Saturday, June 26, 2010

Old dog, New Trick.

Hey Ray, this is cool. Now you can show me how to send this to other people? I think it'd be a great way to reach everyone. I hope I'm doing this part right at least. Just like a baby, learn something new, take a few steps & get running. Thanks for getting this started.

Friday, June 25, 2010

Visit to the Mayo clinic

Jessie left for Mayo Clinic Sunday evening 6/20 to see a doctor Monday morning 6/21.

I received a text message from her Tuesday 6/22.

"Mayo oncologist recommended the combo chemo ASAP.

Their most aggressive female surgeon won't touch me.

We asked about Therasphere and chemo embolization but he said there's not enough data."

The goal right now is to see if the treatment can be done at home in Chicago, so she doesn't have to spend time away from her friends and family.

I understand that surgery is not an option for her either.

The cancer is unfortunately not on an organ that can be transplanted - it's a conduit between liver and small intestine I think...(sorry I'm not a doctor or nurse).

But it doesn't take an Einstein to figure that if you cut out a conduit between organs, your asking for trouble.

When it rains it pours.




Let's start in the middle

Mid-life.

For most people, you hear the word "crisis" follow afterwards.

Have you ever heard of anyone having a mid-life "triumph".

I started this blog to help one of my best friends,

Jessica Vega

who was just diagnosed with a rare cancer - bile duct cancer, of which there is very little known; so little that no stages have been defined to indicate how aggressive, or advance the disease is.

Mid-life crisis indeed.

She's 40 yrs. old, just like me.

I've known her since high school.

That's 25 years.

That's 25 years of phone calls, emails, texts, restaurants, clubs, beers, long-island ice teas, screwdrivers, dancing, karaoke, plane rides, late night/early morning chowing-so-you-don't-get-a-hangover, engagement parties, weddings, line dancing, speeches, baby showers, birth announcements, baptisms, birthdays, Christmas parties...

then you get that one phone call.

I got that phone call on Monday 6/14/2010.


We were supposed to spend our aging years together.

But now, there's this tumor, that threatens to end her life much sooner than when we want.

If I'm able to figure out how to share rights to post to this blog, I will let her to post her own thoughts, share her experiences, and keep everyone up to date on her treatments.

If not, then I'll have to be that conduit; and provide her voice in cyberspace; facebook may have also worked, but not everyone she knows has a facebook account; but I would hope that most have access to a browser.

Since I can't fight this disease for her, I figure I can help by getting her message out for her.

Mid-life; sometimes, it sucks.