Owner: The Journal of a Prizefighter URL:http://journalofaprizefighter.blogspot.com Join Date: Sat, 08 Dec 2007 09:08:24 -0600 Rating:0 Site Description: 27 year old survivor of Hodgkin's Disease shares his experiences following two stem cell transplants. Site statistics:Click here
cancer news 2007-12-08 11:23:00 U.S. Childhood Cancer Death Rate Declines SharplyStudies Show How Fruits and Veggies Reduce Cancer
in the news 2007-12-08 11:02:00 Please Explain: How to Be an Amateur Astronomer Richard Rosenberg, the president of the Amateur Astronomers Association of New York of which I'm a member, was one of the guests on Friday's The Leonard Lopate Show on WNYC. I found it to be a interesting introduction-101 to the exciting hobby of stargazing.Seattle: Sampling the Best of the NorthwestMonths After Protests, Myanmar Junta in ControlShields and Brooks Weigh CIA Tapes, U.S. Policy on Iran
pat pedraja - CNN Heroes viewers' choice award winner 2007-12-07 14:05:00 Congratulations to Pat Pedraja for winning the CNN
Heroes Viewers' Choice Award last night as he continues to raise awareness about the great need for people to join the National Marrow Donor registry.To learn more about bone marrow donation, please visit the National Marrow Donor Program.Congratulations as well to all the other remarkable and inspiring individuals, who were recognized at last night's program! Read more:winner
in the news 2007-12-07 13:55:00 Faith vs. the FaithlessThe Love Song of Dennis K. Kucinich Here's a very charming, endearing story!Automakers Change Course on Fuel StandardsPort Authority and Airlines Offer Ways to Ease Delays at New York Airports
watch pat pedraja on CNN heroes tomorrow 2007-12-05 19:22:00 Tomorrow night at 9PM E.S.T., CNN
Heroes will announce each of the winners in its six categories of outstanding work. Pat Pedraja, the 12 year old leukemia survivor and passionate advocate for the NMDP registry, is a finalist in the "Young Wonder" category.I hope Pat wins. Go Pat go!Boy Battling Leukemia Finalist for CNN Hero Award Read more:watch
, heroes
, tomorrow
in the news 2007-12-04 20:24:00 Unfortunately, I haven't been able to post like usual these past few days as I have been busy with a variety of paperwork. I have a bit to talk about, but in the meantime I want to share some of the news items that I've been following recently.New Orleans Hurt by Acute Rental ShortageD.C. Region Named Most 'Walkable' in USObama's Color LineShelby Steele: Why Obama Can't WinO Brother, Where Art Thou?The Oprah Party Wants YouLonely No More, Huckabee Faces HurdlesPolitical Junkie: Iowa Hearts HuckabeeThe People We Have Been Waiting ForOne Last Ride to the HubbleVicar: Dire Times for Iraq's ChristiansVenezuela Vote Sets Roadblocks on Chavez PathOPEC's Tough Call: Raise or Hold Oil SupplyThe Comic Book is Back, in Luxe Coffee-Table FormA Vote for LatinStudy: Americans Reading Less Than They Used To I found to this to be one of the most interesting NPR stories in a long time. Recommended highly!Exercise May Boost Brain's Natural AntidepressantPutting on Weight for Football GloryPe
cancer news 2007-12-03 18:39:00 Cancer Cells Softer than Healthy Cells: Study
extreme ways 2007-12-02 20:25:00 Last night, I watched a good deal of The Bourne Supremacy (which I had seen before) on TNT. (Man, the car chases in this trilogy are amazing.) During the credits of the film, the following song was played and I had forgotten that it's the same song at the end of the sequel, The Bourne Ultimatum, as well. So since Saturday, I've had this rocking jam by Moby in my head.boomp3.com
day +103 2007-12-02 15:42:00 I learned this afternoon in an e-mail from the Parks Department that on Wednesday from 6:30 - 8:00 PM, Sidney Horenstein, an educator at the American Museum of Natural History, will give a slide-illustrated lecture on the history of NYC's water supply system in celebration of the upcoming restoration of the High Bridge. It sounds interesting especially considering my recent interest in documenting the Harlem River and its bridges. But I don't plan to attend it.Read more about Wednesday's lecture here.
day +100! 2007-11-29 18:27:00 Yes, today is day +100 since my non-myeloablative allogeneic stem cell transplant at Sloan-Kettering. Though this day should be complete with celebration, it is tinged with a bit of sadness and reservation as the wake for my grandmother is today.After reflecting on what this day +100 means and the hope that it inspires, I'm thankful for the generosity of my donor who made this all possible and the loving support of my family, friends, and so many strangers who have encouraged and followed me step-by-step as I've made it to this point. Though I'm hopeful about the future, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't concerned as well because whether we're aware of it or not both hope and fear are complimentary emotions just as life and death couldn't exist without the other. They are both linked intricately. Indeed, one is defined by the other.On this day, I feel like I have for sometime and that is like a man balancing himself on a tightrope between hope and fear. But I'm hopeful, look
an update on the murder of amadou cisse 2007-11-28 21:34:00 I learned tonight that there has been an arrest in the murder
of The University of Chicago graduate student, Amadou Cisse.Teen Charged in Graduate Student's SlayingChicago Police Department Announces Arrest in Cisse Murder CaseTeen Charged in Series of Crimes Near U. of Chicago Campus, Including Graduate Student Slaying
day +99 2007-11-28 19:10:00 This afternoon after my appointment with Dr. Roberts, I went to the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway, from which you can enter at E. 120th Street and Paladine Avenue, in the hope of photographing the Willis Avenue Bridge.I had thought that the Manhattan Waterfront Greenway didn't go up any further past the Triborough Lift Bridge, which connects Manhattan and Randall's Island. But a couple days ago as I was in a taxi heading home on the FDR Drive, I passed by this very spot along the Greenway and saw a man walking along the trail past what I thought was the terminus of the Greenway. I turned in my seat and through the rear window, I watched him continue to walk along the pathway under the Triborough Lift Bridge and a bit beyond before he was no longer in site. It was this incidence that rose my curiosity and hope that I could find a spot on the Greenway that would provide me with a better vantage point from where I could photograph the length of the Willis Avenue Bridge. I turned to
in the news 2007-11-28 18:10:00 Candidates Offer Different Views on Energy PolicyCan Oprah Boost Her 'Favorite Guy'?State Quarters Near End of Popular RunBlack and Hispanic Firefighter Applicants Have DoubledStill Pursuing a Lifetime's Worth of Interests at 104NASA-Conceived Map of Antarctica Lays Ground for New DiscoveriesChina's Denial of Port Calls by U.S. Ships Worries NavyDefense Secretary Urges More Spending for U.S. DiplomacyAfter 10 Years and 3 Plans, U.N. Renovation Is in Sight
day +97 2007-11-26 20:00:00 First, I'd like to thank everyone again for their heartfelt, compassionate kindness in the wake of my grandmother's death. All of your thoughtful comments have meant a great deal. The viewing is planned for Thursday followed by the funeral service and burial on Friday. I plan to attend only the private family viewing of the body, so that I won't be exposed to so many people at the both the public viewing and funeral. In light of the occasion, I still must be careful.This morning Clare accompanied me to my scheduled appointment with Dr. Castro-Malaspina. My blood counts were just fine and there's still no evidence of either EBV or the Adenovirus. Everything continues to look very good as I approach day +100. With regards to the abdominal pressure, both Drs. Castro-Malaspina and Mayer don't believe it's anything that warrants concern. They said that my recent scans were clean and that it's very unlikely that the cancer returned in such a short period, but they acknowledged
in the news 2007-11-26 19:22:00 Below are some of the news stories that I read recently.Killing of Chicago Student Unsettles Campus Life I first learned about this via a mass e-mail to the university community and then, subsequently I read a few local Chicago news articles about it. I was aghast with shock and deep sadness about the senseless, barbaric murder of Amadou Cisse, a Ph.D candidate at The University of Chicago. He was preparing to receive his doctorate in chemistry on December 7th before this tragic event took place. It's just so, so difficult when one sees someone, such as Amadou Cisse, who had so much potential and promise killed for no reason other than the fact that some wacko wanted him dead. News like this is so depressing. I just feel for his family in Senegal as well as his friends and colleagues and more collectively, sadness about the darker parts of our society and our species.Taking Science on Faith Paul Davies rocks! I read his cerebral book, Are We Alone? several weeks ago.DNA Tests
day +94 2007-11-23 18:50:00 This afternoon I learned that my grandmother - my only surviving grandparent and my father's mother - died. Recently, the stomach cancer for which she was treated successfully back in 2005 returned and we were in the process of exploring her treatment options. So, her sudden death came as a surprise to us all today despite the deterioration in her health. She would have been 88 years old on December 23rd.But before I learned about this, I was out-and-about taking photos. I visited three bridges this morning: the Macombs Dam Bridge, University Heights Bridge, and the Henry Hudson Bridge.At the time that I took these photos of the Macombs Dam Bridge, clouds blanketed most of the sky. I realized that because this bridge is painted a shade similar to cream, a cloudy sky distracts attention from the bridge. Clear skies are definitely better with regards to highlighting the features of this bridge.I found a new but tiny park (if one could honestly call it that; it's more like a 15 f
on a day of thanksgiving 2007-11-22 19:16:00 Giving back at St. Jude’s Children's HospitalSt. Jude gave this family hope9-year-old chooses amputation
day +92 2007-11-21 15:00:00 Yesterday afternoon I called the Department of Transportation about my interest in obtaining a pass or permit and I was told that it wasn't necessary for photographing the Harlem River bridges.I rode the stationary bicycle for 40 minutes this morning before heading to Dr. Robert's office for my weekly psych session.For about the past two days, I've felt this strange pressure around the area of my stomach and lower left rib cage. Otherwise I feel just fine. No fatigue or nausea or loss of appetite. I haven't felt the previous pressure around my mediastinum for several days now, but this new pressure concerns me a bit. It could be anything. I have no clue. Maybe it's tension or perhaps GVHD. But I do worry that it's the cancer coming back. Honestly, I'm a bit scared. Of course, my concern is premature but after having dealt with this disease for four years my suspicion and concern is quite natural. I will call Dr. Castro-Malaspina's office on Friday, but I'm not sure if
in the news 2007-11-21 14:00:00 Here's a long list of some the news stories that I've checked out during the past few days:Stem Cell Discovery Hailed as MilestoneIn U.S. Name Count, Garcias Are Catching Up with JonesesBonds and Rose, Baseball's Modern VillainsForty Acres and a Gap in WealthBlacks See Growing Values Gap Between Poor and Middle-ClassReading Tea Leaves and Campaign LogosEdward Hopper and the Rising Tide of WarBaghdad's Weary Start to Exhale as Security ImprovesFollowing Up: "Persistent Conflict"In Memoriam: Amadou Cisse, 1978-2007Decline of the Tenure Track Raises ConcernsJapan's Kaguya spacecraft, which was launched into space two months ago, took this image of the Earth as it orbited our lunar satellite.This is reminiscent of the famous Earthrise captured by the crew of Apollo 8 in 1968.A Hazy Future for a 'Jewel' of Space InstrumentsSouth Korea Eyes Moon Orbiter in 2020, Landing 2025'Terra' Paints Portrait of Earth Ecosystems in PerilNobody Home: Earth Without Man Would RecoverFossil of Worl
cancer news 2007-11-21 13:56:00 The U.S. Postal Service offers 41 cent stamps with the logos of the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Team in Training, and Light the Night Walk. Check them out here.
day +90 2007-11-19 18:49:00 Yesterday evening I e-mailed the New York City Department of Transportation inquiring about my interest in applying for a pass or permit that gives me clearance to photograph the Harlem River bridges. Following my experience on the GWB last week, I thought it would be really helpful if I had some kind of authorization. I imagine artists, photographers, and film makers do this all the time. In the text of the message, I also mentioned my interest in possibly publishing my work. So, we'll see what they say.I also finished watching the third season of 24. Man, I can't get enough of Jack Bauer! Looking forward for Netflix to send me the beginning of the fourth season. Today at Sloan I received my monthly treatment of Aerosolized Pentamidine and IVIG. It went well. No blood was drawn and I didn't see Dr. Castro-Malaspina. I'll see him next week.Finally, this afternoon I saw this new political ad for Mike Huckabee. Though I'm not voting for Mike Huckabee, I found this ad to
day +88 2007-11-17 20:00:00 This morning, I woke up again before dawn to pay a visit to my neighbor, the Harlem River. (And yes, Venus was there up above shining brightly yet again.) This time I went to photograph the 145th Street Bridge from the Manhattan side in the twilight morning. Below is the first photograph I snapped. It's unedited.I really like the effect of the morning twilight on the water, but unfortunately I wasn't able to stabilize the image very well so the bridge isn't very sharp. If the image of the bridge had been clearer and closer, I think this would have been my best one today. Another problem was timing. I needed to have been at the pedestrian walkway a few minutes earlier, because by the time I arrived there I had only a few brief moments with the twilight. Moreover, I failed to take full advantage of the "Switch Assist" option during that time and then, before I knew it twilight had passed, replaced by the faint yellow and orange hues of the encroaching dawn sky.From the pedestr
day +87 2007-11-16 15:09:00 This morning at 5:30 I woke up (as planned) in order to take photographs of the Macombs Dam Bridge from the Manhattan side in the morning twilight. Up until this point, all my photographs of the Harlem River bridges have been during the daytime and so, recently I've been a bit eager to experiment with different lighting. Since the Macombs Dam Bridge is only about a 20 minute walk away, I knew that I could get there easily before the expected sunrise at 6:43.Overhead, as I made my way towards the bridge, our sister planet, Venus, was clearly visible in the twilight sky. It was quite a thrill seeing "The Evening/Morning Star" shine so brightly above.I don't have a wide-angle lense for my digital camera, but the camera does have a very cool feature called "Switch Assist" that allows one to shoot overlapping images that can later be merged to create one panoramic image on the computer. I just figured this out last night when I reviewed the camera's manual. Here's the result.I snap
day +120 2007-12-19 13:58:00 This morning I visited the Broadway Bridge and photographed it for the first time. I managed to take several shots of the #1 train crossing the Broadway Bridge from the Allen Pavilion of New York-Presbyterian Hospital at W. 220th Street and Broadway before a security guard approached me telling me that photography from the Hospital campus is prohibited. He suggested I contact the Hospital's Public Relations office for access. So, that's what I did when I returned home.Public Relations seems to be supportive of my project. According to the forecast, the next several days will be partly or completely cloudy, so I'll wait to negotiate a day and time for photographing from the Allen Pavilion campus when the weather clears up.After leaving the Allen Pavilion, I walked across the Broadway Bridge to the nearby Metro-North Marble Hill Station from where I snapped more pictures. I don't think these came out very well. They're too dark unfortunately. But at least, I should be better
day +119 2007-12-18 19:02:00 Relieved by yesterday's wonderful news, I returned to the activity that has given me so much excitement since my discharge from the Transplant Ward about three months ago: photographing the Harlem River bridges.Here's me in front of the Triborough Lift Bridge. This is how I usually look when I'm out and about in my "Paddington Bear coat." I placed my camera on the tripod that I bought recently and set it to a 10 second timer to take this self-portrait.I spent time most of the time, however, taking photographs of the Willis Avenue Bridge late this morning and early afternoon. Thanks again for all your wonderful comments! I am really humbled by all your sincere support and love. Many thanks again! You guys are awesome.
can you dig it? 2007-12-17 18:31:00 This morning I had my appointment with Dr. Barker followed by my monthly round of Aerosolized Pentamidine and then, an unexpected appointment with Dr. Allan Halpern, Sloan-Kettering's Chief of the Dermatology Service.The PET scan is clean! N.E.D. Can you dig it?Yes, I'm greatly relieved by the news. Tears flowed when I first heard it. The PET scan report states "no definite evidence of hypermetabolic malignancy." Though the groundglass in my lungs remains unchanged from the previous CT scan, there's no cancer and that's the most important thing. Drs. Castro-Malaspina and Mayer were right all along. I was the one who doubted and was wrong, but I don't think I've ever been more happy about being wrong than right now.Dr. Barker and Ally, however, weren't able to pinpoint why my abdomen feels the way it does. Anxiety, the medication, and/or post-allo SCT messiness were proposed as possible causes or perhaps as Su said, they're sea horses. Well, whatever it is it's not ca
day +116 2007-12-15 09:16:00 Yesterday afternoon I went over the final details of a research study offered by Sloan-Kettering over the phone with a research assistant of the team conducting this study. Presently, there is no genetic test to determine if a familial link exists in the diagnosis of lymphoma or lymphoproliferative disorders (Hodgkin's Disease, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, leukemia, multiple myeloma, and other similar diseases) but the hope of this study is that the information gathered may lead to such a genetic test. Interestingly, genetic tests do exist for other cancers but not for lymphoproliferative disorders. So, let's hope this study leads to come helpful answers.I answered a couple of simple questions about my medical and family history over the phone and then, now all I need to do is wait for the simple cheek swab kit that they're going to send me in a few weeks. Because my blood reflects my donor's genetic heritage and not my own, a sample of my cheek cells, which still maintain my own u
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