I’ve been a bit out of sorts lately because we found out a month ago that my dad has cancer. He’d gone to Urgent Care because he had trouble swallowing. His voice sounded funny, too. Urgent Care sent him to an ENT straight away. That doctor told him later that he presented like someone with throat cancer, but when he’d looked down his throat, it looked like he had a smooth cyst, so he didn’t mention cancer. He just got him scheduled for surgery to remove the cyst.

When he went in for surgery the next week, what was supposed to be a 20-minute procedure took about an hour and a half because they were having difficulty getting the tube down his throat because the mass was so big. It wasn’t smooth like the doctor had originally thought; it was spongy. So when the doctor came out to talk to my mom, he told her quite certainly that it was cancer.

The doctor removed the 3x2x1 cm tumor and sent it out for biopsy. At his follow-up appointment, we learned that he had non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, but anything more specific required more testing. An appointment was made with an oncologist at New York Oncology Hematology (NYOH).

My dad had a whole battery of blood work and other tests run, including a CT scan and a PET scan. He was typed as having Mantle Cell Lymphoma, a rare  form of cancer that accounts for 6% of all lymphoma patients, with only 3,000 cases diagnosed in the United States each year. For comparison’s sake, there are only 2,000 new cases of mesothelioma diagnosed in the U.S. each year, and that is an extremely rare form of cancer that most people only know about because lawyers are always looking for patients to represent.

For a week or so, we thought he might be Stage 1. The oncologist was baffled not to find the lymphoma jumping out at him in some of the scans that came back. There were a couple of enlarged nodes that might be cancer, but the areas are too hard to biopsy.

This week, he had an endoscopy and colonoscopy. The gastroenterologist – a young blonde woman who he nearly called Barbie in his Demerol stupor – removed some polyps from both his stomach and his colon, but as he’d never had this done before, it’s possible they’re just benign. We’re still waiting for the biopsy results on that.

He had another appointment with his oncologist this morning. The good news was that there was no cancer found in his bone marrow. The bad news was that further review of his PET scan indicated that those nodes in his abdomen likely are cancer, and that puts him at Stage 3 cancer. If the biopsied polyps come back as lymphoma, that will put him at Stage 4. Mantle Cell Lymphoma is staged based on finding the cancer on both sides of the diaphragm.

That news was hard to swallow. My mom had a scare when she accompanied him to the bathroom after his appointment. She said that all color drained from his skin, his eyes took on a vacant expression, and he started falling toward the wall. She tried slapping his face, the way they do on TV, but he did not respond. She shouted for help, and medical personnel started running. My dad has no recollection of any of this. It may have been an episode of vasovagal syncope, something I’ve actually experienced previously. He’s been very strong and very positive all along. I don’t think anyone was expecting him to go from Stage 1 to Stage 3 at this point.

This afternoon, my parents are attending a chemo class. They’re going to be learning all about the R-CHOP regimen he’ll be starting on Monday. R-CHOP is a combination chemotherapy treatment (Rituximab, Cyclophosphamide, Hydroxydaunomycin, Oncovin, Prednisone) that seems to be the simple standard for Mantle Cell Lymphoma. The oncologist decided against the aggressive treatment he’d initially recommended because it would require a week in the hospital each time, and based on my dad’s age and health, this seemed the better way to go. The aggressive treatment would likely make it impossible for him to have the bone marrow transplant later on that could cure his cancer. Mantle Cell Lymphoma almost always comes back, but a bone marrow transplant could stop that from happening. We’re holding onto hope that he can have that done after a successful round of chemo.

The problem with R-CHOP right now is that there is a national shortage of one of the five drugs – vincristine sulfate (Oncovin). When he starts chemo on Monday, he will not be receiving this drug due to lack of availability. I really hate to think that he’ll be unable to have all of what his oncologist seems to think is the best course of treatment for him. And it’s not just his doctor’s opinion – the oncologist was also consulting with his colleagues at Sloan-Kettering and Dana Farber.

I’m hoping the drug becomes available soon. This cancer needs to be knocked out. It’s a very aggressive cancer; the tumor has already grown back after his surgery, enough that he’s having trouble swallowing again and his voice sounds more nasal than it should. In just a matter of weeks. I’m told that more aggressive forms of cancer are more responsive to chemotherapy, so I’m hoping that holds true.

If you pray, please keep my dad and our family in your thoughts. If you don’t pray, if you could send some positive thoughts in our general direction, that would be appreciated. He’s already on prayer chains around the world, and I’d like to keep it going.

If you’re so inclined, especially with the end of the year coming up, when most of us are trying to sort out our charitable contributions, please consider making a donation to the Lymphoma Research Foundation (LRF).Your donations are tax-deductible, as the organization is tax-exempt under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

My dad is still fairly young, which gives him a better chance at fighting this cancer. I’ve already had moments of despair, but I’m not giving up hope that he’s going to beat this. I’ll keep you posted.

November 15 Update: My dad  completed his first chemotherapy treatment. Seven and a half hours, but he did great.

My Dad Has Mantle Cell Lymphoma is a post from: Christina Gleason - Founder of Phenomenal Content LLC

To all the veterans who have served our country and helped to keep us safe so that we don’t have to live in fear – THANK YOU. Happy Veteran’s Day.

I wish I had thought to ask my grandpa about his time in the service when he was still alive. Now that he’s gone, I only have a few details from the documents my grandma kept. Leaving his name out, I’d like to share them with you. I’ve tried to find out more information about what his unit did, but there has been precious little I could find online. (All information I’ve found pertaining to the 40th Tank Battalion is from WWII.) What I do know is that he was deployed to Germany shortly after the end of the Korean War.

Letter of Commendation

Headquarters
Headquarters and Service Company
40th Tank Battalion
APO 39, US Army

SUBJECT: Commendation

TO: CPL [Grandpa]
Hq Hq & Svc Company
40th Tank Battalion
APO 39, US Army

Upon your  leaving this organization, I feel that it is most appropriate to Commend you for your outstanding performance of your duties as a Truck Driver in the Supply Platoon of Headquarters Headquarters and Service Company, 40th Tank Battalion, for the period of July 1953 until June 1954.

Your Loyalty, Sincerity, and Devotion to Duty has been a major factor in the smooth operation of the Platoon. Corporal [Grandpa], your ability to grasp each situation and to conduct yourself accordingly to perform your duties, which are most a major factor in the performance of this Battalion is exceeded by none.

The example you have set in efficiency, punctuality and appearance have gained for you the respect of all Officers and Enlisted Men of this Company.

In leaving this Company, I would like to extend to you the best wishes of the Officers and Enlisted Men for success in your occupation at home.

JAMES D COKER
1st Lt, Armor
Executive Officer

Letter of Discharge

Honorable Discharge
from the Armed Forces of the United States of America

This is to certify that
Cpl [Grandpa]
[redacted] ARMOR-USAR
was Honorably Discharged from the Army of the United States
on the 1st day of July 1960
This certificate is awarded as a testimonial of Honest and Faithful Service

RICHARD A HILL
2d Lt, ARMOR

Happy Veteran’s Day

Thank you again to all of our brave veterans. If you have parents or grandparents who have served in the Armed Forces, take some time to ask them about their service while they are alive, as long as they are willing to talk about it. I wish I’d taken the opportunity to learn more about Grandpa’s service and how it helped make him the man he was. My grandma said he used to either serve as the flag-bearer or drive the tank in the military parades at home. I wish I could have seen that!

This One Goes Out to the Veterans is a post from: Christina Gleason - Founder of Phenomenal Content LLC

I scored a pair of new sunglasses from Solar Eyes via a review campaign found on Viral Conversations. I was pretty thrilled with the change to get some free shades. I mean, my sunglasses sort of became my signature accessory a while back. (All links contained herein include the requisite nofollow attribute.)

The Ballad of Christina Gleason’s Signature Sunglasses

Aside from the fact that sunglasses helped me obscure my identity when I didn’t want to be easily identified, I have very sensitive eyes. I had LASIK laser vision correction surgery back in June 2004, and my eyes haven’t been the same since. Happily, I got rid of the glasses I had to wear to see even my alarm clock in the morning. An unfortunate side effect, however, was that my eyes are now hypersensitive to light. I have to wear sunglasses much later into the evening and even when it’s overcast and rainy. I’m not trying to pretend I’m a celebrity, but I get weird looks as if I’m overstepping my own importance sometimes. Or maybe people think I’m trying to hide a drug problem or something. Seriously? It’s just the LASIK.

My New Solar Eyes Shades

So let’s talk about my new Solar Eyes shades. You probably want to know which ones I got. (Since I’m such a trendsetter, LOL!) I chose the S1158P polarized sunglasses with shiny black frame and smoke lenses. I like black sunglasses because, well, I am a bit fashion-impaired, and I know that they’ll go with everything. I wasn’t disappointed when I got them – they look fabulous. Much better than my last pair, which I believe were men’s sunglasses I picked up for $10 at Target. I’ve never been one to spend a fortune on things, and I have been a bargain sunglasses shopper until now. But now that I’ve tried these? I think $49.95 is a worthy investment in eye protection.

What’s so great about these sunglasses? They’re very lightweight. My last pair tended to hurt after I’d had them on for a while, so much that sometimes it was worth the eye pain to squint at the sunlight while giving my sore ears and head a rest. These haven’t bothered me at all. The Solar Eyes shades are also close-fitting, so I don’t have sunlight leaking in from above and below, no matter what the angle of the sun is. With sensitive eyes like mine, that’s been a concern with pretty much every other pair of shades I’ve  worn – except for the plastic blind-woman glasses they gave me immediately following my surgery. (Those things were huge and ugly!)

Other cool stuff? These sunglasses are very flexible, which adds to the comfort level. They also come with a sweet carrying bag that doubles as a micro fiber cleaning cloth. Hands down, this bag beats wiping my lenses off with the hem of my shirt any day!

As for the buying process, Solar Eyes offers free shipping on all of their sunglasses. They also offer a warranty against loss and accidental breakage. (Do your sunglasses offer that?)

The Ballad of My New Solar Eyes Sunglasses (Review) is a post from: Christina Gleason - Founder of Phenomenal Content LLC

I took the plunge and filed my paperwork to form an LLC yesterday. It appears that my business name is available, but I’m waiting on the official word from the Secretary of State of New York.

The domain name has been purchased, but I’m not making an official announcement until all of the paperwork is finalized. That gives me time to ask a question.

Should I redirect this Web site (christinagleason.com) to the new business Web site or should I maintain separate Web sites? I’d be very grateful if you could leave me a comment explaining your vote.

Personal Web Site vs Business Web Site is a post from: Christina Gleason - Founder of Phenomenal Content LLC