Friday 30 January 2011
"I'm sorry Mr. Kline, but you have a brain tumor." These dreadful words, spoken on this day seven years ago, still resonate clearly in my mind. In 2004, fear was the initial response. Today my reaction to those words is thanksgiving to the Lord for all he has done for me. It is my passion to be a resource to the brain tumor community, and this initiative of hope is expressed publicly in the form of this website and a collection of unremarkable products, the net proceeds of which are donated to Brain Tumor Foundations.
Friday 28 January 2011
Austin has a new car. All of our children get a car for their high school graduation. Austin's came a few months early because this used machine is available now at a great price.
Thursday 27 January 2011
My visit to the Oncology Center in Warsaw, Poland in August of 2010 is now available for viewing.
Wednesday 26 January 2011
Another chemo infusion today. It went well and this should be the last in this sequence for this 4th recurrent tumor.
Saturday 22 January 2011
An audio book
version of An Unremarkable Man is in the works. The sound track has already been recorded by Charles Grodin. There is some post
recording clean up required, but overall the narration sounds great. Target date for release is May 2011. I anticipate the audio book to be
available on iTunes as a download and also on amazon.com as a two CD set. Sales of the audio book will benefit the Mission4Maureen Foundation, since they were able to secure Mr. Grodin's talents for
this project.
Thursday 20 January 2011
The effects of the
infusion from last week have now dissipated. Hiccups were dominate the day after the infusion, as usual. I had to take an anti-nausea med
on two consecutive days, but the need for this has now passed. I usually take the anti-nausea pill at the earliest sign of trouble. I watch for
triggers of the problem and mitigate the issue immediately.
Wednesday 12 January 2011
My MRI from last Friday has been officially reviewed as clean. Strong CBC counts plastered a smile on my face during this three hour infusion. A vein in my left arm was fully cooperative, resulting in a fast drip of pre-meds into my body, followed by Avastin, Carboplatin and CPT-11.
I will get this infusion again in two weeks, followed by another MRI, and if said MRI is clean again, I will be able to discontinue all chemo again. The residual microscopic tumor cells, not visible on MRI images but still present nevertheless, are currently being exposed to CPT-11, a chemo agent they have never seen before, and since CPT-11 lit up the scoreboard (e.g. the tumor is vulnerable to this medication) from the genetic tests run on tumor samples last year, I hope that the traitor will be caught off guard and utterly destroyed, resulting in several years without a need for chemo.
Saturday 08 January 2011
This brain tumor story began seven years ago today with that first monster headache. I heard myself say, "Am I dying?" as I sat in my office, bewildered to say the least. It took me awhile to admit to myself that something was wrong. I was slow to start, but the pace quickened dramatically thereafter. My commitment to continue prosecution of the traitor persists, as it must. The courage and stamina to press on is facilitated by your prayers, pages, letters and emails. Thank you and let's do the next 7 years together as well.
Friday 07 January 2011
Today's MRI looks clean to me. I will receive the radiologist's report next Wednesday. Looking at the pictures from today reminded me of Psalms139:14: "I am fearfully and wonderfully made." The image show on this page does perhaps incite a bit of fear, but I think this verse is saying that we have been created in a most remarkable, splendid, and marvellous fashion. We are made in the very image of God. Unfortunately, we have messed up and must therefore die, but God has a solution for that.
Saturday 01 January 2011
I like today's date, 1/1/11. It is pleasant to the eye and shines forth hope for the new year. So far, so good regarding the infusion from last Wednesday. I did not need to take Zofran yesterday for nausea.
