Archive for the ‘Cancer’ Category

Five years ago, I was diagnosed with primary mediastinal diffuse large B-Cell lymphoma, a subset of Non-Hodgkins lymphoma, a blood cancer (background: Living With Lymphoma). But with the help of my family, friends, and a wonderful team of oncologists and nurses at Stony Brook University Medical Center, I went into remission on September 2, 2005. After six rounds of chemotherapy, I’m now celebrating my fifth year of being cancer-free.

But others aren’t as lucky. Each year since 2006, I’ve been participating in the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Light The Night Walk, which is held every October at Suffolk County Ball Park in Central Islip. It’s a nationwide event to pay tribute and bring hope to thousands of people battling blood cancers and to commemorate loved ones lost.

Each walker carries an illuminated balloon—white for survivors, red for those who support them, and gold for remembrance of a loved one lost to blood cancer. There are still too many gold balloons—and I am asking for your support in helping me raise money so we see even more white balloons at future Light The Night events. Read the rest of this entry »

Last Saturday, I held a BBQ to celebrate five years’ remission from Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma. Overall, it was a wonderful day – except for one thing. The beer keg.

In hindsight, the weekend before Labor Day was probably not the best one to schedule a party – a bunch of my friends and family couldn’t come because of prior engagements. Everyone seemed to schedule a summer’s-last-hurrah on Saturday. When I ordered and paid for the beer keg a week earlier, I’d been expecting a certain amount of people – many of them beer drinkers. As the week progressed, I did receive some RSVP cancellations – and mostly from the beer drinkers. (Maybe it was the Miller Lite that scared them away. I don’t drink beer, so I asked my brother what I should buy.)

I decided to go along with the keg anyways, convinced my party would drink my money’s worth had I purchased bottles. As people trickled in and out, I suggested they drink some beer. As the night progressed, “suggested” slightly turned into “ordered.” I began posting  (rather, begging) on Facebook, offering free beer and food. I just wanted the keg to go away – I knew that keeping it cold over the next few days was going to be a big chore. No one grabbed at the ice-cold opportunity. Seriously, was it the Miller Lite? By the end of the party, the keg was still about 75% full, despite the 60 or so attendees. I dumped the last of my freezer’s ice tray in the big bucket, filled it with water, and called it a night.

Day Two

Sunday, my sister told me her boyfriend’s brother was having a BBQ later that day. Perfect! I could dump the keg on him! He gladly accepted, and the beer keg made the quarter-mile trip down the road to his house. I could forget about icing the 75%-full beer keg for an entire day. Life was grand.

Day Three

I woke up bright and early, with visions of an empty beer keg in my dreams. I dialed my sister’s number. She picked up on the seventh ring.

“So, how’s the beer keg?” I asked.

“No one really drank the beer,” she replied.

%$#@! I knew it. The responsibility was back on me. Read the rest of this entry »

Well, perhaps not the Rolling Stone, but Newsday‘s good enough for me. I was interviewed for the cover story “Their New Lifeline,” which talks about Long Islanders with illnesses and how they’ve used the Internet to share their experiences. The story came out great, and there’s even a full-page photo of me on page A4. If you’re a Newsday subscriber, you can read the story here (with a sidebar on social media). I put a request in for a reprint, so hopefully I’ll have something to share with those who aren’t subscribed.

I was also taped along with a few others for a short video clip:

Exciting!

In 2005, I was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma at the age of 22 (see: Living With Lymphoma). I had just graduated college, and received my first job offer and cancer diagnosis on the same day. Even though I couldn’t take the job, I was determined not to let it ruin my summer. I slyly asked my oncologist if I could attend a Journey concert (not mentioning that it would be two concerts, two days, two cities, and that I would be working on the band’s street team). He said yes, likely assuming that I’d be sitting down and nodding to the music. Yeah, right.

The first show, in Holmdel, NJ went off without a hitch (except for my funky dance moves, which really was spazzing from my post-Neulasta injection bone pain). Two nights later at Jones Beach, Long Island, I was determined to have even more fun. I danced wildly to “Don’t Stop Believin,’” ran to the stage to catch a flying drum stick, and even went backstage to meet the band. In the midst of all the excitement, the temporary port that was put in my arm for chemotherapy fell out. Oops.

Me and Journey lead singer Steve Augeri, the night my port fell out

The next day, I marched into the oncologist’s office with the snaking port in a gallon-sized Ziploc bag. The RN looked at me incredulously, and said, “Don’t you know that you are sick?”

I replied, “I’m not sick, I just have cancer.”

I wasn’t sick. Perhaps minorly inconvenienced. Cancer wasn’t, isn’t, and will never rule my life, and yesterday, I had the pleasure of meeting hundreds of young adult cancer survivors with the same kick-ass attitude at I’m Too Young For This! Cancer Foundation‘s third annual OMG! Cancer Summit for Young Adults at Pace University in New York City. Read the rest of this entry »

It’s been quite a busy weekend so far: Friday was the Light the Night Walk; yesterday was spent at South Street Seaport and meeting some of my Journey-fan friends for dinner and an Evolution concert; and today was spent sleeping way too late, bowling and eating frozen tomatoes. Read the rest of this entry »