MANY RIVERS TO CROSS

i always liked that saying..it has a special meaning to me these days....i always think about our ancestors on their journey through life and when they had to deal with hardships and problems how they managed to overcome them and hold their heads high...when they came to that river in their way how they managed to "cross" it and move on in life always amazes me......

the "rivers" we need to cross sometimes have a bridge that makes it easier for us to manage....however as was the case with our ancestors sometimes we have to figure out how to make it by building our own way across.......all of you and my family are my bridge across this river i am now wading through......i sometimes feel you pushing me across..stopping with me as i rest.....moving with me as the sight of the shore gets closer and closer.............i may be only 1/3 there however with so many people as my "bridge" you know i will make it ..

you know that i feel your hands on my back.....I know that my late ancestors are helping me along with the rest of you ...............................just wish they would lower the tolls a little........you see i forgot my e-z pass this round so i guess the lines will be a little longer than usual.....

in the meantime enjoy the day......smile upon the sun........tom

p.s thanks for the coments yesterday....truly was humbled by them

THE RIGHT STUFF

hello world....chemo foggy here and coming out of it little by little...trying to explain how one feels after a treatment is difficult because every person reacts differently and within a minute you can be feeling "normal" to feeling like crap in a flash........YOU TRY TO JUST PUT ONE STEP IN FRONT OF THE OTHER TO GET THROUGH THE DAY....maybe the blog should be called "one step at a time"...i pulled off going to work most of the time because heck those who know me know i do not like to take sick days especially when i would rather take days off when i am healthy....looks like i still plan on hitting the road July 25Th to a trade show in Vegas and that will be a monumental task at best ...........so here's to "The Right Stuff" in your life to get you through ..............thanks for the love ...........tom

HONORED

well like i said before ...life is full of wonderful moments and to see all my old school mates on my blog comments is just one of those moments..............it is like finding a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow... .... my journey of life is full of amazing days that the memories of those moments get me through these tougher time,...........

had two treatments already and the third is tomorrow..(wed)..............feeling ok although yesterday was a doosey.........my beautiful cousins (and i do mean beautiful) came all the way from NJ to sit with me during chemo .............their voices as i closed my eyes helped me relaxed as the chemo flowed through my veins on it's way to the spots in my lungs to seek and destroy them forever.............my dear cousins barbara and loraine........thank you so much for taking the time to see me as i travel to the cure.............i will cherish those moments forever......

with so many people are pulling and praying for me i wonder if it would be possible to save some prayers for my beloved mets....... (oh yeah say a few for sue too)

....

tom

HISTORY OF CHEMOTHERAPY

YOU DID NOT THINK THIS SITE WOULD BE ALL FUN AND GAMES.......NEED TO PUT SOME SCIENTIFIC INFORMATION in once in a while..........round one starts MOnday....looks like tues and wednesday is also on the bill ..will let you in on it as i go through it......

Chemotherapy, in its most general sense, refers to treatment of disease by chemicals that kill cells, specifically those of micro-organisms or cancer. In popular usage, it will usually refer to antineoplastic drugs used to treat cancer or the combination of these drugs into a standardized treatment regimen.The first drug used for cancer chemotherapy, however, dates back to the early 20th century, though it was not originally intended for that purpose. Mustard gas was used as a chemical warfare agent during World War I and was studied further during World War II. During a military operation in World War II, a group of people were accidentally exposed to mustard gas and were later found to have very low white blood cell counts[2]. It was reasoned that an agent that damaged the rapidly growing white blood cells might have a similar effect on cancer. Therefore, in the 1940s, several patients with advanced lymphomas (cancers of certain white blood cells) were given the drug by vein, rather than by breathing the irritating gas. Their improvement, although temporary, was remarkable.[3] [4] That experience led researchers to look for other substances that might have similar effects against cancer. As a result, many other drugs have been developed to treat cancer, and drug development since then has exploded into a multi-billion dollar industry. The targeted-therapy revolution has arrived, but the principles and limitations of chemotherapy discovered by the early researchers still apply. [5]

still awake?....oh well that concludes the educational part of the story.....tom