RADIATION........

ummmm.trying to think of something clever to say about this subject...bottom line...it SUCKS...YEAH THAT'S IT...IT REALLY SUCKS...oh and my doctor (who is excellent has just ordered 7 more treatments on the back of my head ..did not even offer me a menu...just placed the order with the radiologist....oh well i hope desert is at least in the chocolate form.......................

the treatments only last 5 minutes...but wow what a zap to the brain......................oh feel a list coming on...top 6 reasons to get radiation

1. you know how hoody doody felt

2. perfect the art of drooling (extra saliva comes with it)

3. short term memory loss has it's advantages

4.short term memory loss has it's advantages (oops)

5.wearing the same pajama's every day is quite liberating

6.feeling like you have been in you grandpa's still all day...priceless.........

till next time....peace......

READY..SET....GO

well looks like we are gonna rad-i-ate........this week......i am ready....getting antsy to feel good again....brain and body are fighting on two separate fronts...just like Italy in the war....looks like partial brain and part bladder that spread

......been eating like crazy............wizards chicken cutlet and shrimp so far a highlight......neighbors have been so kind bringing food over.......

top ten reasons to get cancer

gifts arrive every day

speak to people you would never hear from

get to have people cook for you

can say what you want and not be held accountable (yeah right)

get to sleep all day

eat mc donalds and not give a crap

save on gas by not going out

catch up loading itunes

convince friends all will be fine and mean it

#1 reason......not knowing what food is being cooked tomorrow roids make me hungry)......put back 15 of the 22 i lost so far

bring it on..............radiation has no chance to defeat me with all of you standing by me

BRAIN SURGERY

brain surgery ...not all what it's cracked up to be.................whom am i kidding it is all it's cracked up to be...i mean that is about as grown up a surgery that there is.......yeah that's it i feel so grown up now....the good news is i did not come out sounding like dick clark... although my head is rockin like new years eve.....huge scar down the back of the head.........healing well....vertigo seems to be leaving..man that was weird.......same old me but can't wait to get off roids..they are life saving but i do not like the aggressiveness of them....i mean you come near my ice cream and you might be missing a thumb kinda aggressiveness....this will pass i am being told

love and peace to all

tom

Steriods

gonna get right to it.................looks like the steroids have given me some relief however we still need to remove the larger tumor so the swelling does not get worse with radiation......i am home until monday ..then being admitted into sloane kettering (my home away from home)....feel like otis on maybery who always had a key to his room in jail...looking forward to feeling like me again and are planning on surgery tues or wednsday..will blog if i can from court side....if not...keep em crossed and say a few for this ol brooklyn cowboy...........

tomstrong

the waiting..is the hardest part

well blog world...looks like it's back again...just can't get rid of the pesky little bugger...i guess it likes me to much...it is like that kid in school who always wants to hang around you ...well not really i never minded that .....friends come in all sizes and shapes but this cancer is just mean and nasty....it is in the back part of my brain this time the part that controls balance and with some radiation(starts thursday) we should kick the crap out of it for good this time...been an in-tar-rest-ing month to say the least...would be laughing about it if it didn't make me seasick to laugh..........thanks for the e-mails and voice mails...would not know where i would be without you guys on my team.......

peace....love ....live..............tomstrong

LET FREEDOM RING

Tuesday will mark the change i believe this country sorely needed........ to be apart of history in even the smallest part ..........well...it just feels good..........reset your values......smile on your neighbors...................we are all in this together.........no better ..no worse than those around us....

enough said today...........

hitting the road Tuesday .......heading to Utah.....it is just a case that the mind is willing but I need to convince the body to get on that plane..........will keep you posted
peace

tom

Vertigo

i swear it was my intention to stay out of hospitals this year however there was this little virus that grew in my body that had a different path for me.....started out with just some stomach trouble and elevated to me being rushed to a hospital ( i kid you not) all the while my doctors were thinking i was having a heart attack....three days in a cardio unit seemed to prove them wrong (major dehydration may have been the culprit)however one doctor is not convinced i am in the clear and has ordered stress tests for this week....still dizzy from vertigo like illness and wish i could see straight ............not fun watching football with one eye closed.....oh well with the odds of me seeing about three doctors this week it seems like one of my wishes is already in the toilet....now there is the little matter of my CT scans to see if cancer is gone from lungs......put on hold till this week so i can lie down flat without the worlds spinning...whew...need to nap now.....

will keep you posted.....

tom

2009

here it comes......a new year...my list of what i would like to do this year or have happen is growing every day.....you are going to see it no matter what so you may as well look at it now....

• would like to free all my loved ones from the burden of worrying about my health and hope it becomes a non issue before to long.....


• would like to see less of the inside of doctors offices and more of the outside world


• would like to see at least three allmans shows at the beacon this year


• excited that chris is graduating college this year


• wish only the best of luck and the best of times to all my family and friends


• turning 55 in February and always wanted to be as old as the speed limit


• according to social security I can retire in 10 years...


• may actually join ARRP just to get the discount card


• go to the gym with the membership I just purchased


• try to remember the fact that this is all just temporary so make the best of it


• volunteer more of my time to the people in need..and less to the people who don't


• get my open water diving certificate that i almost got before the big C came back


• for the next 12 months (and beyond) have no one i know get the news that cancer has invade their body.............


• have the mets or jets win it all


• finally..........continue to live.....love and laugh until it hurts......and then laugh some more......

tom

2008

CAN YOU BELIEVE IT ....2009 ALMOST HERE

22 days and counting.....it has been quite an interesting one......some things predictable (met's choking....Democrats winning big......brent farve throwing interceptions) some things not so.......(cancer coming back.......britney coming back...madonna not going away.......economy crashing.......Yankees missing the playoffs)....but i have to tell you there is something about a clean slate that has a nice ring to it......hey who knows what 2009 will bring........ i can only wish it brings all of you peace....good health ........stable economic situations and a boat load of love....that's right a boatload and that's a big boat ..not that little dingy that is tied to the side.... i mean a big ocean liner type with 50 life rafts on it to help with every situation that comes up....plenty of life jackets on board to keep you floating in rough times and above all i am wishing the world some sort of peace.....so protect what is yours.....help the less fortunate...do not stop having hope that as all good things have a life cycle so does all the bad .....the circle of life in in full swing....get on....gonna be a heck of a ride

NEXT CT SCAN JAN 6TH.......UMMMM WHAT SHALL I WEAR

tom....

SNOW FLAKES

well I was a little surprised by the white stuff on the ground this morning ..pleasant surprise naturally...layla the one year old puppy full of energy and joy could not wait to run through the snow...beyond cute as you could only imagine...maggie the veteran made a quick turn-around to the warmth of the house....had to pick the old gal up and bring her out ....somewhat successful operation at best.....still marvel that no two snowflakes are alike....similar to people and the way we handle stress and adversity in our lives......i mean with everything that is being said in newspapers and tv about the state of the world and the economy it just goes to show what i have been saying all along ...we forget that we should not be defined by how much money we owe...how many toys we have.....how great is our credit rating .....but who we are and the impact we make on this world......i do not know about any of you but the human race seems to be getting a little ornery to deal with ..nobody is smiling ( even the ones that have jobs).....there seems to be love lacking in the world......ok here is a holiday challenge for all.... make an effort to spread some joy.....smile upon the less fortunate.....make your mark on this planet...be remembered as someone who rose to the occasion and made a difference.....REMEMBER THERE WILL ALWAYS BE SOMEONE WHO IS LESS FORTUNATE THAT YOU ......so in the words of CHER.."SNAP OUT OF IT" better times are coming...................................

count-down to 2009 has begun....

tom

WEEK OF THANKS

thank you for supporting this man's fight

thank you for the love you send my way

thank you for the three years of following my journey

thank you for the laughter

thank you for the tears

thank you for the calm before the storms

thank you for the encouragement you have shown

thank you for the doctors and the nurses from Sloane

thank you for the hope that you give

thank you for your friendships

thank you for your shoulders

but most of all thank you for being in my life......

Happy Thanksgiving to all ................Tom

RIGHT AS RAIN...for u paulie

i always wondered where that saying came from my buddy john looked it up but i still am confused about it..but my doctor told me that after my last round of chemo and my body started aching like i was hit by a truck without the truck...body slammed to the pavement without the pavement or the slam itself.....played a game of tackle football only no ball ...no tackle..you get the picture..worst case of migratory joint pain they have ever seen...my luck...i mean it hurts to even think about it ..but he said in a few days i will be "right as rain"....yeah right do not see the end in sight yet.....what a way to end my chemo..with the body ache of the century....slowly i am coming around......

was strong enough to vote and very excited about it ..i mean 8 years of this way had to be enough..either way "change is good" and my the better man win this time without any hanging chads....or other improper shanagins......

ok back to the cancer part of the story...looks like it shrunk down to a very small cel..one that we will keep both eyes on .......i think it dead......i will make sure it's dead before the next c/t scan.....

tom..

STAND UP TO CANCER

Well i did just that ........stood up and spit in it's eye (i know i am jumping the gun a little) but hey if my ct scans show any sign of it in my body ...well we will just have none of that .....i won fair and square....no do overs....you lost ...i won ...enough said.......

had the pure joy of going to see my aunt Connie last night ...97 years old...97...such joy in those eyes when she saw me.......97 years old..wonder what i will be doing at that time.....hopefully still rocking on my guitar....singing songs about love and changing the world......watching my mets blow another big lead.....playing with my dog on a wrap around porch....loved ones all around....97...let see that will be the year 2051...wow.....not to far fetched....imagine that ...2051......has a nice ring to it ..yep that is my new goal in life to live to that year........who's in with me...i tell you what...... party on my porch date feb 20th year 2051 place....my porch......( has to be warm it's the middle of winter).......bring a blanket just in case ( or vodka)

rsvp....asap....no presents.......just you .........

tom

round 5..and in this corner......

ALI

chemo round 5 starts tomorrow....it really feels like a boxing match....chemo in one corner and all of us in the other...now we know who is going to win this round......... team cheffo and friends with a knockout punch in the 5th round.....bruised and battered but still standing never even knocked me off my feet (ok i lied some nights were a little rough) but hey do not let chemo know that ...you can never give in..always keep the gloves up...deflect most of the blow and not take a direct hit was my motto.......i will keep u posted about results and upcoming plans to monitor the journey......I will be on QVC this Wednesday night (oct 15) "shoes on sale" our company (Yaleet..Naot) and many others will donate all the proceeds of sales that evening to breast cancer research ( ladies.....all shoes 1/2 price)...i will be the spokesperson for a brief while talking about cancer research and what it means.........over 1,000,000 people watching ..you know i will get the message out.....hope my bald head does not reflect to much into the camera......i might have that chemo glow because my last teatment is scheduled for that morning ..ironic?....nah just part of the plan.....peace ......tom

CHOCOLATE OR VANILLA

when i went to pick up ice cream the other day i was amazed by how many flavors there were...i mean i remember just two choices growing up...Chocolate or Vanilla.....and make no mistake about it you were either a chocolate lover or vanilla lover ....no in between....i myself was a chocolate kinda guy.....now i find myself eating a cherry garcia that has everything but the kitchen sink in it....i do remember the simpler times.....times when it was a or b ...not all the way to z.....times when the most important decisions of the day was how long could i stay outside while playing ball with my buddies....times when a slice and a coke was just that and the slice did not have meat hanging off of it...don't get me wrong i think we live in a fantastic time...overkill galore...it is just that it is fun to think of the early years and see how far we have come.....i do have to admit i am partial these days to a chocolate and vanilla swirl cone and don't tell anyone it was frozen yogurt..................................told to lay low a little BY MY DOCTOR THIS WEEKEND and stay away from people with the sniffles......white counts are pretty low and you need those puppies to fight infection..............good thing got a good supply of rocky road........peace tom
draft

"the love you take is equal to the love you make"

i was thinking about this great line from the beatles and thought well if this is a balance you look for in life then that is not to bad....if you can give out a certain amount of love to people and get back the same amount then i guess that's pretty good....but what if you gave out more love than you received in return.....well then that is pretty good also...so I am determined to give out more love this week than i expect in return (which in my case is not possible.... because everywhere i go people have been ...wonderful to me)... to see if i can turn this sour taste of the economy,the housing industry, the war, the mets,the illness, the bad drivers, the telemarketers, the voice mails, the poor service, the mets (did i mention them already), the people who refuse to hold open a door for you , plastic bags, pepsi, anything that has diet on it, richard simmons, OJ,global warming and the mets..( ok we still have a shot)...we can pay it forward..tighten our belts and plow on .......plow on .......because if you do not plow the fields..nothing grows.....and isn't life just like that....so here to all of u who still read me .....I LOVE YOU...........twice as much as you think.....

those who see me daily know that this was a tough week and the chemo is accumulating in my body and is pulling me in a direction i am not used to .....however i will pull out of it and only have one set of treatment left......yahooooooooo....i will keep you posted ....leukemia fund raise huge success..over $6,000 raised ...love you all .......tom

The Hope.....

got this title "the hope" from one on my dearest friends, paul cartwright..seems like his young daughter tess has one of top fantasy baseball teams in the country...out of 75,000 teams she is in the top 4...now that is pretty amazing ......

also what is pretty amazing is the results of my last ct/scan ...seem like this crap i am putting in ,my body is working and the spots on my lungs are disappearing....looks like two more treatments and i will be off the sauce....so (six more fun filled times in the chair)...kinda getting used to being totally bald and will be sad to see my shinny head go ...yeah right ,,,,,

so here is to "the hope" in the world.......smile..love ..live

tom

TREAT-MINTS

my brother dom thought it was funny that the word treat is in what i am going through ..i can tell you that it is anything but that ........i mean where is the treat part....maybe they should put some beer in my IV during the session..now that would be a treat...well- round three is finished and "I'm still standing"....it tried to knock me down but missed the knock-out punch this time around......it is amazing what the human body can put up with when your a stubborn Italian from brooklyn.......63rd st between 17-18th ave..1756-63rd street......roots of where i began......and 54 years later still missing that front stoop in brooklyn with every passing day........this battle is going to come out victorious and I will stand the test of these times not allowing my will or determination to falter for more than a brief moment during my day.... if i ever feel that the walk is getting to long i have to remember to put my feet up sometimes and just enjoy the moment that i am in and remember that all of you would be more than happy to finish this walk for me.......i am now going to take the advice from my dearest friend and put those feet up and rest for three days.......happy holiday ......Tom....

WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

well i pulled it off ...record breaking trade shows in terms of sales and activity.....and i could not have done it without the support of all those i come in contact with....it is like you all lifted me up and carried me on your shoulders when i was dragging (although most of you felt i was carrying you sometimes)...it was not uncommon to hear someone start complaining about something in life only to stop in mid sentence and look at me and suddenly stop and say ."compared to what you are going through my problem seems so small"...however i make it clear that one thing has nothing to do with the other and problems are problems and sometimes people need to vent....i have always felt that this journey is such an amazing adventure...full of hardships and highships (is this even a word)?...and i swear to all that i am the luckiest man alive when it comes to all the friendships i have made in this period on earth...but it kinda stinks now because most of you do not burden me with your problems and i miss out on all the juicy stuff in your life..........so please burden me ..bring it on ..let me be the judge if it is a big or small problem..that's part of the fun....

round three starts monday 8/25....till 8/27/.......ps totally bald is the way to go...freedom of the follicals.........save on shampoo.........

chemo-sabi......out

SALT LAKE CITY-trade show

blue skies...massive mountains......clean air.....bright sunshine......it could very well be the most beautiful city in the nation...happy to be in such a place

i am still in the grips of the "chemo" it is kinda funny how you look in the mirror in the morning and the person staring back looks like a complete stranger....it is amazing what a baseball cap can do to your appearance.........people are happy to see that i have not allowed the "inconvenience" to stop me from doing what i am doing......had to laugh the other day when i thought of a title fro a book on this journey....."Cancer"..the inconvenient illness........it is such a drain on your daily way of life.......however it is no longer a death sentence and i fully plan on kicking it's butt clear across this country...heading to Atlanta tomorrow.......keep you posted my friends the amount of people still following my journey is amazing ....thanks for the love and music..........tom..........