tube that goes from his nostril into his stomach to suction fluids out). He hadn't been scratching his nose after all, but pulling his NG tube out. It feels awful in, but even worse getting PUT in, and he had to endure the nurse replacing it. From then on, a dim light stayed on and I wore my glasses in bed.
In spite of all this, he managed to sit up for one hour this morning as well as increase the level of his breathing exercise. He even managed humor. Those who know Kevin know that he is the master of the one-liner. Now he's found ways to "say" his witticisms with gestures, as talking hurts his throat and takes too much energy!
Please pray for good sleep for Kevin at night and increased activity during the day. These are what he needs most now to speed his recovery.
Thanks for the emails conveying support and concern. We are grateful.
Love,
Roni
But, the good news is that vital signs are still good, and the chest tube, which drain fluid from around the lung, may come out tomorrow. One tube down, lots to go!
Most of our "some less than stellar nursing care" led to Kevin being unnecessarily uncomfortable the last two nights, and with the anesthesia wearing off, he's feeling the discomfort. Also, the pain medication along with sheer exhaustion has resulted in some confusion and disorientation--for Kevin, too! ;-)
Kevin needs 24/7 care, and I've been "sleeping" on a cot in his room. I sleep lightly, and awaken when he stirs. Last night in the darkened room I looked up with my glasses off to see him scratching his nose, I thought. Next thing I know, he's looking in the tangle of sheets and tubes for his NG tube (tube that goes from his nostril into his stomach to suction fluids out). He hadn't been scratching his nose after all, but pulling his NG tube out. It feels awful in, but even worse getting PUT in, and he had to endure the nurse replacing it. From then on, a dim light stayed on and I wore my glasses in bed.
In spite of all this, he managed to sit up for one hour this morning as well as increase the level of his breathing exercise. He even managed humor. Those who know Kevin know that he is the master of the one-liner. Now he's found ways to "say" his witticisms with gestures, as talking hurts his throat and takes too much energy!
Please pray for good sleep for Kevin at night and increased activity during the day. These are what he needs most now to speed his recovery.
Thanks for the emails conveying support and concern. We are grateful.
Love,
Roni
Friday, February 20, 2004
DC Update 1 - Prayers answered and then some!
G-d has been with us and done even more than we asked or thought. We are so happy and grateful.
So sorry to keep you in suspense. The internet connection for computer in the lounge at the hospital's hotel was not working, and I couldn't figure out how to connect the laptop via modem -- Kev is my technical advisor in these things.
All prayers were answered and then some. Here's the important "how's he doing?" stuff. Will write later about some neat ways G-d was very real and near.
1. They performed a 100% cytoreduction -- translation, they got all visible tumors and growths!!!! When I said to Dr. S. "So, that means his 5-year survival rate is now up to 50%, right?" He said, "I would say for Kevin right now, it is at least 60%."
2. They were able to leave Kevin's bowel intact, and the surgeon (Dr. S.) says the ileostomy will be reversed in 3 to 6 months, barring any return of the tumors that would make it necessary to take more of the intestinal track -- chances of that happening prior to time of reversal are slim to none.
3. The surgery lasted only 10 hours, instead of the 12 they projected, though with the first and only update -- at about 10:30 a.m. they said that the surgery would take an extra 3 hours, so when they called me in my hotel room at 6:00 p.m., I thought there were 5 hours to go. They said Dr.S. was coming out to talk to the family and I thought something must have gone horribly wrong, though in my heart I didn't believe that. (There's more to this story. It's a comedy of errors that sounds like a far-fetched sitcom. I'll write about it later). I was however relieved when I learned that someone had given me wrong info. about the surgery being expected to take longer and that they were done and Kev was doing better than they had hoped. Alice's mom (Alice is the young woman from Hoboken whose surgery was the day after Kev's) said she saw Dr. S's office manager/wife Ilsa the day after Kev's surgery and Ilsa told her the surgical staff was still glowing & bubbling from how well Kevin's surgery had gone!
4. The kidneys and bladder had lots of tumors on the surface, which had become hardened. The entire abdominal wall was lined with nodules, too thought they were softer. Dr. S. felt that the 2 cycles of chemo Kev had done previous to the surgery had softened up most of the nodules throughout the cavity making removing them easier. The ones on the bowel were still hard pretty hard though and very difficult to remove without removing bowel with them. (That would have meant a permanent ostomy, and Dr. S. told Kev prior to the surgery that he hates to give permanent ostomies. He told me after the surgery that they used special tiny scissors to snip as much as they could, then they would stir the chemo in wash in the abdomen to soften things up, then snip some more, then stir, snip, stir, snip, stir... until they finally were able to get the tumors off and save the bowel. We LOVE this man!!
5. Kevin is not having the five days of wash that normally follows this procedure because Dr. S. felt that Kev's innards could not handle anymore toxicity as: a) vital organs (kidneys & bladder) had been pretty scraped up, b) there were internal holes left from where they removed the mesh used to repair his hernia 5 years ago (they will close on their own before we leave), and c) because the chemo wash they used the surgery was with a drug much more potent than they usually use. (We elected to use it as part of a study at the recommendation of both Dr. S. and our oncologist, Dr. Ratner.) Though we won't know for certain until we get the pathology report in about a week and a half, Dr. S. feels so confident that all the cancer was contained in the cavity and taken care of during the surgery, he thinks Kev might not even need to complete his systemic chemo course when we get home! If that turns out to be the case, then that is certainly above what we asked G-d for in prayer.
6. The area around the spleen was clean, so the spleen was left. Gall bladder and lots of other non-essentials -- yes, of course the bellybutton! -- were removed.
Kevin spent only one night in ICU and is now in a private room with a cot for me to sleep on. He's feeling good, in very little pain, and cracking jokes. The NG tube is a discomfort, but not nearly as bad as when in St. Lukes-Roosevelt. The nurse told us that Dr. S. had the manufacturers design one for his patients that is smaller in diameter, softer and more flexible. He did not sleep well last night due to itching. (They had a rough pad under him; we got them to put a sheet on top and that solved that problem), and being tired was his biggest complaint today.
Dr. S. said that we should try to keep Kevin up during the day so he could sleep at night and get back on a more normal schedule, which helps healing. So, we all (Kev's parents and mine are here) took turns annoying him by talking loudly, asking him questions and making him do his exercises. He was actually a great sport about doing them, knowing the more active he is, the sooner he's likely to get out of here. The exercises consist of using a breathing tube 10 reps an hour, bending his legs at the knees and straightening them for 10 reps every 2 hours and clenching his fists and doing weightless bicep curls.
Dr. S. also said he needed to "dangle" today (put his legs over side of the bed and sit upright on edge of bed). Kevin managed a "3/4 dangle"; he could not sit upright all the way because of the pull on the stitches. Tomorrow they will get him up and make him walk a little. He and Alice (the 26-year-old whose surgery was day after his) have a bet over which of them will make it down the hall first. Kevin decided it was time for his dangle when he heard that Alice was bugging the nurses in ICU today to let her get out of bed!
We haven't read all our emails yet; I just started reading them to Kevin when he decided 8:30 was time for sleep. I will read them to him tomorrow, and we'll respond as we find time.
Thank you for all the support and prayer; we know we owe this wonderful outcome to G-d's loving kindness. We, and many of you, cried to Him, and He delivered us from all our fears. Baruch HaShem
So sorry to keep you in suspense. The internet connection for computer in the lounge at the hospital's hotel was not working, and I couldn't figure out how to connect the laptop via modem -- Kev is my technical advisor in these things.
All prayers were answered and then some. Here's the important "how's he doing?" stuff. Will write later about some neat ways G-d was very real and near.
1. They performed a 100% cytoreduction -- translation, they got all visible tumors and growths!!!! When I said to Dr. S. "So, that means his 5-year survival rate is now up to 50%, right?" He said, "I would say for Kevin right now, it is at least 60%."
2. They were able to leave Kevin's bowel intact, and the surgeon (Dr. S.) says the ileostomy will be reversed in 3 to 6 months, barring any return of the tumors that would make it necessary to take more of the intestinal track -- chances of that happening prior to time of reversal are slim to none.
3. The surgery lasted only 10 hours, instead of the 12 they projected, though with the first and only update -- at about 10:30 a.m. they said that the surgery would take an extra 3 hours, so when they called me in my hotel room at 6:00 p.m., I thought there were 5 hours to go. They said Dr.S. was coming out to talk to the family and I thought something must have gone horribly wrong, though in my heart I didn't believe that. (There's more to this story. It's a comedy of errors that sounds like a far-fetched sitcom. I'll write about it later). I was however relieved when I learned that someone had given me wrong info. about the surgery being expected to take longer and that they were done and Kev was doing better than they had hoped. Alice's mom (Alice is the young woman from Hoboken whose surgery was the day after Kev's) said she saw Dr. S's office manager/wife Ilsa the day after Kev's surgery and Ilsa told her the surgical staff was still glowing & bubbling from how well Kevin's surgery had gone!
4. The kidneys and bladder had lots of tumors on the surface, which had become hardened. The entire abdominal wall was lined with nodules, too thought they were softer. Dr. S. felt that the 2 cycles of chemo Kev had done previous to the surgery had softened up most of the nodules throughout the cavity making removing them easier. The ones on the bowel were still hard pretty hard though and very difficult to remove without removing bowel with them. (That would have meant a permanent ostomy, and Dr. S. told Kev prior to the surgery that he hates to give permanent ostomies. He told me after the surgery that they used special tiny scissors to snip as much as they could, then they would stir the chemo in wash in the abdomen to soften things up, then snip some more, then stir, snip, stir, snip, stir... until they finally were able to get the tumors off and save the bowel. We LOVE this man!!
5. Kevin is not having the five days of wash that normally follows this procedure because Dr. S. felt that Kev's innards could not handle anymore toxicity as: a) vital organs (kidneys & bladder) had been pretty scraped up, b) there were internal holes left from where they removed the mesh used to repair his hernia 5 years ago (they will close on their own before we leave), and c) because the chemo wash they used the surgery was with a drug much more potent than they usually use. (We elected to use it as part of a study at the recommendation of both Dr. S. and our oncologist, Dr. Ratner.) Though we won't know for certain until we get the pathology report in about a week and a half, Dr. S. feels so confident that all the cancer was contained in the cavity and taken care of during the surgery, he thinks Kev might not even need to complete his systemic chemo course when we get home! If that turns out to be the case, then that is certainly above what we asked G-d for in prayer.
6. The area around the spleen was clean, so the spleen was left. Gall bladder and lots of other non-essentials -- yes, of course the bellybutton! -- were removed.
Kevin spent only one night in ICU and is now in a private room with a cot for me to sleep on. He's feeling good, in very little pain, and cracking jokes. The NG tube is a discomfort, but not nearly as bad as when in St. Lukes-Roosevelt. The nurse told us that Dr. S. had the manufacturers design one for his patients that is smaller in diameter, softer and more flexible. He did not sleep well last night due to itching. (They had a rough pad under him; we got them to put a sheet on top and that solved that problem), and being tired was his biggest complaint today.
Dr. S. said that we should try to keep Kevin up during the day so he could sleep at night and get back on a more normal schedule, which helps healing. So, we all (Kev's parents and mine are here) took turns annoying him by talking loudly, asking him questions and making him do his exercises. He was actually a great sport about doing them, knowing the more active he is, the sooner he's likely to get out of here. The exercises consist of using a breathing tube 10 reps an hour, bending his legs at the knees and straightening them for 10 reps every 2 hours and clenching his fists and doing weightless bicep curls.
Dr. S. also said he needed to "dangle" today (put his legs over side of the bed and sit upright on edge of bed). Kevin managed a "3/4 dangle"; he could not sit upright all the way because of the pull on the stitches. Tomorrow they will get him up and make him walk a little. He and Alice (the 26-year-old whose surgery was day after his) have a bet over which of them will make it down the hall first. Kevin decided it was time for his dangle when he heard that Alice was bugging the nurses in ICU today to let her get out of bed!
We haven't read all our emails yet; I just started reading them to Kevin when he decided 8:30 was time for sleep. I will read them to him tomorrow, and we'll respond as we find time.
Thank you for all the support and prayer; we know we owe this wonderful outcome to G-d's loving kindness. We, and many of you, cried to Him, and He delivered us from all our fears. Baruch HaShem
Tuesday, February 17, 2004
Last update before Washington
It is 6:30 AM and we are getting ready for our trip to Washington DC
Today will be a busy day once we arrive at the Washington Cancer Institute. I have to have a CT scan and pre-admission testing. And drink a lot of stuff to clean out my bowels before the surgery tomorrow morning. What fun. :-|
Roni and I had an early Anniversary dinner last night. Our real anniversary will be on Feb 22, 4 days after my surgery. So we decided to celebrate by splurging on a fantastic meal. The last one I will be able to have for a couple of weeks. We went to a very expensive and nice restaurant. We had delicious food, great service and a very relaxing, fun time. Can't wait to do it again.
Roni and I are both fairly calm and I am ready to get this over and done with. But for now, we have to finish getting ready as our ride will be here to pick us up at 7 AM.
Today will be a busy day once we arrive at the Washington Cancer Institute. I have to have a CT scan and pre-admission testing. And drink a lot of stuff to clean out my bowels before the surgery tomorrow morning. What fun. :-|
Roni and I had an early Anniversary dinner last night. Our real anniversary will be on Feb 22, 4 days after my surgery. So we decided to celebrate by splurging on a fantastic meal. The last one I will be able to have for a couple of weeks. We went to a very expensive and nice restaurant. We had delicious food, great service and a very relaxing, fun time. Can't wait to do it again.
Roni and I are both fairly calm and I am ready to get this over and done with. But for now, we have to finish getting ready as our ride will be here to pick us up at 7 AM.
Monday, February 09, 2004
Personal History of Kevin Kersey
For those who don’t know much about me, here is a short history of my life.
I was born on June 24th, 1959 in San Pedro, California. I was born in an Army hospital (as my father is retired Navy, we had access to military hospitals and installations) at Fort MacArthur. If I am correct that army base has been closed. I don’t remember much of San Pedro as I was very young when we moved from there to Paso Robles, CA.
The only thing I remember about Paso Robles is Kindergarten and I don’t remember much of that. There is only one memory that stands out during that time and I don’t know how much is real or just imagined. I remember riding my tricycle and seeing people crying. They were crying because someone had died. The only thing I can think of is they were crying because of the death of John F. Kennedy. As I said, I don’t know how much of that is real or just in my imagination.
After kindergarten, we moved to Port Hueneme in Southern California. It was there that we lived in a small house on the corner of the block. When we moved there, there was a small palm tree that was shorter than my older sister, who was probably about 8 years old or so. I don’t remember when it happened, but when we moved from that house a few years later, that tree was taller than our house. I believe we lived in that house about 5 years or so and moved from there to Ventura, CA.
In Ventura, we lived in, what I thought, was luxury. A beautiful big house with 4 bedrooms, two stories, a fireplace, a two-car garage and even built-in sprinklers in the front lawn. I also remember that we lived next to an orange orchard where we spent a lot of time playing, and keeping out of the framer’s sight.
I had a friend, John Machamer that lived on the other side of the orchard. We spent all our spare time together, either playing basketball, fishing at the pier, or trying to stay out of trouble. I haven’t seen or heard from Jobn in decades. I wonder what ever happened to him.
When I was about 13, my family moved to Australia. My father was there during WWII while he was in the Navy. He loved it and always wanted to return to live, if only for awhile. The chance finally arrived, so we sold everything we had, packed the rest into 15 suitcases and went. The trip there was quite an adventure as we tried to get there flying “space-a” from Travis AFB to Australia. For those who don’t know “Space-a” is a military term. If you are active duty, or retired, you can fly on military transport if there is “space available”. Well, after a couple of weeks, the only destination we could get was to Hawaii, where we heard rumors that people were getting to Australia from there. Getting to Hawaii was easy, but when we got there, it turned out that no one was getting to Australia. So we went to plan B where we got a space-a flight to Clark AFB in the Philippines. From Clark AFB, we traveled to Manila where we caught a commercial flight to Australia. The trip from the USA to Australia was long but for us kids, it was quite an adventure. Apart form traveling to Hawaii and the Philippines, I remember that we also went to Guam, where the humidity was horrible, even early in the morning.
In Australia, we first lived in a small town in North Queensland called Charters Towers. Charters Towers had two claims to fame. 1) it used to be the second largest city in Qld. When it was a gold-mining town (it is no longer the second largerst) and 2) it is the educational center of North Qld. Besides the public or state High School, it had 6 private high schools, or what they called “colleges”.
In Charters Towers our living conditions were VERY different than they were in California. The house we lived in was built for one person. There was no running hot water. No air conditioning or heating. Actually, there was no insulation. We usually kept all of the windows open during the summer, which allowed all of the bugs to visit us. But somehow we got used to it. My mom did insist on getting an air conditioner that was portable so she could move it from room to room.
One thing I forgot to mention is that we lived in the tropics, ergo the heat and humidity. We also had a lot of flies, beetles, frogs and other assorted insects that thrive in the tropics. And mosquitoes. I can't forget them. We even slept under mosquito nets at night. We also only got mail a couple of times a week. Our phone number consisted of three digits. We got two television channels, and those went off the air about 10 or 11 PM. And this was all in 1973. Regardless of all the hardships we had to deal with, it was quite an adventure and I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.
We lived in Charters Towers for about 3 years and then moved to Margate on the Redcliffe peninsula, just north of Brisbane. Our house was just about half a block from the beach. Margate was also bigger and closer to the big city. (In Charters Towers, we lived 90 miles from the nearest big city of Townsville.)
I enjoyed living in Margate much more than Charters Towers. We made some great friends and had some great adventures. I remember a lot of good times with my friend Adrian. We would skip school, get some meat pies and cokes and just hang out on the beach. Sure, it wasn’t great for my grades, but I found out that my high school grades didn’t end up on my “permanent record”.
After graduating from Clontarf Beach State High School (yes I did graduate), I spent the next few years trying to decide what to do with my life. I tried going to college in the states, but after a year and half ended up back in Australia. But after not being to get work, I went back to the states. Back to college, Dropped out. Lived with my parents. Went back to school and eventually joined the US Air Force.
I enlisted in April of 1982 and it was the best thing I could’ve done with my life. Up till then, I had no direction or purpose and the AF gave me some stability. After basic training in Lackland AFB in San Antonio, TX, I spent the next 6 months in training at Lowry AFB near Denver, CO and Plattsburgh AFB, in Plattlsburgh, NY. I went to my first permanent base on Dec 7th, 1982. That was RAF Lakenheath in the UK.
I spent 3 and half years overseas working on the F-111f. A medium range bomber that saw action in Vietnam to the first Gulf War. It was a lot of hard work, and I’ll admit I didn’t enjoy it all. But I did get the opportunity to travel. The AF sent me to Italy, Germany (twice) and Turkey. I was also able to visit Israel twice (a month each time). I am proud of my service to my country and have a great respect for all who served faithfully with honor. And as a side note, when you see a man or woman in uniform, or a veteran, don’t forget to shake their hand and say “Thank you”. They deserve it.
After the AF, I moved to Portland, OR to go back to school. I attended Portland State University and acquired a BA in International Studies in the Middle East (I also received an Associates in Applied Science from the Community College of the Air Force before my discharge). It took me three years to complete my degree and I graduated in June of 1989.
In Sept of 1989, I moved to Philadelphia, PA. It was there, at a Messianic Synagogue that my wife and I started dating. We dated for a year before becoming engaged. We were married 6 months later on Feb 22, 1992. We lived in Philly for another 7 years before moving to Manhattan, NY. A move we never regretted. We love this city.
Since we have been married, we have had a lot of ups and downs. Apart from learning to live with each other (and being two very different people, that was no easy task), we have also dealt with surgeries, moving, depression, excitement, traveling (Morocco, San Francisco, Arizona, Southern California, Curacao, Canada, Tennessee), infertility and now cancer. It has not always been easy, and I will be the first to admit that I am not an easy person to live with, but I am very fortunate to have found a great wife who has stuck with me through many hard times, and enjoys traveling and adventure and our Harley!
And that brings us up to today.
I was born on June 24th, 1959 in San Pedro, California. I was born in an Army hospital (as my father is retired Navy, we had access to military hospitals and installations) at Fort MacArthur. If I am correct that army base has been closed. I don’t remember much of San Pedro as I was very young when we moved from there to Paso Robles, CA.
The only thing I remember about Paso Robles is Kindergarten and I don’t remember much of that. There is only one memory that stands out during that time and I don’t know how much is real or just imagined. I remember riding my tricycle and seeing people crying. They were crying because someone had died. The only thing I can think of is they were crying because of the death of John F. Kennedy. As I said, I don’t know how much of that is real or just in my imagination.
After kindergarten, we moved to Port Hueneme in Southern California. It was there that we lived in a small house on the corner of the block. When we moved there, there was a small palm tree that was shorter than my older sister, who was probably about 8 years old or so. I don’t remember when it happened, but when we moved from that house a few years later, that tree was taller than our house. I believe we lived in that house about 5 years or so and moved from there to Ventura, CA.
In Ventura, we lived in, what I thought, was luxury. A beautiful big house with 4 bedrooms, two stories, a fireplace, a two-car garage and even built-in sprinklers in the front lawn. I also remember that we lived next to an orange orchard where we spent a lot of time playing, and keeping out of the framer’s sight.
I had a friend, John Machamer that lived on the other side of the orchard. We spent all our spare time together, either playing basketball, fishing at the pier, or trying to stay out of trouble. I haven’t seen or heard from Jobn in decades. I wonder what ever happened to him.
When I was about 13, my family moved to Australia. My father was there during WWII while he was in the Navy. He loved it and always wanted to return to live, if only for awhile. The chance finally arrived, so we sold everything we had, packed the rest into 15 suitcases and went. The trip there was quite an adventure as we tried to get there flying “space-a” from Travis AFB to Australia. For those who don’t know “Space-a” is a military term. If you are active duty, or retired, you can fly on military transport if there is “space available”. Well, after a couple of weeks, the only destination we could get was to Hawaii, where we heard rumors that people were getting to Australia from there. Getting to Hawaii was easy, but when we got there, it turned out that no one was getting to Australia. So we went to plan B where we got a space-a flight to Clark AFB in the Philippines. From Clark AFB, we traveled to Manila where we caught a commercial flight to Australia. The trip from the USA to Australia was long but for us kids, it was quite an adventure. Apart form traveling to Hawaii and the Philippines, I remember that we also went to Guam, where the humidity was horrible, even early in the morning.
In Australia, we first lived in a small town in North Queensland called Charters Towers. Charters Towers had two claims to fame. 1) it used to be the second largest city in Qld. When it was a gold-mining town (it is no longer the second largerst) and 2) it is the educational center of North Qld. Besides the public or state High School, it had 6 private high schools, or what they called “colleges”.
In Charters Towers our living conditions were VERY different than they were in California. The house we lived in was built for one person. There was no running hot water. No air conditioning or heating. Actually, there was no insulation. We usually kept all of the windows open during the summer, which allowed all of the bugs to visit us. But somehow we got used to it. My mom did insist on getting an air conditioner that was portable so she could move it from room to room.
One thing I forgot to mention is that we lived in the tropics, ergo the heat and humidity. We also had a lot of flies, beetles, frogs and other assorted insects that thrive in the tropics. And mosquitoes. I can't forget them. We even slept under mosquito nets at night. We also only got mail a couple of times a week. Our phone number consisted of three digits. We got two television channels, and those went off the air about 10 or 11 PM. And this was all in 1973. Regardless of all the hardships we had to deal with, it was quite an adventure and I wouldn’t trade that experience for anything.
We lived in Charters Towers for about 3 years and then moved to Margate on the Redcliffe peninsula, just north of Brisbane. Our house was just about half a block from the beach. Margate was also bigger and closer to the big city. (In Charters Towers, we lived 90 miles from the nearest big city of Townsville.)
I enjoyed living in Margate much more than Charters Towers. We made some great friends and had some great adventures. I remember a lot of good times with my friend Adrian. We would skip school, get some meat pies and cokes and just hang out on the beach. Sure, it wasn’t great for my grades, but I found out that my high school grades didn’t end up on my “permanent record”.
After graduating from Clontarf Beach State High School (yes I did graduate), I spent the next few years trying to decide what to do with my life. I tried going to college in the states, but after a year and half ended up back in Australia. But after not being to get work, I went back to the states. Back to college, Dropped out. Lived with my parents. Went back to school and eventually joined the US Air Force.
I enlisted in April of 1982 and it was the best thing I could’ve done with my life. Up till then, I had no direction or purpose and the AF gave me some stability. After basic training in Lackland AFB in San Antonio, TX, I spent the next 6 months in training at Lowry AFB near Denver, CO and Plattsburgh AFB, in Plattlsburgh, NY. I went to my first permanent base on Dec 7th, 1982. That was RAF Lakenheath in the UK.
I spent 3 and half years overseas working on the F-111f. A medium range bomber that saw action in Vietnam to the first Gulf War. It was a lot of hard work, and I’ll admit I didn’t enjoy it all. But I did get the opportunity to travel. The AF sent me to Italy, Germany (twice) and Turkey. I was also able to visit Israel twice (a month each time). I am proud of my service to my country and have a great respect for all who served faithfully with honor. And as a side note, when you see a man or woman in uniform, or a veteran, don’t forget to shake their hand and say “Thank you”. They deserve it.
After the AF, I moved to Portland, OR to go back to school. I attended Portland State University and acquired a BA in International Studies in the Middle East (I also received an Associates in Applied Science from the Community College of the Air Force before my discharge). It took me three years to complete my degree and I graduated in June of 1989.
In Sept of 1989, I moved to Philadelphia, PA. It was there, at a Messianic Synagogue that my wife and I started dating. We dated for a year before becoming engaged. We were married 6 months later on Feb 22, 1992. We lived in Philly for another 7 years before moving to Manhattan, NY. A move we never regretted. We love this city.
Since we have been married, we have had a lot of ups and downs. Apart from learning to live with each other (and being two very different people, that was no easy task), we have also dealt with surgeries, moving, depression, excitement, traveling (Morocco, San Francisco, Arizona, Southern California, Curacao, Canada, Tennessee), infertility and now cancer. It has not always been easy, and I will be the first to admit that I am not an easy person to live with, but I am very fortunate to have found a great wife who has stuck with me through many hard times, and enjoys traveling and adventure and our Harley!
And that brings us up to today.
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