7 Years Since My SCT – So Many Things to Be Thankful For

 11/25/20 – On November 27^th I will be celebrating 7 years since my stem cell transplant. With 2020 being as crazy and challenging year as it has been you may wonder what is there to celebrate. COVID-19 has certainly had its effect on all of us… But as I sit here and think about my life… even with everything that is going on in the world… I truly have so much to be thankful for.

 For one thing, I am in the longest stretch of time that I have been in remission since I was first diagnosed back in 2008.

 And for some more great news… I had my scans on October 19 and I continue to be all clear. If that’s not good enough... I will not need to get scanned again for another year. This is a great relief. I am feeling like I no longer have anything to worry about. As far as I am concerned my Mantle Cell Lymphoma is very distant in my rearview mirror. Now I can simply just roll on down the highway… completely carefree... and enjoy life. This is such a fantastic time of Thanksgiving for me.

 Speaking of Thanksgiving… I will say that the anniversary of my stem cell transplant falls at a great time of year. It always falls right around Thanksgiving which gives me the wonderful opportunity to thank the people in my life who have always been there for me. This all starts with my beautiful wife, Sue. I doubt I would have gotten through everything without her love and support. There are also my daughters and their husbands who have been there to keep a huge smile on my face. And on top of them, I now have my granddaughter who is just a gigantic joy in my life.

 There is also the rest of my family and friends who have supported me and have prayed so hard for me to be well.

 Last… but not least… I am so thankful for all the doctors and nurses who treated me. I consider all of them as part of my family. They are all such special and gifted people.

 And of course, I would be completely negligent if I didn’t thank God for all the good health I have been blessed with.

 To mark both my 7^th Anniversary and the Holiday of Thanksgiving, here is a YouTube link to a wonderful song by Chris Tomlin that features Thomas Rhett & Florida Georgia Line. It is called: “Thank You Lord” Enjoy!!!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xOgAmQvOUM0

 Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Give thanks to the LORD of hosts, for the LORD is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!  Jeremiah 33:11

 More to come…

http://mantlecell.blogspot.com/

A Happy 12 Year Anniversary

07/17/20 – Today I am celebrating 12 years since I was originally diagnosed with mantle cell lymphoma. Me and my family make it a point to approach the anniversary of the day we learned of my illness with happiness and celebration in our hearts.

Now one may think that we are crazy to look at the day I was originally diagnosed with cancer as an anniversary… let alone a day to celebrate… but most we certainly have something to celebrate. We look at it is a time to celebrate the God given gift of life that we have all been given.

On top of this year’s celebration… and please know that I am not looking to jinx myself… I am currently experiencing my best and longest run of good health since My Adventures With Mantle Cell Lymphoma began. Back in June of 2016 I had clear scans and they have been so since then. This makes 4 years and 1 month of good health for me. Prior to this I went exactly 4 years (March 2009 through March 2013). So, saying this this is not only time for us to celebrate life… it is also a time for us to celebrate my good health.

There is no doubt that I truly have so much to be grateful for. I have a wonderful wife, who has been by my side throughout my journey. I have 2 beautiful daughters (and their husbands) who I love dearly. And I have an 8-month-old granddaughter who brings immense joy into my life.  

Here is a picture of me and my granddaughter Millie from a couple of weeks ago

For those who wonder why someone would put themselves through so much to battle for their lives… well you just need to look at the picture and the answer is easy. It is all about the love someone has for their family and friends. Yes, as the song goes… “LOVE ALONE IS WORTH THE FIGHT”. Here is a YouTube link to the song. Enjoy this awesome tune by Switchfoot.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rk9Pj3ID0UE

Grace, mercy, and peace will be with us from God the Father and from Jesus Christ the Father’s Son in truth and love.

2 John 1:3

More to come…

http://mantlecell.blogspot.com/

A Social Visit

06/16/20 – Yesterday I had my 6 month check up with the transplant team at the John Theurer Cancer Center. I met with my AVN extraordinaire, Melissa Baker. She was happy to report that all my counts are just great. She even mentioned that it’s safe to say that when it comes to MDS we could look at it as a thing of the past.  Although we didn’t run any tests, she said she would bet that if I had a bone marrow biopsy it would come back clear.

To add to the good news, she said that I will not need another follow up visit with anyone from transplant for another year. “You are at the point where your visits here are social visits.” Of course, that was fantastic to hear.

This did led us to chat about living through this COVID19 pandemic and the importance of being careful, exercising social distancing and that I should wear a mask and those around me should wear them as well. It’s interesting how people who have gone through cancer treatment and stem cell transplants know full well the why we need to wear masks. I often kid that I have a PHD in mask wearing. Masks are not for our own protection; they are for the protection of the people around us.

I had a recent conversation with a friend who was insistent that he could go anywhere he wanted to and that he didn’t need to wear a mask. He said he wasn’t afraid of getting COVID19 and that he did not think the mask helps him in any way. I countered his comment with “you’re not wearing your mask for you, you’re wearing it for me. How bad would you feel if I caught the virus from you?” He conceded that it would make him feel terrible. So, my point… be safe, be mindful of others, social distance and wear a mask. My guess is the corona virus will be with us for a while before we have a handle on it.

As far as what’s next for me… I have my annual scans in October. I am confident that all will continue to be great for me.

I am wishing you all the best as we navigate through this pandemic. Here is a link to a fabulous new song by NEEDTOBREATHE. It’s appropriately called “Survival” Enjoy!!!

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBXNuzLHvSM

Finally, all of you be of one mind, having compassion for one another, love as brothers, be tender-hearted, be courteous.

1 Peter 3:8

More to come…

http://mantlecell.blogspot.com/

6 Years Since My SCT – A Time for Giving Thanks

11/27/19 – It is 6 years since I had my Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant. This is a such a great thing for me as we all celebrate Thanksgiving. There is no doubt that I have so much to be thankful for. I have the very best family and friends and my health has been better than I have experienced in many years. 

On top of all this, on November 7^th I became a grandfather for the first time. My daughter Jill and her husband Marc were blessed with a beautiful baby girl named Millie. It is hard to put into words what a thrill this is for me.

When I look back to 2008, when I was originally diagnosed, I’m not sure I could have seen myself ever being called grandpa. But with great doctors and fantastic medical advancements, I have been gifted with the opportunity to see the next generation of my family. Cancer treatment sure has come so far... it truly makes you think that nothing is impossible. … and with the new treatments I am hearing about it is even more encouraging. Have you heard about the new treatment called Cart T-cell Therapy?

CAR T-cell therapy. A type of treatment in which a patient’s T cells (a type of immune cell) are changed in the laboratory so they will bind to cancer cells and kill them. Blood from a vein in the patient’s arm flows through a tube to an apheresis machine (not shown), which removes the white blood cells, including the T cells, and sends the rest of the blood back to the patient. Then, the gene for a special receptor called a chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) is inserted into the T cells in the laboratory. Millions of the CAR T cells are grown in the laboratory and then given to the patient by infusion. The CAR T cells are able to bind to an antigen on the cancer cells and kill them.

If you know of anyone dealing with a blood-based cancer it may be worth looking into this new treatment option. It sounds awesome to me.

Now, I am planning to be here to see my grandchildren grow up through all their special times… I also have great hopes to live to see my great grandchildren. Hmmm… I guess I want it all... but as I always say, keeping a positive attitude goes a long way.

Speaking of  having it all, here is a YouTube link to a wonderful new song by Matt Maher about how you can truly have it all. It’s called “Lord of My Life”. Enjoy!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D7x1CXQbaWQ

Happy Thanksgiving to all.

I will praise God’s name in song and glorify him with thanksgiving.

Psalm 69:30

More to come…

http://mantlecell.blogspot.com/

All is Good with “Glitchy Richie”

10/22/19 - I had my scans recently and received the fantastic news yesterday that all my scans and blood work are great! To add to this great news, I will not need to be scanned again for another 12 months.

My wife and I met with Dr. Leslie and she was so pleased to share this great information with us. Although I haven’t dealt with Dr. Leslie much in the past, she was there in 2015 during my relapse and through a few of the big bumps in the road I ran into. At that time, she was updated on my history, how I had been a bit of a challenge with all the aliments I encountered over the years. Her words to us were… “WOW, is this Glitchy Richie? You look so great and you are doing so great. Everything looks great!!!. I am so happy for you.” This, of course was wonderful news for us… but “Glitchy Richie”???...

I wasn’t aware I was given this nickname but I certainly understand why they would call me this being all the side effects, infections, and other critical health events I went through over the years. I truly tested their medical knowledge and skills over the years. Thank God I have such great doctors. Say all this, I must say “Glitchy Richie” is a pretty cute name.

As I sit here today, I have been in remission since October of 2015. This is approaching the longest time I have been in remission since my initial diagnosis in 2008. I don’t want to jinx myself but I am feeling very confident that my days of fighting Mantle Cell Lymphoma have ended…  and let me take this a step further and go out on a limb and call myself “CURED”. Is this accurate? I'm not sure, but as far as I am concerned, I am cured. 

True, I still have that positive result of MDS looming out there, but after all the time that has passed, I have never shown any symptoms. As far as I am concerned a positive MDS test might be another one of the “Glitchy” things that seems to happen to me. Maybe I really don't have it. Based on this I have decided to treat it with the highly technical approach I call the “Ostrich Approach”. In other words, I will keep my head in the sand… and if symptoms show up some time in the future, I will deal with them…. But for now, as far as I am concerned the positive MDS result simply does not exist. I will only worry about it when I have something to worry about. In the meantime, I will focus on enjoying life and look forward to my soon to be born granddaughter who is due the first week of November…. And boy, I can’t wait to meet her.

Here is a link to a song puts perspective to where I am with my life. “Alive and Breathing” by Matt Maher: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYUJjsgd96k

Enjoy!!!

Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.

Proverbs 12:25

More to come…

A Happy 11 Year Anniversary

WOW, how time flies. It is 11 years ago that I was first diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma. Here I am 11 years later and I am having a great run. I have been free and clear of MCL since 2015. Now this may not seem like a long time… but for me it seems like forever ago. I may seem like a broken record… but I am truly so BLESSED.

I am currently at this point in my life where it is full of many new and exciting things.

As I had mentioned in my last post, I have a new hip. All I can say with this is that I feel great. I am moving better than I have in a very long time.

Also, my wife and I have been on a bit of a health kick. I am down about 40 pounds. I have great energy and I am completely void of any breathing issues.

On my career front, I have started my own business. I will be helping people become their own bosses and taking control of their lives by assisting them with finding franchise business opportunities. This is a mission I am very passionate about being I have recently gone through a career transition of my own. It will be my pleasure to help others find their perfect business. To makes this clear I have named my business “Mission Franchise” www.missionfranchise.com

And the biggest thing which will be new in my life is that I am going to be a grandfather. My daughter Jill and her husband Marc are expecting a bundle of joy in November. 

HOLY COW… I’M GONNA BE A GRADFATHER!!!

As I said, I am so blessed. Could it be that I have reached the light at the end of the tunnel? Only God knows… but I can say without any hesitation that when I look back to the time in 2008 when I was sitting with Dr. Scola, hearing my diagnosis… and being able to hit the fast forward button taking me through past relapses, many bumps in the road and so much more… landing where I am now it is clear to me that due to My Adventures with Mantle Cell Lymphoma … I am stronger than I ever have been… My confidence to take on new big things in my life is stronger than it has ever been… I have a stronger faith than I ever had… My love for family and friend is stronger than it ever has been… … … and I now look to the future with such excitement, enthusiasm. passion, faith, hope and love.

Here is a link to a wonderful song that so much speaks to me. “Counting Every Blessing” by Rend Collective: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7X9d4ubvWH4

The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to tread on the heights.

Habakkuk 3:19

More to come…

http://mantlecell.blogspot.com/

What doesn’t kill you, makes you stronger

In my over 10-year adventures with Mantle Cell Lymphoma I have leaned to look at the twists and turns of life as no big deal. For me… there is no mountain that can’t be climbed, there is nothing I encounter that is cause for worry, losing sleep over or to make me feel sorry for myself.

On April 29^th I had my total hip replacement. Today is two weeks after the surgery. I have been walking without a cane for over a week, I am able to start driving today and except for another 6 weeks of physical therapy I am past this with no pain to speak of. As a matter of fact, I was able to walk with a walker on the day of the surgery… I was walking with a cane on the day after… and without a cane by day 3. All I can say is this was a breeze for me.

When my orthopedic doctor first diagnosed me with Avascular Necrosis (AVN) of the hip, he told me that it was pretty rare. But it is a very different story when I went to the John Theurer Cancer Center for my pre-operation authorization. I got an “Oh yeah, that happens with people that have had a lot of chemo”.  So, I guess it is safe to say that AVN can be considered a side effect of my treatments… but the silver lining comes with that knowledge that it was a breeze to get through.

Another thing I have leaned is that I am not, and never have been a slave to my MCL. By no means does it rule my life with concern, worry and fear of the future. My future continues to be very bright and I feel so blessed. 

Here is a YouTube link to a fantastic song by Zach Williams, “No Longer Slaves”: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bDnA_coA168

So you are no longer a slave, but God’s child; and since you are his child, God has made you also an heir

Galatians 4:7

More to come…

http://mantlecell.blogspot.com/