Of hope and light
By Megan Meyer ⋅ December 1, 2008 ⋅
IU's war machine finds a new legacy in lifesaving cancer treatment.
Wishing only to fulfill graduation requirements, history or political science majors might begrudgingly take an introductory-level physics course. As they sit in lecture in Swain Hall West, coloring in the "o's" of words such as "torque" and "force" on notebook paper, they might prefer to learn something they believe to be more pertinent to society and people. The Cold War, maybe. Or the Manhattan Project.
What these doodling non-majors don't know is that they sit on the crater of a war machine. In the belly of Swain Hall West once sat a cyclotron, an instrument that collected data to build Little Boy and Fat Man, atom bombs that the United States dropped on Hiroshima and Nagasaki during World War II. Inside the cyclotron, sub-atomic particles whirled around in a spiral path, propelled by great magnets to a cataclysmic end.
Any world-history class can teach the results of cyclotron research: the loss of 200,000 Japanese lives and the end of the war.
The historic destruction of Hiroshima is separated from IU by thousands of miles and more than 60 years, but time and distance won't break the connection. Instead of leaving the machine to rust in infamy, the cyclotron was transformed from battle machine to a precision cancer treatment. Cutting-edge cancer treatment is presumed to have a home only in places such as the Mayo Clinic, Harvard, and Stanford, but one machine has forever carved Bloomington's name in the annals of both war and medical history, as the legacy of the cyclotron is rewritten.
It's mid-October in Bloomington, and the IU Department of Physics has scheduled its open house weekend around one of the cyclotron's quarterly maintenance shutdowns. Although there are many safety measures already in place, public viewing of the facility is limited to these shutdown periods to reduce radiation exposure. Driving down Milo B. Sampson Lane, the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute is nestled just past the IU Cyclotron Facility facade. The lobby is warm and welcoming, with overstuffed chairs, children's toys, and a fish aquarium. To the right is a set of double doors, through which all patients pass before receiving treatment.
The doors give way to a brightly lit hallway with rooms lining its sides. This is the patient's first real encounter with the facility. There are five exam rooms, four for adults and the other for children. The pediatric room's walls are covered entirely by a mural depicting a greenscape of flowers and birds; at the head of the exam table is a painted teddy bear in a doctor's uniform.
A local film crew has come this morning to interview Allan Thornton, MPRI's medical director since 2002 and a well-respected figure in radiation oncology. The crew questions him about the significance of proton therapy for Monroe County, and to catch a glimpse of the cyclotron during its shutdown period. Thornton walks in wearing a pressed pinstripe suit, just late enough to arouse a flurry of concern.
Once the interview begins, it is clear he is accustomed to speaking about his work. Proton therapy for cancer treatment is no less powerful than conventional X-ray therapy, he says. It's simply more precise. It allows a group of specialists to target a tumor within 1 millimeter. X-rays, by contrast, have a much looser target, which can affect the surrounding, healthy tissue. Proton beams wield such control because of something called the Bragg peak, a sharp stopping point of the proton beam. Proton therapy offers a kind of accuracy that makes it an ideal form of cancer treatment for children, whose tumors are imbedded in growing tissue, and for patients with tumors in the head or around critical organs.
Many patients may be implanted with tiny BB-like balls around the treatment area, markers to position the patient. They remain in the body even after the proton therapy is completed. Phil Thompson, an early patient of MPRI, was implanted with solid gold BBs in his prostate. As he was undergoing treatment, his friends drafted and notarized a document saying if, for whatever reason, Thompson's wife were to outlive him, she would have an autopsy performed on him to obtain the gold BBs and have them fashioned into a necklace and earrings.
Thompson is closer to the machine than most. He worked for years as a technician on the same cyclotron that extended his life.
Thompson's upbeat attitude and sense of humor are infectious, and he's putting it to good use. After his own recovery, he had a strong impulse to help those going through the same rough patch of road. Feeling blessed to have his family and friends at his side during the treatment, he was compelled to give that same support to patients who are far from loved ones. After seeing some of his fellow patients suffer from loneliness, he was inspired to start Hoosiers Care, a non-proselytizing organization fueled to make patients feel more comfortable during their stay in Bloomington. People have donated money, time, and even condos to the project.
The walls of Thompson's office are plastered with photographs of former patients with whom he developed relationships. He has a dozen stories for each face, and each of those faces has gazed with dismay into the nozzle of the proton beam.
The machine has spurred both fear and healing. The patients treated at MPRI have been healed by hydrogen ions launched by IU's original cyclotron.
In 1938, shortly after becoming the president of IU, Herman B Wells agreed to fund the construction of the University's first cyclotron. Wells wanted the physics department to surge ahead as a frontrunner of scientific research. The department's work eventually assisted the Manhattan Project's drive toward building the ultimate weapon.
With the intention of molding the physics program into a world-class academic arena, Wells hired Milo Sampson, Daniel Miller, and Lawrence Langer, all of whom were prominent physicists at the time. It's Langer, though, who was the most intriguing figure of the group. Having been named the physics department chair, he was also working for theManhattan Project. Legend has it84 that the night before deployment in 1945, Langer slept on one of the bombs destined for Japan to prevent tampering.
Work on the cyclotron continued for decades, until researchers set their sights on the implementation of another powerful tool. The National Science Foundation granted funding, and in 1968, the old cyclotron was decommissioned to make way for the new, more powerful 200 mega-electron-volt cyclotron. That same year, Phil Thompson joined the staff as a cyclotron technician, though he had no experience in physics.
"At that time, I was a generalist," he says. "I was a jack of all trades and master of none. I could do … you name it. They were looking for someone who had a myriad of skills to be a technician. Not even knowing what a cyclotron was, I was hired."
Thompson eventually became assistant to the director of the facility, and worked on the machine through its transitions. The small cyclotron was moved from Swain Hall West to the IUCF's current home north of Memorial Stadium, and refurbished to serve as an injector cyclotron for a larger, more modern partner. Together, the two accelerators sent particles shooting at nearly the speed of light.
Building the new facility was a dangerous job. Managing such heavy objects and high voltages was careful, tiring work. One man, Thompson says, was severely injured after taking a nasty fall into the main stage cavity of the concrete floor. By fall 1975, the construction ended, and the cyclotron siblings were set to operate. For 25 years, the center functioned as a highly esteemed medium-energy nuclear physics laboratory.
Technology is cannibalistic by nature: The new consumes the old. The IU Cyclotron Facility was eclipsed by more sophisticated machines, such as the Tevatron at Fermilab, near Chicago. And, since the IU cyclotron clocked in at the relatively low energy of 208 MeV, it could no longer compete in nuclear-physics research.
In 1987, John Cameron was appointed the director of IUCF. He was a motivating force in ushering the facility toward its new role, aware of its looming obsolescence. He had learned about proton therapy at the University of Alberta. In Canada, proton therapy became increasingly commonplace as a method of cancer treatment. The IUCF was a good candidate for proton therapy due to the cyclotron's lower-energy beam, which was just strong enough to penetrate halfway through the average human body.
"This is perfect for humans. You only need to penetrate halfway through because you can just turn the patient around to get the other side," Susan Klein says, cutting right past physics jargon. Klein has been a medical physicist at IUCF for more than 15 years, and has witnessed many of the hurdles it has faced during her tenure.
When Klein joined the staff, Cameron was garnering enough support and funding to develop IUCF's role as an institution devoted to medical innovation. In 1993, a young man suffering from an aggressive, inoperable brain tumor became the facility's first patient to receive the proton therapy. Klein says that at the time, "everything was very rudimentary."
The progress could not have come at a better time. By 1998, the funding from the National Science Foundation for the had cyclotron ran out, and IUCF needed to change gears or close its doors. In response to the dilemma was the construction of the MPRI , now one of only five such clinics in the nation.
Though it saved the cyclotron's operation, the shift was not without its opponents. Many doctors and administrators were adamantly opposed to proton therapy. Those against it indicated that its effectiveness had yet to be officially proven because it never underwent a double-blind study. Klein says such a study would not be useful because the technology is constantly changing. "It's a moving target," she says.
Despite doubts of the proton therapy's supposed benefits, there were two men who showed tremendous faith in the technology. One was Thompson, the other, Cameron. But when both developed prostate cancer in 2004, and they each chose proton therapy as their preferred method of treatment. The timing of their treatments overlapped, and the two men shared in the experience of moving from behind the scenes of the cyclotron to the target of the beam. There are photos of the pair dancing together in the foyer of MPRI, dressed only in hospital gowns, Cameron says.
In both cases, the cancer was sent into remission and has not returned, thanks to the protons whirling around inside the cyclotron, hurled by magnets guiding them to their proper place.
"It's been a journey," Thompson says, reflecting on the way events in his life have unfolded. "It's been very interesting–it's not over yet, either."
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Christmas Blessings To All!
As this year draws to a close (thank goodness!), I want to take this opportunity to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! For many of us, we are closing one chapter of our lives only to begin another. Only God knows what lies ahead (which is probably a good thing). My prayer for all of you is that you may experience a Peace that only comes from God through the power of His Holy Spirit!! May this Peace that surpasses all human understanding guard your heart and mine this Christmas season. May God bless you now and through this coming year!
God Bless Us Everyone!!!
Merry Christmas!
Kim
As this year draws to a close (thank goodness!), I want to take this opportunity to wish all of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! For many of us, we are closing one chapter of our lives only to begin another. Only God knows what lies ahead (which is probably a good thing). My prayer for all of you is that you may experience a Peace that only comes from God through the power of His Holy Spirit!! May this Peace that surpasses all human understanding guard your heart and mine this Christmas season. May God bless you now and through this coming year!
God Bless Us Everyone!!!
Merry Christmas!
Kim
Monday, December 15, 2008
Wind Beneath My Wings
My prayer for you this Christmas season is that God would be the "wind beneath your wings" now and forever in the future!
The lyrics to "Wind Beneath My Wings" are below. (Click the Title to see a music video!)
Ohhhh, oh, oh, oh, ohhh.
It must have been cold there in my shadow,
to never have sunlight on your face.
You were content to let me shine, that's your way.
You always walked a step behind.
So I was the one with all the glory,
while you were the one with all the strain.
A beautiful face without a name for so long.
A beautiful smile to hide the pain.
Did you ever know that you're my hero,
and everything I would like to be?
I can fly higher than an eagle,
for you are the wind beneath my wings.
It might have appeared to go unnoticed,
but I've got it all here in my heart.
I want you to know I know the truth, of course I know it.
I would be nothing without you.
Did you ever know that you're my hero?
You're everything I wish I could be.
I could fly higher than an eagle,
for you are the wind beneath my wings.
Did I ever tell you you're my hero?
You're everything, everything I wish I could be.
Oh, and I, I could fly higher than an eagle,
for you are the wind beneath my wings,
'cause you are the wind beneath my wings.
Oh, the wind beneath my wings.
You, you, you, you are the wind beneath my wings.
Fly, fly, fly away. You let me fly so high.
Oh, you, you, you, the wind beneath my wings.
Oh, you, you, you, the wind beneath my wings.
Fly, fly, fly high against the sky,
so high I almost touch the sky.
Thank you, thank you,
thank God for you, the wind beneath my wings.
The lyrics to "Wind Beneath My Wings" are below. (Click the Title to see a music video!)
Ohhhh, oh, oh, oh, ohhh.
It must have been cold there in my shadow,
to never have sunlight on your face.
You were content to let me shine, that's your way.
You always walked a step behind.
So I was the one with all the glory,
while you were the one with all the strain.
A beautiful face without a name for so long.
A beautiful smile to hide the pain.
Did you ever know that you're my hero,
and everything I would like to be?
I can fly higher than an eagle,
for you are the wind beneath my wings.
It might have appeared to go unnoticed,
but I've got it all here in my heart.
I want you to know I know the truth, of course I know it.
I would be nothing without you.
Did you ever know that you're my hero?
You're everything I wish I could be.
I could fly higher than an eagle,
for you are the wind beneath my wings.
Did I ever tell you you're my hero?
You're everything, everything I wish I could be.
Oh, and I, I could fly higher than an eagle,
for you are the wind beneath my wings,
'cause you are the wind beneath my wings.
Oh, the wind beneath my wings.
You, you, you, you are the wind beneath my wings.
Fly, fly, fly away. You let me fly so high.
Oh, you, you, you, the wind beneath my wings.
Oh, you, you, you, the wind beneath my wings.
Fly, fly, fly high against the sky,
so high I almost touch the sky.
Thank you, thank you,
thank God for you, the wind beneath my wings.
James 1:1-4 Sermon Summary Points
James 1:1-4 Sermon
December 13, 2008
Key Points
Below is a summary of my key points from the James 1:1-4 Sermon on I heard in my Men's Small Group meeting this last Saturday.
1. Everyone has their own wheelbarrow of trials and temptations, so I need to make sure I make my FEELINGS subservient to my KNOWLEDGE of God. If my actions are feeling-based, then I will be like a ship blown here and there by the wind. That is why it important for my actions to be based on my knowledge of God!
2. I discover God is my Father during those times when I feel I am “waiting” on God or that He is not hearing me. During these times, I often do not know how to pray or what to pray, so all I can do is cry, “ Abba, FATHER!”
3. Most Christians live lives of “quiet desperation” because we are focusing on our problems rather than God! I need to focus on my relationship with God, the God of my circumstances!
4. My prayer in these times of “quiet desperation” should be
“Father God, you know how badly, I would like you to change my circumstances and make all my problems go away, BUT my prayer is that you will change ME to live through and in the mist of these circumstances for YOUR glory! Help me to view these circumstances and those who you bring into my life through YOUR eyes!”
5. Faith by itself does not produce perseverance; faith only becomes significant under stress!
December 13, 2008
Key Points
Below is a summary of my key points from the James 1:1-4 Sermon on I heard in my Men's Small Group meeting this last Saturday.
1. Everyone has their own wheelbarrow of trials and temptations, so I need to make sure I make my FEELINGS subservient to my KNOWLEDGE of God. If my actions are feeling-based, then I will be like a ship blown here and there by the wind. That is why it important for my actions to be based on my knowledge of God!
2. I discover God is my Father during those times when I feel I am “waiting” on God or that He is not hearing me. During these times, I often do not know how to pray or what to pray, so all I can do is cry, “ Abba, FATHER!”
3. Most Christians live lives of “quiet desperation” because we are focusing on our problems rather than God! I need to focus on my relationship with God, the God of my circumstances!
4. My prayer in these times of “quiet desperation” should be
“Father God, you know how badly, I would like you to change my circumstances and make all my problems go away, BUT my prayer is that you will change ME to live through and in the mist of these circumstances for YOUR glory! Help me to view these circumstances and those who you bring into my life through YOUR eyes!”
5. Faith by itself does not produce perseverance; faith only becomes significant under stress!
Sunday, December 7, 2008
Always Living In View Of Eternity
Below are some notes that I took after viewing the sermon referenced on the link below. The sermon was by Ken Nichols on "Always Living In View Of Eternity".
mms://stream1.shadowmountain.org/services/smcc/am/2008/06/20080622am.wmv
Always Living In View Of Eternity
Sermon by Ken Nichols
Overview
We need to believe in:
God’s Faithfulness
God’s Promises
God’s Presence
God’s Plan
I. We need see life from God’s Perspective.
Binoculars provide a narrow view which allows us to focus on a specific thing / problem. Field glasses allow us to see the whole view – God’s perspective. We need to make an intentional commitment to “Always Living In View Of Eternity”. “Always Living In View Of Eternity” is an effort to always see life from God’s perspective. We need to believe that God is faithful to fulfill His promises.
We cannot coast into an “Eternal Perspective”. We need to make an intentional commitment to “Always Living In View Of Eternity”. This will help us through our crisis times; it will help through our day-to-day life. Seeing things through God’s eyes is absolutely essential to be successful in our spiritual journey.
II. We need to be influenced by God’s Promises.
We need to believe that God is who he says he is and that he will do what he has promised He will do.
As long as the Israelite’s eyes were on God, their faith was strong. The cul-de-sacs in our lives are designed to glorify God and grow us into His image. God’s purposes are to grow us into his image. God makes us more “godly” by bringing us into an impossible situation. He brings us to a place where all we can see is the problem; all we experience is the pain. The prominence is how big the problem is – not how big your God is. An eternal perspective does not take away the problems, realities, and challenges of this life; but it allows us to deal with them in a way that honors God!
We need to focus on how big God is versus how big our problem is. We need to be able to pray
Lord Jesus,
“I don’t like this; I don’t understand this; but if by God’s grace you can use these circumstances for my growth and your glory, sign me up!
Do not try to make other people feel good about bad things. You do not tell people, you will get over it; time will heal it.
III. God’s Presence
All Christians have the Holy Spirit. Our prayer should be that we should be sensitive to, responsive to, and obedience to the power / prompting of the Holy Spirit!
IV. God’s Plan
People like to go to counseling to be encouraged. People enjoy counseling as long as they feel better or are getting some help; that encourages them. But once they are required to apply principles or memorize scripture, pray together, or do something in their spiritual journey, then they lose interest.
Many times, the difficulties in life are a grand opportunity to grow into His likeness but we grit our teeth until the storm passes by and we do not learn a thing. God loves us enough to recycle us. He loves us enough to bring these cul-de-sac experiences into our lives which require us to look up! We need to understand his perspective; believe in his promises, embrace his presence, and obey his specific plan for our life.
Bible #2 – If you begin today, to commit yourself to live your life in view of eternity, it will change your life forever. It will also make a different in terms of your eternal rewards and your enjoyment of the journey here. What will your story be in Bible #2? What did you do to that made a difference? How was your life used by God to make a difference?
Living life with an eternal view will change your life spiritually; it will change your life practically – all along the way. Having an eternal perspective that honors God, in no way insulates you from the pain or the loss caused by your problems. It does not mean a happy life; it does not mean an easy life. It means a life that glorifies God; a life that can make a difference!
Living Trust
God’s Word Influences My Perspective
My Perspective Influences My Response
My Response Influences The Outcome 100% of the Time.
mms://stream1.shadowmountain.org/services/smcc/am/2008/06/20080622am.wmv
Always Living In View Of Eternity
Sermon by Ken Nichols
Overview
We need to believe in:
God’s Faithfulness
God’s Promises
God’s Presence
God’s Plan
I. We need see life from God’s Perspective.
Binoculars provide a narrow view which allows us to focus on a specific thing / problem. Field glasses allow us to see the whole view – God’s perspective. We need to make an intentional commitment to “Always Living In View Of Eternity”. “Always Living In View Of Eternity” is an effort to always see life from God’s perspective. We need to believe that God is faithful to fulfill His promises.
We cannot coast into an “Eternal Perspective”. We need to make an intentional commitment to “Always Living In View Of Eternity”. This will help us through our crisis times; it will help through our day-to-day life. Seeing things through God’s eyes is absolutely essential to be successful in our spiritual journey.
II. We need to be influenced by God’s Promises.
We need to believe that God is who he says he is and that he will do what he has promised He will do.
As long as the Israelite’s eyes were on God, their faith was strong. The cul-de-sacs in our lives are designed to glorify God and grow us into His image. God’s purposes are to grow us into his image. God makes us more “godly” by bringing us into an impossible situation. He brings us to a place where all we can see is the problem; all we experience is the pain. The prominence is how big the problem is – not how big your God is. An eternal perspective does not take away the problems, realities, and challenges of this life; but it allows us to deal with them in a way that honors God!
We need to focus on how big God is versus how big our problem is. We need to be able to pray
Lord Jesus,
“I don’t like this; I don’t understand this; but if by God’s grace you can use these circumstances for my growth and your glory, sign me up!
Do not try to make other people feel good about bad things. You do not tell people, you will get over it; time will heal it.
III. God’s Presence
All Christians have the Holy Spirit. Our prayer should be that we should be sensitive to, responsive to, and obedience to the power / prompting of the Holy Spirit!
IV. God’s Plan
People like to go to counseling to be encouraged. People enjoy counseling as long as they feel better or are getting some help; that encourages them. But once they are required to apply principles or memorize scripture, pray together, or do something in their spiritual journey, then they lose interest.
Many times, the difficulties in life are a grand opportunity to grow into His likeness but we grit our teeth until the storm passes by and we do not learn a thing. God loves us enough to recycle us. He loves us enough to bring these cul-de-sac experiences into our lives which require us to look up! We need to understand his perspective; believe in his promises, embrace his presence, and obey his specific plan for our life.
Bible #2 – If you begin today, to commit yourself to live your life in view of eternity, it will change your life forever. It will also make a different in terms of your eternal rewards and your enjoyment of the journey here. What will your story be in Bible #2? What did you do to that made a difference? How was your life used by God to make a difference?
Living life with an eternal view will change your life spiritually; it will change your life practically – all along the way. Having an eternal perspective that honors God, in no way insulates you from the pain or the loss caused by your problems. It does not mean a happy life; it does not mean an easy life. It means a life that glorifies God; a life that can make a difference!
Living Trust
God’s Word Influences My Perspective
My Perspective Influences My Response
My Response Influences The Outcome 100% of the Time.
Saturday, December 6, 2008
General Update
I have been on vacation since 11-19 and so far it has been great. I have not really done much. I have cleaned out a couple of my dresser drawers, one of my book shelves, and a little bit of the basement. I still have a lot to do in the basement. I also have two lights to install (swap out) and a garbage disposal to replace. Healthwise, I have been feeling great. I have a doctor's appointment on Friday, January 23rd for a PSA checkup.
I spent about four days working on my Jill's House video and finding a place to store and share the video. I have been enjoying spending time with some of my friends and meeting with my men's small group. I have also been able to go out to lunch with Ed Schmidt twice since getting back to town. I have been doing a lot of reading lately and some shopping. I have bought some more winter and long sleeve shirts. I should be shopped out for now.
I bought the movie Rudy and hope to see that in the next week or so. I have been meeting weekly with a friend (counselor) at church. I am also supposed to be meeting with a professional counselor to look back into my childhood to see if I can address some of those issues which I hope to resolve to help me deal better with my everyday life.
Other than that, I have just been relaxing and trying to enjoy life as much as I can. I have been just trying to take one day at a time. I saw a great video at my men's meeting today that talks about living life with an "Eternal" view. I will add that link on the end of this note.
I pray that all of you will have a blessed Christmas season and an wonderful New Year!
God Bless!
Kim
mms://stream1.shadowmountain.org/services/smcc/am/2008/06/20080622am.wmv
I spent about four days working on my Jill's House video and finding a place to store and share the video. I have been enjoying spending time with some of my friends and meeting with my men's small group. I have also been able to go out to lunch with Ed Schmidt twice since getting back to town. I have been doing a lot of reading lately and some shopping. I have bought some more winter and long sleeve shirts. I should be shopped out for now.
I bought the movie Rudy and hope to see that in the next week or so. I have been meeting weekly with a friend (counselor) at church. I am also supposed to be meeting with a professional counselor to look back into my childhood to see if I can address some of those issues which I hope to resolve to help me deal better with my everyday life.
Other than that, I have just been relaxing and trying to enjoy life as much as I can. I have been just trying to take one day at a time. I saw a great video at my men's meeting today that talks about living life with an "Eternal" view. I will add that link on the end of this note.
I pray that all of you will have a blessed Christmas season and an wonderful New Year!
God Bless!
Kim
mms://stream1.shadowmountain.org/services/smcc/am/2008/06/20080622am.wmv
I wish you enough
Recently I overheard a mother & daughter in their last moments together at the airport. They had announced the departure.
Standing near the security gate, they hugged & the mother said, 'I love you, & I wish you enough.'
The daughter replied, 'Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom.'
They kissed & the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see she wanted & needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on her privacy, but she welcomed me in by asking, 'Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?'
'Yes, I have,' I replied. 'Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?'.
'I am old, & she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead & the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral,' she said.
'When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I wish you enough.' May I ask what that means?'
She began to smile. 'That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone.' She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, & she smiled even more. 'When we said, 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.' Then turning toward me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory.
I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive & everlasting.
I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.
She then began to cry & walked away.
They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them; but then an entire life to forget them.
* Only if you wish send this to the people you will never forget & remember to send it back to the person who sent it to you. If you don't send it to anyone it may mean that you are in such a hurry that you have forgotten your friends.
TAKE TIME TO LIVE... ..
To all my friends & loved ones, I WISH YOU ENOUGH.
Standing near the security gate, they hugged & the mother said, 'I love you, & I wish you enough.'
The daughter replied, 'Mom, our life together has been more than enough. Your love is all I ever needed. I wish you enough, too, Mom.'
They kissed & the daughter left. The mother walked over to the window where I was seated. Standing there I could see she wanted & needed to cry. I tried not to intrude on her privacy, but she welcomed me in by asking, 'Did you ever say good-bye to someone knowing it would be forever?'
'Yes, I have,' I replied. 'Forgive me for asking, but why is this a forever good-bye?'.
'I am old, & she lives so far away. I have challenges ahead & the reality is - the next trip back will be for my funeral,' she said.
'When you were saying good-bye, I heard you say, 'I wish you enough.' May I ask what that means?'
She began to smile. 'That's a wish that has been handed down from other generations. My parents used to say it to everyone.' She paused a moment and looked up as if trying to remember it in detail, & she smiled even more. 'When we said, 'I wish you enough,' we were wanting the other person to have a life filled with just enough good things to sustain them.' Then turning toward me, she shared the following as if she were reciting it from memory.
I wish you enough sun to keep your attitude bright no matter how gray the day may appear.
I wish you enough rain to appreciate the sun even more.
I wish you enough happiness to keep your spirit alive & everlasting.
I wish you enough pain so that even the smallest of joys in life may appear bigger.
I wish you enough gain to satisfy your wanting.
I wish you enough loss to appreciate all that you possess.
I wish you enough hellos to get you through the final good-bye.
She then began to cry & walked away.
They say it takes a minute to find a special person, an hour to appreciate them, a day to love them; but then an entire life to forget them.
* Only if you wish send this to the people you will never forget & remember to send it back to the person who sent it to you. If you don't send it to anyone it may mean that you are in such a hurry that you have forgotten your friends.
TAKE TIME TO LIVE... ..
To all my friends & loved ones, I WISH YOU ENOUGH.
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Updated Jill's House Video
I updated the Jill's House video to remove the last 6 minutes which did not have any video but just an extra music track. I have updated it to the Jill's House video links. I will also update the link to the title of this entry to point to a site where you can download your own copy. Let me know if you have any questions.
God Bless!
Kim
The new video link to play the video is located on Google at
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7104327281098270784
God Bless!
Kim
The new video link to play the video is located on Google at
http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-7104327281098270784
Jill's House Video Download
If you are interested in getting your own copy of this Jill's House video, you should be able to click on the title above and get prompted to download the video. It is around 125 meg so it will take about an hour to download.
God Bless!
Kim
God Bless!
Kim
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
New Final Jill's House Video
I made a couple updates to my Jill's House video. I think this should be my final version. The video is about 14 minutes long but it seems to last 20 minutes. I hear some music at the end so I am checking out my original copy. I think I have some music embedded at the end that I did not know about. I am having a problem getting it copied to a video to play on any DVD so I am still working on that. You should be able to click on the title to this post to see the video.
God Bless!
Kim
God Bless!
Kim
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Finalized Jill's House Video
I just "finalized" my Jill's House video and added the link to my web site. I may make some minor changes but this is much different than my first two drafts. I hope you all enjoy it.
God Bless!
Kim
God Bless!
Kim
Colonoscopy - Written by Dave Barry
So here's the story.
I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis.
Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, 'HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!'
I left Andy's office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called 'MoviPrep,' which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America's enemies.
I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor. Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep.
You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons.) Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.
The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, 'a loose, watery bowel movement may result.' This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.
MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here, but: Have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.
After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep. The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic.. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, 'What if I spurt on Andy?' How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.
At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothe s and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.
Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep.. At first I was ticked off that I hadn't thought of this is, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.
When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point. Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand.. There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, 'Dancing Queen' had to be the least appropriate.
'You want me to turn it up?' said Andy, from somewhere behind me.
'Ha ha,' I said.
And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.
I have no idea. Really. I slept through it. One moment, ABBA was yelling 'Dancing Queen, feel the beat of the tambourine,' and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood. Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that it was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an internal organ.
ABOUT THE WRITER: Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist for the Miami Herald. On the subject of Colonoscopies... Colonoscopies are no joke, but these comments during the exam were quite humorous..... A physician claimed that the following are actual comments made by his patients (predominately male) while he was performing their colonoscopies:
1. 'Take it easy, Doc. You're boldly going where no man has gone before!
2. 'Find Amelia Earhart yet?'
3. 'Can you hear me NOW?'
4. 'Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?'
5. 'You know, in Arkansas, we're now legally married.'
6. 'Any sign of the trapped miners, Chief?'
7. 'You put your left hand in; you take your left hand out...'
8. 'Hey! Now I know how a Muppet feels!'
9. 'If your hand doesn't fit, you must quit!
10. 'Hey Doc, let me know if you find my dignity.'
11. 'You used to be an executive at Enron, didn't you?'
12. Now I know why I am not gay.'
And the best one of all.
13. 'Could you write a note for my wife saying that my head is not up there?'
I called my friend Andy Sable, a gastroenterologist, to make an appointment for a colonoscopy. A few days later, in his office, Andy showed me a color diagram of the colon, a lengthy organ that appears to go all over the place, at one point passing briefly through Minneapolis.
Then Andy explained the colonoscopy procedure to me in a thorough, reassuring and patient manner. I nodded thoughtfully, but I didn't really hear anything he said, because my brain was shrieking, quote, 'HE'S GOING TO STICK A TUBE 17,000 FEET UP YOUR BEHIND!'
I left Andy's office with some written instructions, and a prescription for a product called 'MoviPrep,' which comes in a box large enough to hold a microwave oven. I will discuss MoviPrep in detail later; for now suffice it to say that we must never allow it to fall into the hands of America's enemies.
I spent the next several days productively sitting around being nervous. Then, on the day before my colonoscopy, I began my preparation. In accordance with my instructions, I didn't eat any solid food that day; all I had was chicken broth, which is basically water, only with less flavor. Then, in the evening, I took the MoviPrep.
You mix two packets of powder together in a one-liter plastic jug, then you fill it with lukewarm water. (For those unfamiliar with the metric system, a liter is about 32 gallons.) Then you have to drink the whole jug. This takes about an hour, because MoviPrep tastes - and here I am being kind - like a mixture of goat spit and urinal cleanser, with just a hint of lemon.
The instructions for MoviPrep, clearly written by somebody with a great sense of humor, state that after you drink it, 'a loose, watery bowel movement may result.' This is kind of like saying that after you jump off your roof, you may experience contact with the ground.
MoviPrep is a nuclear laxative. I don't want to be too graphic, here, but: Have you ever seen a space-shuttle launch? This is pretty much the MoviPrep experience, with you as the shuttle. There are times when you wish the commode had a seat belt. You spend several hours pretty much confined to the bathroom, spurting violently. You eliminate everything. And then, when you figure you must be totally empty, you have to drink another liter of MoviPrep, at which point, as far as I can tell, your bowels travel into the future and start eliminating food that you have not even eaten yet.
After an action-packed evening, I finally got to sleep. The next morning my wife drove me to the clinic.. I was very nervous. Not only was I worried about the procedure, but I had been experiencing occasional return bouts of MoviPrep spurtage. I was thinking, 'What if I spurt on Andy?' How do you apologize to a friend for something like that? Flowers would not be enough.
At the clinic I had to sign many forms acknowledging that I understood and totally agreed with whatever the heck the forms said. Then they led me to a room full of other colonoscopy people, where I went inside a little curtained space and took off my clothe s and put on one of those hospital garments designed by sadist perverts, the kind that, when you put it on, makes you feel even more naked than when you are actually naked.
Then a nurse named Eddie put a little needle in a vein in my left hand. Ordinarily I would have fainted, but Eddie was very good, and I was already lying down. Eddie also told me that some people put vodka in their MoviPrep.. At first I was ticked off that I hadn't thought of this is, but then I pondered what would happen if you got yourself too tipsy to make it to the bathroom, so you were staggering around in full Fire Hose Mode. You would have no choice but to burn your house.
When everything was ready, Eddie wheeled me into the procedure room, where Andy was waiting with a nurse and an anesthesiologist. I did not see the 17,000-foot tube, but I knew Andy had it hidden around there somewhere. I was seriously nervous at this point. Andy had me roll over on my left side, and the anesthesiologist began hooking something up to the needle in my hand.. There was music playing in the room, and I realized that the song was 'Dancing Queen' by ABBA. I remarked to Andy that, of all the songs that could be playing during this particular procedure, 'Dancing Queen' had to be the least appropriate.
'You want me to turn it up?' said Andy, from somewhere behind me.
'Ha ha,' I said.
And then it was time, the moment I had been dreading for more than a decade. If you are squeamish, prepare yourself, because I am going to tell you, in explicit detail, exactly what it was like.
I have no idea. Really. I slept through it. One moment, ABBA was yelling 'Dancing Queen, feel the beat of the tambourine,' and the next moment, I was back in the other room, waking up in a very mellow mood. Andy was looking down at me and asking me how I felt. I felt excellent. I felt even more excellent when Andy told me that it was all over, and that my colon had passed with flying colors. I have never been prouder of an internal organ.
ABOUT THE WRITER: Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize-winning humor columnist for the Miami Herald. On the subject of Colonoscopies... Colonoscopies are no joke, but these comments during the exam were quite humorous..... A physician claimed that the following are actual comments made by his patients (predominately male) while he was performing their colonoscopies:
1. 'Take it easy, Doc. You're boldly going where no man has gone before!
2. 'Find Amelia Earhart yet?'
3. 'Can you hear me NOW?'
4. 'Are we there yet? Are we there yet? Are we there yet?'
5. 'You know, in Arkansas, we're now legally married.'
6. 'Any sign of the trapped miners, Chief?'
7. 'You put your left hand in; you take your left hand out...'
8. 'Hey! Now I know how a Muppet feels!'
9. 'If your hand doesn't fit, you must quit!
10. 'Hey Doc, let me know if you find my dignity.'
11. 'You used to be an executive at Enron, didn't you?'
12. Now I know why I am not gay.'
And the best one of all.
13. 'Could you write a note for my wife saying that my head is not up there?'
Monday, November 3, 2008
Quick PSA Update
I received a call from my doctor's office today. They indicated my PSA was 3.37 - not exactly what I was expecting. My last PSA was 2.6 the end of July just before I went to Bloomington. I was hoping for a lower number but I was told it would gradually go down over the next year. I was supposed to schedule appointments every three months but I thought I might get some early good news. But that did not end up being the case. I have a follow-up visit scheduled for January 23rd.
Friday, October 31, 2008
Quick Update
Today, I went to my doctor for my first Proton Radiation follow-up visit. I went a couple months early but wanted to get an idea of what my PSA score was. The last time it was check in July, it was 2.6. I got into my appointment pretty quick but waited for over an hour for the doctor to come in. We chatted for a few minutes before she snapped on her rubber glove. I looked like a deer caught in a car's head lights. I told her we really did not have to do this. She said if we didn't then, she would only be doing half her job. Anyway, she did end up doing a digital exam. Then, another lady came in and took some blood and gave me a flue shot. I asked when I should get the results. She said they should call me on Monday with the results.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Joke For Today
Rush Limbaugh's Chauffeur
Rush Limbaugh and his chauffeur were out driving in the country and accidentally hit and killed a pig that had wandered out on a country road.
Limbaugh told the chauffeur to drive up to the farm and apologize to the farmer.
They drove up to the farm, the chauffeur got out and knocked on the front door and was let in. He was in there for what seemed hours. When he came out, Limbaugh was confused about why his employee had been there so long.
"Well, first the farmer shook my hand, then he offered me a beer, then his wife brought me some cookies, and his daughter showered me with kisses," explained the driver.
"What did you tell the farmer?" Limbaugh asked.
The chauffeur replied, "I told him that I was Rush Limbaugh's driver and I'd just killed the pig."
Rush Limbaugh and his chauffeur were out driving in the country and accidentally hit and killed a pig that had wandered out on a country road.
Limbaugh told the chauffeur to drive up to the farm and apologize to the farmer.
They drove up to the farm, the chauffeur got out and knocked on the front door and was let in. He was in there for what seemed hours. When he came out, Limbaugh was confused about why his employee had been there so long.
"Well, first the farmer shook my hand, then he offered me a beer, then his wife brought me some cookies, and his daughter showered me with kisses," explained the driver.
"What did you tell the farmer?" Limbaugh asked.
The chauffeur replied, "I told him that I was Rush Limbaugh's driver and I'd just killed the pig."
Tuesday, October 28, 2008
Brief Update
Well, I have finished up three weeks back at work. Whew! The good news is that I only have a little over three weeks left to work this year. My last day of work is November 18. Then, I will be on vacation the rest of the year! Yeah!
Things have changed at Jill's House. Ed finished up his treatments a couple weeks ago and seems to be experiencing EXTREME Bloomington withdrawals. (Ed - I know what you are going through!) Loyd finished up his treatments last week and flew back home this last Friday. I am sure he is glad to be back home with Winney!
I ordered over 100 photos of Jill's House which I had sent to Bloomington. Sam's Club was a little slow and so I ended up with two orders of prints so there should be plenty of pictures to go around.
I am hoping to get a doctor's appointment this Friday even though my first official appointment is not supposed to be until January. They have some same day afternoon appointments on Friday and so I plan on calling in Friday morning to try to get an afternoon appointment. I thought it would be nice to get some early good news!
I guess that is about it other than some personal issues I am dealing with. I am not sure what I am going to do with all my free time starting in November. Maybe I will take up knitting. :-)
Things have changed at Jill's House. Ed finished up his treatments a couple weeks ago and seems to be experiencing EXTREME Bloomington withdrawals. (Ed - I know what you are going through!) Loyd finished up his treatments last week and flew back home this last Friday. I am sure he is glad to be back home with Winney!
I ordered over 100 photos of Jill's House which I had sent to Bloomington. Sam's Club was a little slow and so I ended up with two orders of prints so there should be plenty of pictures to go around.
I am hoping to get a doctor's appointment this Friday even though my first official appointment is not supposed to be until January. They have some same day afternoon appointments on Friday and so I plan on calling in Friday morning to try to get an afternoon appointment. I thought it would be nice to get some early good news!
I guess that is about it other than some personal issues I am dealing with. I am not sure what I am going to do with all my free time starting in November. Maybe I will take up knitting. :-)
Friday, October 24, 2008
PROSTATE CANCER FAQs
Well, here is my attempt at documenting some for life’s many questions at least in the area of Prostate Cancer Proton Radiation Treatments here at MPRI.
Prostate Cancer FAQs (For Mature Audiences Only!)
(Disclaimer – None of this information is based on sound, basic medical information. So, read this at your own risk! I hope you enjoy the information below!)
FAQ 1 - What is the prostate organ; who has one; what does it do; can I live with it?
The prostate is a male organ whose main function is to store and secrete a clear, slightly alkaline seminal fluid that, along with spermatozoa, constitutes semen. The rest of the seminal fluid is produced by the two seminal vesicles. If the prostate is removed or “killed”, then the associated seminal fluid is not produced. So, the prostate is not a critical life sustaining organ which in only found in males. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostate for more details.
The other important thing about the prostate is that the urethra vessel travels though the middle of the prostate gland which carried urine to be eliminated from the body. When the prostate is enlarged, irritated, or cancerous, the flow of urine can be constrained. Also, during proton radiation treatment, the flow of urine through the prostate can be effected. This may be reflected in several ways: 1. More frequent urination; 2. a restricted flow; 3. Inability to fully empty the bladder. The urine flow and the seminal flow cannot occur at the same time. You can think of this like two trains approaching a draw bridges merging onto a single road. If the urine drawbridge is down, the seminal drawbridge has to be up and vice versa.
A Personal Story – When I had my prostate biopsy, an older man who lead my men’s small group Bible study asked me if there was any history of prostate cancer in my family. I told him that my Mom and grandmother never had it, so I should be in good shape! Unfortunately, it did not run out that way. BUT God is still good.
FAQ 2 - What makes Proton Radiation different from other prostate cancer treatments?
I have been told that there is no statistically proven difference between the different treatments for prostate cancer. However, I think most Proton Radiation patients would disagree. So, the main thing you need to consider is the side effects. There are three main goals when treating prostate cancer. The first concerning is saving your life, i.e., killing all the cancer cells. The other two main concerns (the priority will differ from person to person depending on their age and other individual preference) are: retaining sexual functionality and retaining bladder control. I think some other approaches may statistically have better results in these areas but I am very confident in putting my money on the Proton Radiation treatments.
This reminds me of a joke. George and Loyd (two old guys) were sitting around eating breakfast at Jill’s House one morning. Loyd was telling George that every day he takes 1/8th of a tablet of Viagra. George (thinking Loyd was just being cheap) asked Loyd, “What good does it do to take that small a dose of Viagra? Loyd says, “It keeps me from pissing on my shoes!”
FAQ 3 - What is involved in the basic proton radiation pre-treatment process?
The proton radiation process is individualized for each person (man). A special 3-D mold of the individual’s prostate is made from detailed x-rays which are taken after the initial consultation. A plastic body cast is also created from a body mold that is also taken during the initial preparation time (normally the two weeks occurring right after your decision to have proton radiation treatments). In most cases, you will also get your gold seed implanted at or around the same time your body cast mold is measured. The gold seed is used to provide the ability to location a constant, unchanging spot within your body so that the proton radiation treatments can be applied effectively and accurately.
FAQ 4 - What is involved in the daily pre-treatment proton radiation process?
The specifics of the daily pre-treatment proton radiation process activities can vary from person to person. For me, I am supposed to drink 16 ounces of fluids one hour before I have my treatment. Again, the amount of fluid and the time may vary for person to person but the basic process is the same. The reason for drinking the water is so that the bladder / kidneys are filled with water and drop down some away from the prostate and the associated treatment area.
Another pre-treatment daily activity (immediately before the treatment) is what we affectionately refer to as our daily “balloon ride”. This process involves the insertion of a balloon into the rectum and then filled up with three gallons of water (actually I think it is filled with 70 cc of “contrast”). This process (sometimes painful) servers several purposes: (1) – It pushes the prostate up and away from the rectum (more on this in a minute). (2) – It provides contrast to help get better x-rays which are taken daily in positing the patient for receiving of the proton radiation.
Note on rectal burning - One MAJOR goal of the use of the balloon is to prevent rectal burning or irritation of the rectal area. This is commonly associated with extreme rectal pain and occasional bleeding. (See FAQ on this topic below.)
NOTE: Most of us have probably experienced some minor rectal irritation AFTER a late night run to Taco Bell!
FAQ 5 - What is involved in the basic proton radiation process?
The proton radiation treatment process is very different from the normal radiation. Proton radiation, unlike normal radiation, can be directly to affect a very limited area instead of all of the cells in the path of the radiation beam. That is the reason why so much care and detail is put into the design and creation of your prostate 3-D metal molds. The molds are each individually designed to the contour of your prostate. There are two molds - one created to the contour of each half of your prostate. When the beam is applied, it comes through the mold and is transmitted in the 3-D shape of your prostate. This is an effort to insure that only the necessary prostate cells are treated.
At first, the entire prostate, plus approximately ½ of the exterior of the prostate is treated. This is to insure that all of the cancer cells are killed including those that may be external to the prostate.
FAQ 6 – How is my process being monitored?
Your progress will be monitored by your doctor. After your first full week of treatments, you will have a regularly scheduled weekly meeting with your doctor. Each of the three treatment rooms are assigned one day of the week to be doctor day. The focus of this meeting will be to monitor / discuss any side effects you might be experiencing. You should let the doctor know immediately if you are having any trouble especially with rectal pain or bleeding. At the end of your treatment, your doctor will also have a “final” consultation. This “final” consultation may occur during your normal last weekly doctor’s consultation. Your doctor may suggest you come back to Bloomington for a 6 -12 month checkup. In general, this is not required. MPRI does want you to report your 3, 6, 9, and 12-month PSA scores to them.
FAQ 7 – How many treatments do I get and what exactly is involved?
In general, all prostate cancer patients get 44 treatments. The treatments are administered daily, Monday through Friday, 5 treatments per week. The treatments are administered through the hip area. One treatment is administered through one hip and then the second treatment is administered through the other hip. The patients are positioned via CT scans which use the golden seed for positioning. Each proton radiation treatment lasts from 30-60 seconds each. Since the proton radiation treatments are applied exactly from the same position every day, this causes a reddening of the skin in the hip area of the treatment site.
FAQ 8 – How many treatment rooms are there at MPRI and are they all the same? How does MPRI compare with other Proton Radiation Treatment facilities?
There are three treatment rooms at MPRI (Room 3, Room 2, and Room 1). The first room you come to is Room 3 which was the last room “built” at MPRI. Due to that fact, there are some minor subtle differences between Room 3 and Room 2. Both Room 3 and Room 2 have the rotating beams. This means the table and patience do not move but the proton beam rotates 180 degrees. In Room 1 (the original treatment room), the proton radiation beam is fixed, i.e., does not move. In this room, the table and patient rotate 180 degrees instead of the radiation beam.
The Bloomington MPRI facility is one of the more recently developed proton radiation locations and so most of the equipment is more advanced than other areas. Loma Linda, one of the most popular sites, has technology and processes which area very different than those at Bloomington. For example, instead of using the plastic casing used at MPRI, Loma Linda uses a full body plastic pod which the patient lies in when taking their treatment.
FAQ 9 - Are there any specific foods I should not be eating?
In general, nuts should be avoided as they can cause rectal / stomach irritation which can be severe. There may also be an issue with popcorn hulls. The sensitivity of this area may increase after each proton radiation treatment. There also has been some discussion about not drinking beer during this treatment time. I think I have heard that you should not be taking any anti-oxidants during this time. Consult your doctor for specifics for each of these areas.
FAQ 10 - Are there specific activities I should avoid? (Oh, guys, this is not what you think!)
One common activity that is mentioned as something to avoid is bike riding. I think the idea here is that with the new, daily traffic in the rectal area, they want to avoid any possible irritation of this site. So, bike at your own risk.
FAQ 11 - What are the most common side effects that I might have?
Some possible side effects he mentioned were:
1. Skin redness
2. Bladder Irritation
3. Sterilization (he mentioned this was a certainty)
4. Rectal Irritation / Bleeding
5. Urinary pain
6. Impotence
7. Incontinence
8. Bladder contraction
9. Colon irritation
10. Constipation
FAQ 12 – What do I do if I experience any side effects?
If you experience any side effects which are causing you any discomfort, please consult your doctor ASAP. The goal of your weekly doctor’s meeting is to monitor any side effects you have and to address ANY discomfort you have immedicately. The most common side effect is rectal discomfort. The general prescription for this is some soothing ointment or procto-form. In most cases, the ointment ($10) will take care of your minor discomfort.
FAQ 13 - How do I tell if my proton radiation treatments are really working?
In general, during the proton radiation treatments, there is no way to check on the effectiveness of your treatments. The most that is done is that the doctor monitors your treatments for side effects only. The proton radiation treatments disrupt the make-up of the cancer cells. Once the cancer cell tries to grow and divide, it is not “healthy” enough to divide into two cells and therefore dies. The normal cells are healthy enough to divide normally. The dying off of the cancer cells may take up to a year or so. This is the reason for the 3, 6, 9, and 12 month digital prostate exams and blood tests to determine your PSA level. Gradually, you should see your PSA ratings go down below one and eventually down to close to zero in some cases.
FAQ 14 - Is the whole prostate treated with each of the two different proton radiation treatment applications?
Each proton radiation treatment consists of two individual treatments; one applied via each hip. Even though each application is applied using a different treatment mold, the whole prostate is being treated by each individual treatment.
FAQ 15 - Is the rectum being treated?
As noted above, during the first 28 treatments, your prostate and the surrounding ½” is being treated via the proton treatment. If you look at the diagram of the prostate area, you will notice that the back of the prostate is adjacent to the rectum. Depending on the position of our prostate to your rectum, a different percentage of your rectal area may be treated by the proton therapy. Your doctor can provide you exact details on what areas of your rectum is being treated (in color photos).
FAQ 16 - What is “cone-down” day?
“Cone-down” day is the day of your 29th treatment. Be prepared to be on the table for at least an extra 30 minutes. A special technician will be in the room to help calibrate the proton beam for the “Cone-down” setup. “Cone-down” day is the first day when your proton radiation treatment is reduced to only treat the prostate itself and not the surrounding ½” area. After “cone-down” day, you may see the red path on your hips shrink down into a smaller “circular” area.
FAQ 17 – What special opportunities are offered to MPRI patients?
There as several different opportunities provided to MPRI patients. One popular benefit is the freezer at MPRI. The freezer is located in the children’s play area and is often stocked with free food for MPRI folks especially those staying at Jill’s House. The freezer gets restocked at least once monthly so check it out. MPRI also offers a free YMCA membership. The best workout does not need to start at 5 a.m. Smoking Jacks Rib Shack used to offer free meals on Monday evenings but that has been eliminated. However, they still offer half price meals for seniors (those 55 and older) and that price is very hard to beat so try it out.
FAQ 18 – What are some places I need to see while in Bloomington?
1. Upland Brewing Company at 350 West Eleventh Street
2. Lennie’s Restaurant
3. Smokin’ Jack’s Rib Shack
4. Bowling Alley – just ½ block north (of Jill’s House) on Walnut Street on the right hand side of the street. They have $1 drafts on Tuesday and Thursday and $1.50 bowling on Mondays through Thursday.
FAQ 19 - Where should I stay if I am getting proton radiation treatments at MPRI in Bloomington, Indiana?
As far as I am concerned, there is only one place to stay in Bloomington where receiving proton radiation treatments and that is at Jill’s House. The staff and volunteers are great and the resident community is wonderful. Of course, all of that will be changing over the next week, as the last of the old residents migrate out of Jill’s House and back into the daily grind of our normal lives.
As we readjust to our old “normal” lives, I think there is one thing that we can all be sure of:
OUR LIVES WILL NEVER BE THE SAME!
On a personal note: As my last treatment day approaches, I just want to take this opportunity to says thanks to all the staff and residents of Jill’s House (past and present), the MPRI personnel, and those folks living in the Bloomington area. You have touched my life in a very special way and I will NEVER be the same. May God Bless You All! - KDS
Joke of the Day
String Theory
A string walks into a bar with a few friends and orders a beer. The bartender says, "I'm sorry, but we don't serve strings here."
The string walks away a little upset and sits down with his friends. A few minutes later he goes back to the bar and orders a beer. The bartender, looking a little exasperated, says, "I'm sorry, we don't serve strings here."
So the string goes back to his table. Then he gets an idea. He ties himself in a loop and messes up the top of his hair. Then he walks back up to the bar and orders a beer.
The bartender squints at him and says, "Hey, aren't you a string?"
And the string says, "Nope, I'm a frayed knot."
Prostate Cancer FAQs (For Mature Audiences Only!)
(Disclaimer – None of this information is based on sound, basic medical information. So, read this at your own risk! I hope you enjoy the information below!)
FAQ 1 - What is the prostate organ; who has one; what does it do; can I live with it?
The prostate is a male organ whose main function is to store and secrete a clear, slightly alkaline seminal fluid that, along with spermatozoa, constitutes semen. The rest of the seminal fluid is produced by the two seminal vesicles. If the prostate is removed or “killed”, then the associated seminal fluid is not produced. So, the prostate is not a critical life sustaining organ which in only found in males. See http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prostate for more details.
The other important thing about the prostate is that the urethra vessel travels though the middle of the prostate gland which carried urine to be eliminated from the body. When the prostate is enlarged, irritated, or cancerous, the flow of urine can be constrained. Also, during proton radiation treatment, the flow of urine through the prostate can be effected. This may be reflected in several ways: 1. More frequent urination; 2. a restricted flow; 3. Inability to fully empty the bladder. The urine flow and the seminal flow cannot occur at the same time. You can think of this like two trains approaching a draw bridges merging onto a single road. If the urine drawbridge is down, the seminal drawbridge has to be up and vice versa.
A Personal Story – When I had my prostate biopsy, an older man who lead my men’s small group Bible study asked me if there was any history of prostate cancer in my family. I told him that my Mom and grandmother never had it, so I should be in good shape! Unfortunately, it did not run out that way. BUT God is still good.
FAQ 2 - What makes Proton Radiation different from other prostate cancer treatments?
I have been told that there is no statistically proven difference between the different treatments for prostate cancer. However, I think most Proton Radiation patients would disagree. So, the main thing you need to consider is the side effects. There are three main goals when treating prostate cancer. The first concerning is saving your life, i.e., killing all the cancer cells. The other two main concerns (the priority will differ from person to person depending on their age and other individual preference) are: retaining sexual functionality and retaining bladder control. I think some other approaches may statistically have better results in these areas but I am very confident in putting my money on the Proton Radiation treatments.
This reminds me of a joke. George and Loyd (two old guys) were sitting around eating breakfast at Jill’s House one morning. Loyd was telling George that every day he takes 1/8th of a tablet of Viagra. George (thinking Loyd was just being cheap) asked Loyd, “What good does it do to take that small a dose of Viagra? Loyd says, “It keeps me from pissing on my shoes!”
FAQ 3 - What is involved in the basic proton radiation pre-treatment process?
The proton radiation process is individualized for each person (man). A special 3-D mold of the individual’s prostate is made from detailed x-rays which are taken after the initial consultation. A plastic body cast is also created from a body mold that is also taken during the initial preparation time (normally the two weeks occurring right after your decision to have proton radiation treatments). In most cases, you will also get your gold seed implanted at or around the same time your body cast mold is measured. The gold seed is used to provide the ability to location a constant, unchanging spot within your body so that the proton radiation treatments can be applied effectively and accurately.
FAQ 4 - What is involved in the daily pre-treatment proton radiation process?
The specifics of the daily pre-treatment proton radiation process activities can vary from person to person. For me, I am supposed to drink 16 ounces of fluids one hour before I have my treatment. Again, the amount of fluid and the time may vary for person to person but the basic process is the same. The reason for drinking the water is so that the bladder / kidneys are filled with water and drop down some away from the prostate and the associated treatment area.
Another pre-treatment daily activity (immediately before the treatment) is what we affectionately refer to as our daily “balloon ride”. This process involves the insertion of a balloon into the rectum and then filled up with three gallons of water (actually I think it is filled with 70 cc of “contrast”). This process (sometimes painful) servers several purposes: (1) – It pushes the prostate up and away from the rectum (more on this in a minute). (2) – It provides contrast to help get better x-rays which are taken daily in positing the patient for receiving of the proton radiation.
Note on rectal burning - One MAJOR goal of the use of the balloon is to prevent rectal burning or irritation of the rectal area. This is commonly associated with extreme rectal pain and occasional bleeding. (See FAQ on this topic below.)
NOTE: Most of us have probably experienced some minor rectal irritation AFTER a late night run to Taco Bell!
FAQ 5 - What is involved in the basic proton radiation process?
The proton radiation treatment process is very different from the normal radiation. Proton radiation, unlike normal radiation, can be directly to affect a very limited area instead of all of the cells in the path of the radiation beam. That is the reason why so much care and detail is put into the design and creation of your prostate 3-D metal molds. The molds are each individually designed to the contour of your prostate. There are two molds - one created to the contour of each half of your prostate. When the beam is applied, it comes through the mold and is transmitted in the 3-D shape of your prostate. This is an effort to insure that only the necessary prostate cells are treated.
At first, the entire prostate, plus approximately ½ of the exterior of the prostate is treated. This is to insure that all of the cancer cells are killed including those that may be external to the prostate.
FAQ 6 – How is my process being monitored?
Your progress will be monitored by your doctor. After your first full week of treatments, you will have a regularly scheduled weekly meeting with your doctor. Each of the three treatment rooms are assigned one day of the week to be doctor day. The focus of this meeting will be to monitor / discuss any side effects you might be experiencing. You should let the doctor know immediately if you are having any trouble especially with rectal pain or bleeding. At the end of your treatment, your doctor will also have a “final” consultation. This “final” consultation may occur during your normal last weekly doctor’s consultation. Your doctor may suggest you come back to Bloomington for a 6 -12 month checkup. In general, this is not required. MPRI does want you to report your 3, 6, 9, and 12-month PSA scores to them.
FAQ 7 – How many treatments do I get and what exactly is involved?
In general, all prostate cancer patients get 44 treatments. The treatments are administered daily, Monday through Friday, 5 treatments per week. The treatments are administered through the hip area. One treatment is administered through one hip and then the second treatment is administered through the other hip. The patients are positioned via CT scans which use the golden seed for positioning. Each proton radiation treatment lasts from 30-60 seconds each. Since the proton radiation treatments are applied exactly from the same position every day, this causes a reddening of the skin in the hip area of the treatment site.
FAQ 8 – How many treatment rooms are there at MPRI and are they all the same? How does MPRI compare with other Proton Radiation Treatment facilities?
There are three treatment rooms at MPRI (Room 3, Room 2, and Room 1). The first room you come to is Room 3 which was the last room “built” at MPRI. Due to that fact, there are some minor subtle differences between Room 3 and Room 2. Both Room 3 and Room 2 have the rotating beams. This means the table and patience do not move but the proton beam rotates 180 degrees. In Room 1 (the original treatment room), the proton radiation beam is fixed, i.e., does not move. In this room, the table and patient rotate 180 degrees instead of the radiation beam.
The Bloomington MPRI facility is one of the more recently developed proton radiation locations and so most of the equipment is more advanced than other areas. Loma Linda, one of the most popular sites, has technology and processes which area very different than those at Bloomington. For example, instead of using the plastic casing used at MPRI, Loma Linda uses a full body plastic pod which the patient lies in when taking their treatment.
FAQ 9 - Are there any specific foods I should not be eating?
In general, nuts should be avoided as they can cause rectal / stomach irritation which can be severe. There may also be an issue with popcorn hulls. The sensitivity of this area may increase after each proton radiation treatment. There also has been some discussion about not drinking beer during this treatment time. I think I have heard that you should not be taking any anti-oxidants during this time. Consult your doctor for specifics for each of these areas.
FAQ 10 - Are there specific activities I should avoid? (Oh, guys, this is not what you think!)
One common activity that is mentioned as something to avoid is bike riding. I think the idea here is that with the new, daily traffic in the rectal area, they want to avoid any possible irritation of this site. So, bike at your own risk.
FAQ 11 - What are the most common side effects that I might have?
Some possible side effects he mentioned were:
1. Skin redness
2. Bladder Irritation
3. Sterilization (he mentioned this was a certainty)
4. Rectal Irritation / Bleeding
5. Urinary pain
6. Impotence
7. Incontinence
8. Bladder contraction
9. Colon irritation
10. Constipation
FAQ 12 – What do I do if I experience any side effects?
If you experience any side effects which are causing you any discomfort, please consult your doctor ASAP. The goal of your weekly doctor’s meeting is to monitor any side effects you have and to address ANY discomfort you have immedicately. The most common side effect is rectal discomfort. The general prescription for this is some soothing ointment or procto-form. In most cases, the ointment ($10) will take care of your minor discomfort.
FAQ 13 - How do I tell if my proton radiation treatments are really working?
In general, during the proton radiation treatments, there is no way to check on the effectiveness of your treatments. The most that is done is that the doctor monitors your treatments for side effects only. The proton radiation treatments disrupt the make-up of the cancer cells. Once the cancer cell tries to grow and divide, it is not “healthy” enough to divide into two cells and therefore dies. The normal cells are healthy enough to divide normally. The dying off of the cancer cells may take up to a year or so. This is the reason for the 3, 6, 9, and 12 month digital prostate exams and blood tests to determine your PSA level. Gradually, you should see your PSA ratings go down below one and eventually down to close to zero in some cases.
FAQ 14 - Is the whole prostate treated with each of the two different proton radiation treatment applications?
Each proton radiation treatment consists of two individual treatments; one applied via each hip. Even though each application is applied using a different treatment mold, the whole prostate is being treated by each individual treatment.
FAQ 15 - Is the rectum being treated?
As noted above, during the first 28 treatments, your prostate and the surrounding ½” is being treated via the proton treatment. If you look at the diagram of the prostate area, you will notice that the back of the prostate is adjacent to the rectum. Depending on the position of our prostate to your rectum, a different percentage of your rectal area may be treated by the proton therapy. Your doctor can provide you exact details on what areas of your rectum is being treated (in color photos).
FAQ 16 - What is “cone-down” day?
“Cone-down” day is the day of your 29th treatment. Be prepared to be on the table for at least an extra 30 minutes. A special technician will be in the room to help calibrate the proton beam for the “Cone-down” setup. “Cone-down” day is the first day when your proton radiation treatment is reduced to only treat the prostate itself and not the surrounding ½” area. After “cone-down” day, you may see the red path on your hips shrink down into a smaller “circular” area.
FAQ 17 – What special opportunities are offered to MPRI patients?
There as several different opportunities provided to MPRI patients. One popular benefit is the freezer at MPRI. The freezer is located in the children’s play area and is often stocked with free food for MPRI folks especially those staying at Jill’s House. The freezer gets restocked at least once monthly so check it out. MPRI also offers a free YMCA membership. The best workout does not need to start at 5 a.m. Smoking Jacks Rib Shack used to offer free meals on Monday evenings but that has been eliminated. However, they still offer half price meals for seniors (those 55 and older) and that price is very hard to beat so try it out.
FAQ 18 – What are some places I need to see while in Bloomington?
1. Upland Brewing Company at 350 West Eleventh Street
2. Lennie’s Restaurant
3. Smokin’ Jack’s Rib Shack
4. Bowling Alley – just ½ block north (of Jill’s House) on Walnut Street on the right hand side of the street. They have $1 drafts on Tuesday and Thursday and $1.50 bowling on Mondays through Thursday.
FAQ 19 - Where should I stay if I am getting proton radiation treatments at MPRI in Bloomington, Indiana?
As far as I am concerned, there is only one place to stay in Bloomington where receiving proton radiation treatments and that is at Jill’s House. The staff and volunteers are great and the resident community is wonderful. Of course, all of that will be changing over the next week, as the last of the old residents migrate out of Jill’s House and back into the daily grind of our normal lives.
As we readjust to our old “normal” lives, I think there is one thing that we can all be sure of:
OUR LIVES WILL NEVER BE THE SAME!
On a personal note: As my last treatment day approaches, I just want to take this opportunity to says thanks to all the staff and residents of Jill’s House (past and present), the MPRI personnel, and those folks living in the Bloomington area. You have touched my life in a very special way and I will NEVER be the same. May God Bless You All! - KDS
Joke of the Day
String Theory
A string walks into a bar with a few friends and orders a beer. The bartender says, "I'm sorry, but we don't serve strings here."
The string walks away a little upset and sits down with his friends. A few minutes later he goes back to the bar and orders a beer. The bartender, looking a little exasperated, says, "I'm sorry, we don't serve strings here."
So the string goes back to his table. Then he gets an idea. He ties himself in a loop and messes up the top of his hair. Then he walks back up to the bar and orders a beer.
The bartender squints at him and says, "Hey, aren't you a string?"
And the string says, "Nope, I'm a frayed knot."
Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Joke Of For Today
THE IRISH DIET
An Irishman was terribly overweight, so his doctor put him on a diet.
'I want you to eat regularly for 2 days, then skip a day, and repeat this procedure for 2 weeks. The next time I see you, you should have lost at least 5 pounds.
When the Irishman returned, he shocked the doctor by having lost nearly 60lbs!
'Why, that's amazing!' the doctor said, 'Did you follow my instructions?
The Irishman nodded. 'I'll tell you though, by goodness, I t'aut I were going to drop dead on dat 3rd day.
'From the hunger, you mean?' asked the doctor?
'No, from the flippin' skippin' .
An Irishman was terribly overweight, so his doctor put him on a diet.
'I want you to eat regularly for 2 days, then skip a day, and repeat this procedure for 2 weeks. The next time I see you, you should have lost at least 5 pounds.
When the Irishman returned, he shocked the doctor by having lost nearly 60lbs!
'Why, that's amazing!' the doctor said, 'Did you follow my instructions?
The Irishman nodded. 'I'll tell you though, by goodness, I t'aut I were going to drop dead on dat 3rd day.
'From the hunger, you mean?' asked the doctor?
'No, from the flippin' skippin' .
Friday, October 10, 2008
Life – Not On The Road
Friday, October 10, 2008
Well, it is Friday afternoon in St. Louis and life for me is back to normal – almost! I have finished my first full week up back at work. However, I am still having Bloomington withdrawals and I think about Bloomington and Jill’s House all the time. Pretty soon most of the folks I know at Jill’s House will be back to their own lives again and that will be kind of sad. That will really put an end to this chapter of my life. But I will still have some special friends there at Jill’s House with the staff and volunteers.
Scripture: (Psalms 37:3-7)
Psa 37:3-7 Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
Joke For Today
Monkey Balls
A guy walks into a bar with his pet monkey. He orders a drink and while he's enjoying it, the monkey jumps all around the place. The monkey grabs some olives off the bar and eats them. Then he grabs some sliced limes and eats them. Then he jumps onto the pool table, grabs one of the billiard balls, sticks it in his mouth, and to everyone's amazement, he somehow swallows it whole.
The bartender screams at the guy, "Did you see what your monkey did?"
The guy says, "No, what?"
"He just ate the cue ball off my pool table - whole!"
"Yeah, that doesn't surprise me," replies the guy. "He eats everything in sight, the little bastard. Sorry. I'll pay for everything."
The man finishes his drink, pays his bill, pays for the stuff the monkey ate and leaves.
Two weeks later, he's in the bar again, and his pet monkey is with him. He orders a drink and the monkey starts running around the bar again. While the man is finishing his drink, the monkey finds a maraschino cherry on the bar. He grabs it, sticks it up his butt, pulls it out and eats it. The bartender is disgusted.
"Did you see what your monkey did now?" he asks.
"No, what?" replies the guy.
"Well, he stuck a maraschino cherry up his butt, pulled it out, and ate it!" says the bartender.
"Yeah, that doesn't surprise me," replies the guy. "He still eats everything in sight but ever since he swallowed that cue ball, he measures everything first."
Well, it is Friday afternoon in St. Louis and life for me is back to normal – almost! I have finished my first full week up back at work. However, I am still having Bloomington withdrawals and I think about Bloomington and Jill’s House all the time. Pretty soon most of the folks I know at Jill’s House will be back to their own lives again and that will be kind of sad. That will really put an end to this chapter of my life. But I will still have some special friends there at Jill’s House with the staff and volunteers.
Scripture: (Psalms 37:3-7)
Psa 37:3-7 Trust in the LORD, and do good; dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness. Delight yourself in the LORD, and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him, and he will act. He will bring forth your righteousness as the light, and your justice as the noonday. Be still before the LORD and wait patiently for him; fret not yourself over the one who prospers in his way, over the man who carries out evil devices!
Joke For Today
Monkey Balls
A guy walks into a bar with his pet monkey. He orders a drink and while he's enjoying it, the monkey jumps all around the place. The monkey grabs some olives off the bar and eats them. Then he grabs some sliced limes and eats them. Then he jumps onto the pool table, grabs one of the billiard balls, sticks it in his mouth, and to everyone's amazement, he somehow swallows it whole.
The bartender screams at the guy, "Did you see what your monkey did?"
The guy says, "No, what?"
"He just ate the cue ball off my pool table - whole!"
"Yeah, that doesn't surprise me," replies the guy. "He eats everything in sight, the little bastard. Sorry. I'll pay for everything."
The man finishes his drink, pays his bill, pays for the stuff the monkey ate and leaves.
Two weeks later, he's in the bar again, and his pet monkey is with him. He orders a drink and the monkey starts running around the bar again. While the man is finishing his drink, the monkey finds a maraschino cherry on the bar. He grabs it, sticks it up his butt, pulls it out and eats it. The bartender is disgusted.
"Did you see what your monkey did now?" he asks.
"No, what?" replies the guy.
"Well, he stuck a maraschino cherry up his butt, pulled it out, and ate it!" says the bartender.
"Yeah, that doesn't surprise me," replies the guy. "He still eats everything in sight but ever since he swallowed that cue ball, he measures everything first."
Monday, September 29, 2008
Back To Reality (Amost!)
Monday, September 29, 2008
Well, it is Monday morning in St. Louis and life for me is back to normal – NOT! I am not sure when I will be able to mentally process how my 10 weeks at Jill’s House in Bloomington and the associated MPRI Proton Radiation treatments and the relationships I experienced there have changed my life. I am not sure when it will hit me that I am not going to be having any more morning coffee breaks with my buddies at Jill’s House, interactions with the Jill’s House personnel and dedicated volunteer staff. I am just glad that I have some time to myself to process this period in my life this week. One thing that I do know right now is that it was an experience that touched my life and I pray that I will never be the same again.
Scripture: (1 Peter 5:6-11)
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Joke For Today
Dragging Their Feet
Two men are approaching each other on a sidewalk. Both are dragging their right foot as they walk.
As they meet, one man looks at the other knowingly, points to his foot and says, Vietnam, 1969."
The other points his thumb behind him and says, "Dog crap, 20 feet back."
Well, it is Monday morning in St. Louis and life for me is back to normal – NOT! I am not sure when I will be able to mentally process how my 10 weeks at Jill’s House in Bloomington and the associated MPRI Proton Radiation treatments and the relationships I experienced there have changed my life. I am not sure when it will hit me that I am not going to be having any more morning coffee breaks with my buddies at Jill’s House, interactions with the Jill’s House personnel and dedicated volunteer staff. I am just glad that I have some time to myself to process this period in my life this week. One thing that I do know right now is that it was an experience that touched my life and I pray that I will never be the same again.
Scripture: (1 Peter 5:6-11)
Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God so that at the proper time he may exalt you, casting all your anxieties on him, because he cares for you. Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith, knowing that the same kinds of suffering are being experienced by your brotherhood throughout the world. And after you have suffered a little while, the God of all grace, who has called you to his eternal glory in Christ, will himself restore, confirm, strengthen, and establish you. To him be the dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Joke For Today
Dragging Their Feet
Two men are approaching each other on a sidewalk. Both are dragging their right foot as they walk.
As they meet, one man looks at the other knowingly, points to his foot and says, Vietnam, 1969."
The other points his thumb behind him and says, "Dog crap, 20 feet back."
Thursday, September 25, 2008
My MPRI Experience (D-Day)
Week 10 – Treatment #44 – Thursday, September 25, 2008
Today is D-Day, the end of the line for me at MPRI. It was a long night. I think I have finally started processing that I am leaving Jill's House for good and another chapter of my life is ending.
Joke of the Day
Bacon in My Ear
Loyd walks into a doctor''s office. He has a sausage coming out of his ear, a waffle coming out of his nose, and bacon coming out of his other ear.
Loyd says worriedly, "Doc, what''s wrong with me?!?"
The doctor replies, "You''re not eating properly."
Today is D-Day, the end of the line for me at MPRI. It was a long night. I think I have finally started processing that I am leaving Jill's House for good and another chapter of my life is ending.
Joke of the Day
Bacon in My Ear
Loyd walks into a doctor''s office. He has a sausage coming out of his ear, a waffle coming out of his nose, and bacon coming out of his other ear.
Loyd says worriedly, "Doc, what''s wrong with me?!?"
The doctor replies, "You''re not eating properly."
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
My MPRI Experience
My MPRI Experience
Week 10 – Treatment #42 – Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Well, when I got up to go to the bathroom for the 3rd time since I went to bed, my alarm clock read 5:25 a.m. For some reason, my mind started to race (I know most of you guys in Jill’s House will find that hard to believe!) I have been trying to figure out how I should be spending the final three days that I have here at Jill’s House. I am not sure why, but when my brain finally went back into “idle” mode, I pondered all of the many different questions that folks had asked over the last 9-10 weeks and what I have found out.
One of the big frustrations that we have discussed over and over is the lack of any guide or handout of MPRI Prostate Cancer Proton Treatment “Dos” and “Don’ts”. So, I started trying to list out all the questions I had run across over the last 9 weeks. I wrote myself a note to work on this when I woke up. Different questions and answers came to my mind and so right then, I knew that my “sleep” time for today had ended. So, just for today, I am going to put on my “car guy” newspaper hat and put together my “best effort” to write my Jill’s House newspaper article. I guess I am going to put on my “Dear Abby” hat too. So, if while I am working on my questions and answers, if you have any questions that has been burning in your mind, just let me know and I will do my best to answer them.
I am trying to decide between several different titles listed below:
“Kim Sjerven's MPRI Proton Radiation Prostate Cancer FAQs”
“Inquiring Minds Want To Know Why Robbie Decided To Stand Up When Eating Breakfast After His 17th Proton Radiation Treatment”
I will be out of Jill's House today shortly after 9:30 a.m. I am making a "spiritual" journey to "The Farm" run by Ruth Ann and Jim Wade. I have a 5:30 p.m. treatment so I may not get back to answering these questions until then. BUT feel free to submit your questions to me via email at sjerven@swbell.net. Yes, you women can submit questions too!
Joke of the Day
Our local drugstore was robbed of 500 bottles of Viagra.
The suspect is known to be a hardened criminal!
Week 10 – Treatment #42 – Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Well, when I got up to go to the bathroom for the 3rd time since I went to bed, my alarm clock read 5:25 a.m. For some reason, my mind started to race (I know most of you guys in Jill’s House will find that hard to believe!) I have been trying to figure out how I should be spending the final three days that I have here at Jill’s House. I am not sure why, but when my brain finally went back into “idle” mode, I pondered all of the many different questions that folks had asked over the last 9-10 weeks and what I have found out.
One of the big frustrations that we have discussed over and over is the lack of any guide or handout of MPRI Prostate Cancer Proton Treatment “Dos” and “Don’ts”. So, I started trying to list out all the questions I had run across over the last 9 weeks. I wrote myself a note to work on this when I woke up. Different questions and answers came to my mind and so right then, I knew that my “sleep” time for today had ended. So, just for today, I am going to put on my “car guy” newspaper hat and put together my “best effort” to write my Jill’s House newspaper article. I guess I am going to put on my “Dear Abby” hat too. So, if while I am working on my questions and answers, if you have any questions that has been burning in your mind, just let me know and I will do my best to answer them.
I am trying to decide between several different titles listed below:
“Kim Sjerven's MPRI Proton Radiation Prostate Cancer FAQs”
“Inquiring Minds Want To Know Why Robbie Decided To Stand Up When Eating Breakfast After His 17th Proton Radiation Treatment”
I will be out of Jill's House today shortly after 9:30 a.m. I am making a "spiritual" journey to "The Farm" run by Ruth Ann and Jim Wade. I have a 5:30 p.m. treatment so I may not get back to answering these questions until then. BUT feel free to submit your questions to me via email at sjerven@swbell.net. Yes, you women can submit questions too!
Joke of the Day
Our local drugstore was robbed of 500 bottles of Viagra.
The suspect is known to be a hardened criminal!
Monday, September 22, 2008
My MPRI Experience
Week 10 – Treatment #41 – Monday, September 22, 2008
This is D-Day week for me. I only have four more treatments left to go. Ed & I drove back from St. Louis last night since he had a 9:30 a.m. treatment today. We got in about 11:30 p.m. last night. I got to bed about midnight and was up around 7 a.m. I had a leisurely breakfast (coffee and one yogurt) and then attended our morning devotional time. Then, I went up to my room to finish up my personal devotions.
I called the AT&T Disability Service Center to try to get my return to work date updated to 10-6. I sent in the latest updates I had and then called the center again and talked with a contact who said she would review my information and then call me. Then, I took my laptop down to the dining area to work on my photos. I have worked on them for the last 3 hours or so and finally have got them labeled. I am copying them to my flash drive so other folks can copy them. I am also making a copy for John. I will probably make a few copies on CDs for folks who do not have a computer. When I was going back to my room Sara asked if I was going to have a slide show setup for Thursday evening for the going away party.
I hope to get a chance to work on a Jill’s House DVD. I need to go through the photos and decide which ones to print. So, that is what I am working on today. My treatment is scheduled for 5 p.m. today. I worked on naming, editing, and organizing my photos today. I spend 3-5 hours getting them all updated. Then, I created several DVD disks of photos to give out to folks. I also copied them to a flash drive for folks that had laptops here. So, I am getting the photos to those who want copies.
After organizing all the photos and doing some initial editing, I reviewed all the photos and created a presentation folder that I am going to use for a slide show on Thursday evening when we have our going away desert time. Sara R had asked about a slide presentation so I have that completed. Whew!
Joke of the Day
The CIA had an opening for an assassin.
The CIA had an opening for an assassin. After all of the background checks, interviews, and testing were done there were three finalists - two men and one woman. For the final test, the CIA agents took one of the men to a large metal door and handed him a gun.
We must know that you will follow your instructions, no matter what the circumstances. Inside this room you will find your wife sitting in a chair. You have to kill her. The first man said.”You can’t be serious. I could never shoot my wife!
The agent replies, “Then you’re not the right man for this job."
The second man was given the same instructions. He took the gun and went into the room. All was quiet for about five minutes. Then the agent came out with tears in his eyes. I tried, but I can’t kill my wife. The agent replies, “You don’t have what it takes. Take your wife and go home.
Finally, it was the woman’s turn. Only she was told to kill her husband. She took the gun and went into the room. Shots were heard, one shot after another. They heard screaming, crashing, banging on the walls. After a few minutes, all was quiet. The door opened slowly and there stood the woman. She wiped the sweat from her brow and said,”You guys didn’t tell me the gun was loaded with blanks. So I had to beat him to death with the chair.”
This is D-Day week for me. I only have four more treatments left to go. Ed & I drove back from St. Louis last night since he had a 9:30 a.m. treatment today. We got in about 11:30 p.m. last night. I got to bed about midnight and was up around 7 a.m. I had a leisurely breakfast (coffee and one yogurt) and then attended our morning devotional time. Then, I went up to my room to finish up my personal devotions.
I called the AT&T Disability Service Center to try to get my return to work date updated to 10-6. I sent in the latest updates I had and then called the center again and talked with a contact who said she would review my information and then call me. Then, I took my laptop down to the dining area to work on my photos. I have worked on them for the last 3 hours or so and finally have got them labeled. I am copying them to my flash drive so other folks can copy them. I am also making a copy for John. I will probably make a few copies on CDs for folks who do not have a computer. When I was going back to my room Sara asked if I was going to have a slide show setup for Thursday evening for the going away party.
I hope to get a chance to work on a Jill’s House DVD. I need to go through the photos and decide which ones to print. So, that is what I am working on today. My treatment is scheduled for 5 p.m. today. I worked on naming, editing, and organizing my photos today. I spend 3-5 hours getting them all updated. Then, I created several DVD disks of photos to give out to folks. I also copied them to a flash drive for folks that had laptops here. So, I am getting the photos to those who want copies.
After organizing all the photos and doing some initial editing, I reviewed all the photos and created a presentation folder that I am going to use for a slide show on Thursday evening when we have our going away desert time. Sara R had asked about a slide presentation so I have that completed. Whew!
Joke of the Day
The CIA had an opening for an assassin.
The CIA had an opening for an assassin. After all of the background checks, interviews, and testing were done there were three finalists - two men and one woman. For the final test, the CIA agents took one of the men to a large metal door and handed him a gun.
We must know that you will follow your instructions, no matter what the circumstances. Inside this room you will find your wife sitting in a chair. You have to kill her. The first man said.”You can’t be serious. I could never shoot my wife!
The agent replies, “Then you’re not the right man for this job."
The second man was given the same instructions. He took the gun and went into the room. All was quiet for about five minutes. Then the agent came out with tears in his eyes. I tried, but I can’t kill my wife. The agent replies, “You don’t have what it takes. Take your wife and go home.
Finally, it was the woman’s turn. Only she was told to kill her husband. She took the gun and went into the room. Shots were heard, one shot after another. They heard screaming, crashing, banging on the walls. After a few minutes, all was quiet. The door opened slowly and there stood the woman. She wiped the sweat from her brow and said,”You guys didn’t tell me the gun was loaded with blanks. So I had to beat him to death with the chair.”
Saturday, September 20, 2008
My MPRI Experience
Tonight, I added the Caring Bridge web site links to my blog for the kids I have become acquainted with over the last few weeks. I thank God for the way He has used these kids to touch my heart and soul. If only us as adults could act in such a distinguished fashion. I would gladly trade places with any of these dear children.
Thursday, September 18, 2008
My MPRI Experience
Week 9 – Treatment #39 – Thursday, September 18, 2008
Today has been a great day. I got up around 7:30 a.m. and did my morning routine including attending our daily devotional time. I am a little behind today so have a few things to catch up on before I head home. I am in charge of the daily devotionals tomorrow morning. I have my main material completed but need to get my Bible references added so I will be doing that after I update my blog.
After devotions, I chatted a little and then headed back to my room. I did a couple of my own daily devotionals and then had some personal prayer time. Then, before I knew it, it was 11:45 a.m. and Sara (a Jill’s House volunteer) came by to take me out to lunch. We had a nice, quiet lunch in a restaurant in downtown Bloomington (Caribou Harbor, I think). Then, Sara drove me back to Jill’s House and gave me a small package. In it were two small paper weights: one was green and had Trust God on one side and a flame on the other. The other one was blue and had Joy and Peace on one side and a dove on the other. I told Sara I had the perfect place for them on my desk at work. Our lunch reminded me how little time I have left in Bloomington.
I came back to my room and did a couple things before getting ready to walk over to MPRI. When I was leaving, Peg Howard caught me and told me that she needed me. She took me into her office and gave me a CD with I think has some photos of her son Steve who died right before his 19th birthday of cancer. Jill’s House is dedicated to Steve Howard and Jill Berhman. I had told Peg earlier in the day that I wanted to try to make a video for Jill’s House and I needed to have a couple photos of her son Steve. I had told Marilyn Berhman the same thing last night concerning Jill. I also asked if there was any special music that they liked since I was hoping to add some music to the video too. So, that is something else I hope to get accomplished along with a photo collage and photo album. I had also talked to Peg earlier this morning about getting a 3-4’ by 8-10’ particle board put up on a blank wall in the dining area. I told her we could us it for the photo collage. We could put up some pictures of the current residents and then every new group could add some photos to it. So, I will need to look at the CD and see what is there.
I got over to MPRI about 50 minutes early. I drank my water on my way. I went back to see a few of the folks so I could get some photos. Shortly after that, they told me I could get ready. I asked the girls to take some pictures for me since I had seen some of the ones they took for Loyd. I told them I wanted a picture of my x-rays and also of my prostate molds. I am not sure what all pictures they took but will plan on downloading them when I get time. After my treatment, since I was still dressed up from lunch, I had some pictures taken of me and my girls and some of the other MPRI personal.
It sounds like it might be a busy night. There is a band setting up to play on the balcony off of the dining room. John just stopped by to show me some photos he had taken and asked if I would drive him to the bowling alley tonight for their $1 drafts. I told him I had to finish up a couple things first. So, there might be a lot of things to do tonight. Then, I need to get ready to leave town in the morning. Ed and I are carpooling again tomorrow.
Joke of the Day
Alien Abduction
Harry, Bill and Steve are sitting at the corner bar enjoying themselves, when Ted walks in looking distressed.
"Ted, you look awful. What's wrong?" Harry asks.
Ted says, "Last night I got really drunk, and then somewhere between here and my house, I was abducted by an alien?"
Everyone is shocked. "I heard about this kind of thing happening!" Bills says. "What did the alien do to you?"
"I don't remeber all the details," Ted says. "All I remember is being anally probed by the alien."
Everyone is horrified. "I heard that they'll do that!" Steve says. "What did the alien look like?"
Ted responds, "Courtney from MPRI!"
How about this one?
Who Wants To Be a Millionaire
A husband and wife are watching "Who Wants To Be a Millionaire," and the husband winks and says, "Honey, let's go upstairs..."
The wife says no, so the husband asks again. Again she says no.
So the husband says, "Is that your final answer?" The wife says yes.
The husband says, "Well, can I phone a friend?"
The Sandpiper By Robert Peterson
The Sandpiper
By Robert Peterson
She was six years old when I first met her on the beach near where I live.
I drive to this beach, a distance of three or four miles, whenever the world
Begins to close in on me. She was building a sand castle or something
And looked up, her eyes as blue as the sea.
'Hello,' she said.
I answered with a nod, not really in the mood to bother with a small child.
'I'm building,' she said.
'I see that. What is it?' I asked, not really caring.
'Oh, I don't know, I just like the feel of sand.'
That sounds good, I thought, and slipped off my shoes.
A sandpiper glided by.
'That's a joy,' the child said.
'It's a what?'
'It's a joy. My mama says sandpipers come to bring us joy.'
The bird went gliding down the beach. Good-bye joy, I muttered to myself,
Hello pain, and turned to walk on. I was depressed; my life seemed
completely out of balance.
'What's your name?' She wouldn't give up.
'Robert,' I answered. 'I'm Robert Peterson.'
'Mine's Wendy... I'm six.'
'Hi, Wendy.'
She giggled. 'You're funny,' she said.
In spite of my gloom, I laughed too and walked on.
Her musical giggle followed me.
'Come again, Mr. P,' she called. 'We'll have another happy day.'
The next few days consisted of a group of unruly Boy Scouts, PTA meetings,
And an ailing mother. The sun was shining one morning as I took my hands out
Of the dishwater. I need a sandpiper, I said to myself, gathering up my coat.
The ever-changing balm of the seashore awaited me. The breeze was
Chilly but I strode along, trying to recapture the serenity I needed.
'Hello, Mr. P,' she said. 'Do you want to play?'
'What did you have in mind?' I asked, with a twinge of annoyance.
'I don't know. You say.'
'How about charades?' I asked sarcastically.
The tinkling laughter burst forth again. 'I don't know what that is.'
'Then let's just walk.'
Looking at her, I noticed the delicate fairness of her face.
'Where do you live?' I asked.
'Over there.' She pointed toward a row of summer cottages.
Strange, I thought, in winter.
'Where do you go to school?'
'I don't go to school. Mommy says we're on vacation.'
She chattered little girl talk as we strolled up the beach, but my mind was
On other things. When I left for home, Wendy said it had been a
happy day.
Feeling surprisingly better, I smiled at her and agreed.
Three weeks later, I rushed to my beach in a state of near panic. I was in no
Mood to even greet Wendy. I thought I saw her mother on the porch and felt
like demanding she keep her child at home.
'Look, if you don't mind,' I said crossly when Wendy caught up with me, 'I'd
rather be alone today.' She seemed unusually pale and out of breath.
'Why?' she asked.
I turned to her and shouted, 'Because my mother died!' and thought,
my, why was I saying this to a little child?
'Oh,' she said quietly, 'then this is a bad day.'
'Yes,' I said, 'and yesterday and the day before and -- oh, go away!'
'Did it hurt?' she inquired.
'Did what hurt?' I was exasperated with her, with myself.
'When she died?'
'Of course it hurt!' I snapped, misunderstanding,
Wrapped up in myself. I strode off.
A month or so after that, when I next went to the beach, she wasn't there.
Feeling guilty, ashamed, and admitting to myself I missed her, I went up
to the cottage after my walk and knocked at the door. A drawn looking
young woman with honey-colored hair opened the door.
'Hello,' I said, 'I'm Robert Peterson. I missed your little girl today
and wondered where she was.'
'Oh yes, Mr. Peterson, please come in. Wendy spoke of you so much.
I'm afraid I allowed her to bother you. If she was a nuisance,
please, accept my apologies.'
'Not at all -- she's a delightful child.' I said, suddenly realizing
that I meant what I had just said.
'Wendy died last week, Mr. Peterson. She had leukemia.
Maybe she didn't tell you.'
Struck dumb, I groped for a chair. I had to catch my breath.
'She loved this beach, so when she asked to come, we couldn't say no.
She seemed so much better here and had a lot of what she called happy days.
But the last few weeks, she declined rapidly...' Her voice faltered, 'She left
something for you, if only I can find it. Could you wait a moment
while I look?'
I nodded stupidly, my mind racing for something to say to this lovely young
woman. She handed me a smeared envelope with 'MR. P' printed in bold
childish letters. Inside was a drawing in bright crayon hues -- a
yellow beach, blue sea, and a brown bird. Underneath was carefully printed:
A SANDPIPER TO BRING YOU JOY.
Tears welled up in my eyes, and a heart that had almost forgotten to love
opened wide. I took Wendy's mother in my arms. 'I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry,
I'm so sorry,' I uttered over and over, and we wept together. The precious little
picture is framed now and hangs in my study. Six words -- one for each year
of her life -- that speak to me of harmony, courage, and undemanding love.
A gift from a child with sea blue eyes and hair the color of sand
-- who taught me the gift of love.
NOTE: This is a true story sent out by Robert Peterson. It happened over 20 years ago and the incident changed his life forever. It serves as a reminder
to all of us that we need to take time to enjoy living and life and each other.
Life is so complicated; the hustle and bustle of everyday traumas
can make us lose focus about what is truly important
or what is only a momentary setback or crisis.
This week, be sure to give your loved ones an extra hug, and by all means,
take a moment... even if it is only ten seconds, to stop and smell the roses.
By Robert Peterson
She was six years old when I first met her on the beach near where I live.
I drive to this beach, a distance of three or four miles, whenever the world
Begins to close in on me. She was building a sand castle or something
And looked up, her eyes as blue as the sea.
'Hello,' she said.
I answered with a nod, not really in the mood to bother with a small child.
'I'm building,' she said.
'I see that. What is it?' I asked, not really caring.
'Oh, I don't know, I just like the feel of sand.'
That sounds good, I thought, and slipped off my shoes.
A sandpiper glided by.
'That's a joy,' the child said.
'It's a what?'
'It's a joy. My mama says sandpipers come to bring us joy.'
The bird went gliding down the beach. Good-bye joy, I muttered to myself,
Hello pain, and turned to walk on. I was depressed; my life seemed
completely out of balance.
'What's your name?' She wouldn't give up.
'Robert,' I answered. 'I'm Robert Peterson.'
'Mine's Wendy... I'm six.'
'Hi, Wendy.'
She giggled. 'You're funny,' she said.
In spite of my gloom, I laughed too and walked on.
Her musical giggle followed me.
'Come again, Mr. P,' she called. 'We'll have another happy day.'
The next few days consisted of a group of unruly Boy Scouts, PTA meetings,
And an ailing mother. The sun was shining one morning as I took my hands out
Of the dishwater. I need a sandpiper, I said to myself, gathering up my coat.
The ever-changing balm of the seashore awaited me. The breeze was
Chilly but I strode along, trying to recapture the serenity I needed.
'Hello, Mr. P,' she said. 'Do you want to play?'
'What did you have in mind?' I asked, with a twinge of annoyance.
'I don't know. You say.'
'How about charades?' I asked sarcastically.
The tinkling laughter burst forth again. 'I don't know what that is.'
'Then let's just walk.'
Looking at her, I noticed the delicate fairness of her face.
'Where do you live?' I asked.
'Over there.' She pointed toward a row of summer cottages.
Strange, I thought, in winter.
'Where do you go to school?'
'I don't go to school. Mommy says we're on vacation.'
She chattered little girl talk as we strolled up the beach, but my mind was
On other things. When I left for home, Wendy said it had been a
happy day.
Feeling surprisingly better, I smiled at her and agreed.
Three weeks later, I rushed to my beach in a state of near panic. I was in no
Mood to even greet Wendy. I thought I saw her mother on the porch and felt
like demanding she keep her child at home.
'Look, if you don't mind,' I said crossly when Wendy caught up with me, 'I'd
rather be alone today.' She seemed unusually pale and out of breath.
'Why?' she asked.
I turned to her and shouted, 'Because my mother died!' and thought,
my, why was I saying this to a little child?
'Oh,' she said quietly, 'then this is a bad day.'
'Yes,' I said, 'and yesterday and the day before and -- oh, go away!'
'Did it hurt?' she inquired.
'Did what hurt?' I was exasperated with her, with myself.
'When she died?'
'Of course it hurt!' I snapped, misunderstanding,
Wrapped up in myself. I strode off.
A month or so after that, when I next went to the beach, she wasn't there.
Feeling guilty, ashamed, and admitting to myself I missed her, I went up
to the cottage after my walk and knocked at the door. A drawn looking
young woman with honey-colored hair opened the door.
'Hello,' I said, 'I'm Robert Peterson. I missed your little girl today
and wondered where she was.'
'Oh yes, Mr. Peterson, please come in. Wendy spoke of you so much.
I'm afraid I allowed her to bother you. If she was a nuisance,
please, accept my apologies.'
'Not at all -- she's a delightful child.' I said, suddenly realizing
that I meant what I had just said.
'Wendy died last week, Mr. Peterson. She had leukemia.
Maybe she didn't tell you.'
Struck dumb, I groped for a chair. I had to catch my breath.
'She loved this beach, so when she asked to come, we couldn't say no.
She seemed so much better here and had a lot of what she called happy days.
But the last few weeks, she declined rapidly...' Her voice faltered, 'She left
something for you, if only I can find it. Could you wait a moment
while I look?'
I nodded stupidly, my mind racing for something to say to this lovely young
woman. She handed me a smeared envelope with 'MR. P' printed in bold
childish letters. Inside was a drawing in bright crayon hues -- a
yellow beach, blue sea, and a brown bird. Underneath was carefully printed:
A SANDPIPER TO BRING YOU JOY.
Tears welled up in my eyes, and a heart that had almost forgotten to love
opened wide. I took Wendy's mother in my arms. 'I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry,
I'm so sorry,' I uttered over and over, and we wept together. The precious little
picture is framed now and hangs in my study. Six words -- one for each year
of her life -- that speak to me of harmony, courage, and undemanding love.
A gift from a child with sea blue eyes and hair the color of sand
-- who taught me the gift of love.
NOTE: This is a true story sent out by Robert Peterson. It happened over 20 years ago and the incident changed his life forever. It serves as a reminder
to all of us that we need to take time to enjoy living and life and each other.
Life is so complicated; the hustle and bustle of everyday traumas
can make us lose focus about what is truly important
or what is only a momentary setback or crisis.
This week, be sure to give your loved ones an extra hug, and by all means,
take a moment... even if it is only ten seconds, to stop and smell the roses.
My Prayer For Today (From The Perfect Love by Ruth Myers)
Dear Lord,
I quietly leave in Your hand each concern that could cause me stress today:
The things You want me to do and the things You want me to leave unfinished or even unstarted.
The relationships You want me to have and the one You want to withhold or take away.
The joys You will bring my way, and the trials you will allow or send.
The ways You want me to succeed and the ways You may let me fail, or seem to fail.
The opportunities You want me to accept and the ones You want me to pass up.
The doors You want to open and the one You want to close.
The ways I would like to glorify You and the ways You may use others instead of me.
The times You want me to meet people's needs actively, and the times You want me to listen, or to stand aside and "merely" pray.
The deadlines You want me to meet and the one You want me to miss.
The results of my labors - great or small, noticed or hidden.
The ways I will bless or disappoint other people, and the ways they will bless and disappoint me.
The human approvals that You will give, and the disapprovals that will prod me to rest in Your gracious evaluation.
I leave it all quietly to You, my God, and depend on You to work in me and in those I love: to nurture and protect, to tear down and to build up, to wound and to heal, to reprove and to guide - as it seems best to You, my wise and loving Father.
I step out of Your shoes and leave Your responsibilities to You.
I let my life drop back behind You, to follow at the pace You prescribe. Help me sense inner tension quickly and then "leave it all quietly to You."
I am Your servant. I'm available to You to fulfill Your purposes, and Yours alone. Your way and time.
AMEN
Here's to good friends, who I couldn't do without...
You're important to me, that's without a doubt!
I quietly leave in Your hand each concern that could cause me stress today:
The things You want me to do and the things You want me to leave unfinished or even unstarted.
The relationships You want me to have and the one You want to withhold or take away.
The joys You will bring my way, and the trials you will allow or send.
The ways You want me to succeed and the ways You may let me fail, or seem to fail.
The opportunities You want me to accept and the ones You want me to pass up.
The doors You want to open and the one You want to close.
The ways I would like to glorify You and the ways You may use others instead of me.
The times You want me to meet people's needs actively, and the times You want me to listen, or to stand aside and "merely" pray.
The deadlines You want me to meet and the one You want me to miss.
The results of my labors - great or small, noticed or hidden.
The ways I will bless or disappoint other people, and the ways they will bless and disappoint me.
The human approvals that You will give, and the disapprovals that will prod me to rest in Your gracious evaluation.
I leave it all quietly to You, my God, and depend on You to work in me and in those I love: to nurture and protect, to tear down and to build up, to wound and to heal, to reprove and to guide - as it seems best to You, my wise and loving Father.
I step out of Your shoes and leave Your responsibilities to You.
I let my life drop back behind You, to follow at the pace You prescribe. Help me sense inner tension quickly and then "leave it all quietly to You."
I am Your servant. I'm available to You to fulfill Your purposes, and Yours alone. Your way and time.
AMEN
Here's to good friends, who I couldn't do without...
You're important to me, that's without a doubt!
Wednesday, September 17, 2008
My MPRI Experience
Week 9 – Treatment #38 – Wednesday, September 17, 2008
Today, I got up around 7:20 a.m. I had a couple of bowls of cereal and a couple cups of coffee. I went to the morning devotional time at 8 a.m. then talked to a few folks and then went back to my room and did some of my daily devotionals. I had some chicken soup for lunch and then started working on identifying some of the pictures I had taken or gotten from George. I will probably be working on photos for quite a while. I walked over for my 4 p.m. treatment and finished up treatment #38. I will be home before I know it.
After I my treatment, I picked up the latest fax that was sent to the AT&T Disability Center. My doctor wrote up a report that releases me to go back to work on Monday, October 6th. I followed up the fax with a voice mail to the DSC (Disability Service Center). Keith was out of the office for an extended period of time so I left a message with Patrice who was covering for him. So, I hope to have an official return to work date soon.
Tonight is our birthday party for Jill Berhman. Then, after that we have movie night. I hope to do some more work on my pictures sometime this evening. I did take some more pictures of the Jill’s House staff and volunteers today. So, things are winding down here for me.
Joke of the Day
Gourmet Reporter
A magazine reporter is traveling through a rainforest, in search of a fabled cannibalistic tribe. He falls into a trap, goes unconscious and wakes up tied to a stake with a fire burning slowly underneath him.
He cries out for help, and is answered by what is obviously one of the tribesmen, who informs him that he is going to be served as dinner to the leader of the tribe.
"But you don't understand!" he cries, "You can't do this to me! I'm an editor for the New Yorker magazine!"
"Ah," replies the tribesman, "Well look on the bright side. Soon you will be editor-in-chief!"
How about this one?
Blonde - Two Coats
A blonde decides to show her husband that despite what everyone says, blondes really are smart.
While her husband is at work, she decides that she is going to paint the living room in their house. So the next day as soon as he leaves, she gets down to the task at hand.
Her husband arrives home after work and smells the distinctive smell of paint. He walks into the living room and finds his wife lying on the floor in a pool of sweat. He notices that she is wearing a parka and a mink. He asks her what she is doing. She replies that she wanted to prove to him that not all blonde women are dumb and she wanted to do it by painting the room.
He says that he was impressed at the good job she had done, but what's with her wearing the two coats?
She replies that she was reading the directions on the paint can and they said, ''FOR BEST RESULTS, PUT ON TWO COATS!''
Today, I got up around 7:20 a.m. I had a couple of bowls of cereal and a couple cups of coffee. I went to the morning devotional time at 8 a.m. then talked to a few folks and then went back to my room and did some of my daily devotionals. I had some chicken soup for lunch and then started working on identifying some of the pictures I had taken or gotten from George. I will probably be working on photos for quite a while. I walked over for my 4 p.m. treatment and finished up treatment #38. I will be home before I know it.
After I my treatment, I picked up the latest fax that was sent to the AT&T Disability Center. My doctor wrote up a report that releases me to go back to work on Monday, October 6th. I followed up the fax with a voice mail to the DSC (Disability Service Center). Keith was out of the office for an extended period of time so I left a message with Patrice who was covering for him. So, I hope to have an official return to work date soon.
Tonight is our birthday party for Jill Berhman. Then, after that we have movie night. I hope to do some more work on my pictures sometime this evening. I did take some more pictures of the Jill’s House staff and volunteers today. So, things are winding down here for me.
Joke of the Day
Gourmet Reporter
A magazine reporter is traveling through a rainforest, in search of a fabled cannibalistic tribe. He falls into a trap, goes unconscious and wakes up tied to a stake with a fire burning slowly underneath him.
He cries out for help, and is answered by what is obviously one of the tribesmen, who informs him that he is going to be served as dinner to the leader of the tribe.
"But you don't understand!" he cries, "You can't do this to me! I'm an editor for the New Yorker magazine!"
"Ah," replies the tribesman, "Well look on the bright side. Soon you will be editor-in-chief!"
How about this one?
Blonde - Two Coats
A blonde decides to show her husband that despite what everyone says, blondes really are smart.
While her husband is at work, she decides that she is going to paint the living room in their house. So the next day as soon as he leaves, she gets down to the task at hand.
Her husband arrives home after work and smells the distinctive smell of paint. He walks into the living room and finds his wife lying on the floor in a pool of sweat. He notices that she is wearing a parka and a mink. He asks her what she is doing. She replies that she wanted to prove to him that not all blonde women are dumb and she wanted to do it by painting the room.
He says that he was impressed at the good job she had done, but what's with her wearing the two coats?
She replies that she was reading the directions on the paint can and they said, ''FOR BEST RESULTS, PUT ON TWO COATS!''
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
My MPRI Experience
Week 9 – Treatment #37 – Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Today, I got up around 7 a.m. and went down for breakfast. ((Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that I did get dressed first!) After eating my two bowls of Cheerios, I went in for our 8 a.m. morning Bible Study time (my second one). We had a good session and talked about today being Bud Howard’s 81st birthday. Also, tomorrow evening we are supposed to be having a memorial party for Jill Berhman. So, there are a few things going on this week.
We also talked about trying to get some of the pictures of the residents together so that folks coming into Jill’s House in the future would be able to see some of the original residents and get a sense of the history behind Jill’s House. So, I will be working on trying to get some of my pictures ready today. I also got assigned to lead the devotional time on Friday. So, I will be working on that in the next couple days. I also hope to get my daily devotional done and also to start on my men’s small group Bible study started today and completed before I head home. So, I will have plenty to do again this week. I am pretty much set for my 5th Grade Boys Sunday School class since we cancelled services last week. But, I will try to look at that again too. My treatments the rest of the week are at 4 p.m. except Friday when it is at 11 a.m. Today, I plan on taking over some gourmet jelly beans for the MPRI folks.
Tonight, I got a special assignment from Bud Howard, the chairman of the board of Jill’s House. I guess he figured I needed something to keep me out of trouble. Bud had a big box of left over nuts, bolts, screws, and miscellaneous fashioners. He decided they should all be sorted out so he bought two large plastic contains with about 60 plastic drawers each and asked me to sort everything out. I told him I would take care of it. So, I carried them over to the dining area and set them off the side on a table. I told several folks about them and hope that they will be able to take of that little task. I plan on spending a lot of time trying to get some pictures updated and a Jill’s House picture album started and maybe even see if I can do a video or PowerPoint presentation. I will see how much time I have. Tomorrow night, we are supposed to be having a Jill’s Birthday party. I happened to wonder into Brian’s office when they were working on that and got drafted into making a flyer with a couple of pictures of Jill on it. I did that right before my 4 p.m. treatment.
Loyd, Winnie, and Me
This is a cute story about Loyd, Winnie, and me. Winnie is Loyd’s girlfriend who is visiting this week from Wyoming. Winnie is a young 83 years old and thinks the world revolves around Loyd. The first time Winnie and I met was this Monday morning. When I came down for breakfast, I saw Loyd and said “Hi, Loyd!” and went over and gave him a big hug! Then, I said a couple words which I cannot remember. But before I knew it, Winnie had gotten up from the table and told Loyd she was going back to his room. Loyd yelled Winnie WAIT! Anyway, I guess she was a little upset by something I had done.
The next couple times I saw her that day, she would go over and grab a hold of Loyd and say “He’s mine!” She told me that she told Loyd to lock his room door! Anyway, she was very concerned all day Monday. I saw her today in the lunch room and she said she had finally figured “it” out. She said that the treatments must be making us men act like women. Well, she took special comfort in that and had a complete turn around concerning me. She told me to take care of Loyd after she left on Monday. I told her I would take care of him for a couple days but then I would be leaving Jill’s House on Thursday morning. But I told Winnie I would find someone to take care of Loyd when I left.
During our conversation, Winnie asked me something about what I did (I think she thought I was retired!) I told her I still had to work to pay for their social security. She told me they were both 83 but she was older than Loyd. Lody said he liked younger women. Winnie mentioned that she had lots of money. So, I told Loyd now I knew what he was up to, he was dating Winnie for her money.
I saw Winnie over at MPRI since Loyd had his treatment the same time as me. She asked me how long it took me to walk over to MPRI. I said ten minutes. She said they made it in 7! We talked for a few minutes. Then, she apologized if she had hurt my feeling. It was kind of cute. Then, she said she just had not met any LIKE ME in her 83 years!!! Hum! I am not sure that was a compliment. Winnie told me that she had to use a chair to get into bed at night while at Jill’s house since the beds were so high. At some time, I think Loyd had asked about some of the folk’s addresses.
At supper tonight, I was telling Julio, Angelina, and John about how Winnie was really mad at me for a day but seemed to be warming up to me know. Someone mentioned that I might get a hug some day. I said I did not think they would need to worry about that. Angelia wanted to mail a package to Zack and asked me to read the address for her from our address book as it was kind of hard for her to read. I told her I had an address list and would print off a copy for her. I also had mentioned to Susan about Winnie’s problem getting into bed. She said there was a two step stool that Zack used to get into bed that we could use. I reformatted the address list and printed off three copies. I gave one to Angelina and took the other one to Loyd. He said that is just what he needed. Then, I told Winnie I had something for her. Then, I took over the stool that I had found in the laundry closet. She said she appreciated that and then gave me a big hug! Isn’t God good? And He has a great sense of humor, too!
Joke of the Day
Smoking in the Rain
Two old ladies were waiting for a bus and one of them was smoking a cigarette. It started to rain, so the old lady reached into her purse, took out a condom, cut off the tip and slipped it over her cigarette and continued to smoke.
Her friend saw this and said, "Hey that's a good idea! But, what is that thing you put over your cigarette?"
The other old lady said, "It's a condom."
"A condom? Where do you get those?"
The lady with the cigarette told her friend that you could purchase condoms at the pharmacy. When the two old ladies arrived downtown, the old lady with all the questions went into the pharmacy and asked the pharmacist if he sold condoms. The pharmacist said yes, but looked a little surprised that this old woman was interested in condoms, so he asked her, "What size do you want?"
The old lady thought for a minute and said, "One that will fit a Camel."
Today, I got up around 7 a.m. and went down for breakfast. ((Oh, yeah, I forgot to mention that I did get dressed first!) After eating my two bowls of Cheerios, I went in for our 8 a.m. morning Bible Study time (my second one). We had a good session and talked about today being Bud Howard’s 81st birthday. Also, tomorrow evening we are supposed to be having a memorial party for Jill Berhman. So, there are a few things going on this week.
We also talked about trying to get some of the pictures of the residents together so that folks coming into Jill’s House in the future would be able to see some of the original residents and get a sense of the history behind Jill’s House. So, I will be working on trying to get some of my pictures ready today. I also got assigned to lead the devotional time on Friday. So, I will be working on that in the next couple days. I also hope to get my daily devotional done and also to start on my men’s small group Bible study started today and completed before I head home. So, I will have plenty to do again this week. I am pretty much set for my 5th Grade Boys Sunday School class since we cancelled services last week. But, I will try to look at that again too. My treatments the rest of the week are at 4 p.m. except Friday when it is at 11 a.m. Today, I plan on taking over some gourmet jelly beans for the MPRI folks.
Tonight, I got a special assignment from Bud Howard, the chairman of the board of Jill’s House. I guess he figured I needed something to keep me out of trouble. Bud had a big box of left over nuts, bolts, screws, and miscellaneous fashioners. He decided they should all be sorted out so he bought two large plastic contains with about 60 plastic drawers each and asked me to sort everything out. I told him I would take care of it. So, I carried them over to the dining area and set them off the side on a table. I told several folks about them and hope that they will be able to take of that little task. I plan on spending a lot of time trying to get some pictures updated and a Jill’s House picture album started and maybe even see if I can do a video or PowerPoint presentation. I will see how much time I have. Tomorrow night, we are supposed to be having a Jill’s Birthday party. I happened to wonder into Brian’s office when they were working on that and got drafted into making a flyer with a couple of pictures of Jill on it. I did that right before my 4 p.m. treatment.
Loyd, Winnie, and Me
This is a cute story about Loyd, Winnie, and me. Winnie is Loyd’s girlfriend who is visiting this week from Wyoming. Winnie is a young 83 years old and thinks the world revolves around Loyd. The first time Winnie and I met was this Monday morning. When I came down for breakfast, I saw Loyd and said “Hi, Loyd!” and went over and gave him a big hug! Then, I said a couple words which I cannot remember. But before I knew it, Winnie had gotten up from the table and told Loyd she was going back to his room. Loyd yelled Winnie WAIT! Anyway, I guess she was a little upset by something I had done.
The next couple times I saw her that day, she would go over and grab a hold of Loyd and say “He’s mine!” She told me that she told Loyd to lock his room door! Anyway, she was very concerned all day Monday. I saw her today in the lunch room and she said she had finally figured “it” out. She said that the treatments must be making us men act like women. Well, she took special comfort in that and had a complete turn around concerning me. She told me to take care of Loyd after she left on Monday. I told her I would take care of him for a couple days but then I would be leaving Jill’s House on Thursday morning. But I told Winnie I would find someone to take care of Loyd when I left.
During our conversation, Winnie asked me something about what I did (I think she thought I was retired!) I told her I still had to work to pay for their social security. She told me they were both 83 but she was older than Loyd. Lody said he liked younger women. Winnie mentioned that she had lots of money. So, I told Loyd now I knew what he was up to, he was dating Winnie for her money.
I saw Winnie over at MPRI since Loyd had his treatment the same time as me. She asked me how long it took me to walk over to MPRI. I said ten minutes. She said they made it in 7! We talked for a few minutes. Then, she apologized if she had hurt my feeling. It was kind of cute. Then, she said she just had not met any LIKE ME in her 83 years!!! Hum! I am not sure that was a compliment. Winnie told me that she had to use a chair to get into bed at night while at Jill’s house since the beds were so high. At some time, I think Loyd had asked about some of the folk’s addresses.
At supper tonight, I was telling Julio, Angelina, and John about how Winnie was really mad at me for a day but seemed to be warming up to me know. Someone mentioned that I might get a hug some day. I said I did not think they would need to worry about that. Angelia wanted to mail a package to Zack and asked me to read the address for her from our address book as it was kind of hard for her to read. I told her I had an address list and would print off a copy for her. I also had mentioned to Susan about Winnie’s problem getting into bed. She said there was a two step stool that Zack used to get into bed that we could use. I reformatted the address list and printed off three copies. I gave one to Angelina and took the other one to Loyd. He said that is just what he needed. Then, I told Winnie I had something for her. Then, I took over the stool that I had found in the laundry closet. She said she appreciated that and then gave me a big hug! Isn’t God good? And He has a great sense of humor, too!
Joke of the Day
Smoking in the Rain
Two old ladies were waiting for a bus and one of them was smoking a cigarette. It started to rain, so the old lady reached into her purse, took out a condom, cut off the tip and slipped it over her cigarette and continued to smoke.
Her friend saw this and said, "Hey that's a good idea! But, what is that thing you put over your cigarette?"
The other old lady said, "It's a condom."
"A condom? Where do you get those?"
The lady with the cigarette told her friend that you could purchase condoms at the pharmacy. When the two old ladies arrived downtown, the old lady with all the questions went into the pharmacy and asked the pharmacist if he sold condoms. The pharmacist said yes, but looked a little surprised that this old woman was interested in condoms, so he asked her, "What size do you want?"
The old lady thought for a minute and said, "One that will fit a Camel."
Monday, September 15, 2008
My MPRI Experience
Week 9 – Treatment #36 – Monday, September 15, 2008
Today, I picked Ed up from Betsey’s house shortly before 7 a.m. and then we headed to Bloomington. We got here in a little over 4 hours. Gas prices are over $4 in Illinois and Indiana. I think it is $4.15 here in Bloomington. I ate lunch and chatted some in the dining room. I walked over to MPRI about 3 p.m. for my 4 p.m. treatment. Right before I got there, Courtney called and told me they were down. So, I stayed there for a while and chatted with the folks. I picked up my treatment schedule since I had misplaced my original one and dropped off a package of runts. They were a big hit. The therapists had some extra time to enjoy them since the beam was down and they could not do any treatments.
Then, I walked back to Jill’s House. They are supposed to call me when they are ready for my treatment. Ed and I are supposed to be going out to a local retirement home where they have a cafeteria style supper and wine testing. It is supposed to be $5. So, that should be something interesting. I guess I will see if I get treated today.
We had a going away desert for Jill and her Mom, Sharon. After my desert, I went up to my room and got my computer so I could work on the pictures I had taken last week at Zack’s going away part. I think I took 85 photos. When reviewing my photos, George, Sharon, and Sara all wanted copies of my pictures. So, I ended up copying some of George’s pictures to my laptop and then copying all the photos to the others computers. So, we did a lot of photo sharing.
I called over to MPRI around 7:30 p.m. They said they would call me back after getting there current patient treated. They called me back and told me to plan on a 9 P.M. treatment. So, I went over to MPRI around 8:30 p.m. and got my treatment shortly before 9 P.M. Courtney, Amy, and Jenna (my three favorite women) were there. Even though it was late, I was glad to finally get my treatment in. I felt sorry that the therapists had to work so late since some of them had been in since 7:30 a.m. that morning.
Ed got called for his treatment at 6:30 p.m. so we did not make it to the wine testing. We had talked about going to Smokin’ Jacks instead. But, then, I found out that my treatment was at 9 P.M. so we decided to just eat in. We are stilling planning on riding home again this weekend.
Joke of the Day (from George)
A public school teacher was arrested today at John F. Kennedy International Airport as he attempted to board a flight while in possession of a ruler, a protractor, a set square, a slide rule, and a calculator. At a morning press conference, the Attorney General said he believes the man is a member of the notorious Al-gebra movement. He did not identify the man, who has been charged by the FBI with carrying weapons of math instruction. "Al-gebra is a problem for us," the Attorney General said. "They desire solutions by means and extremes, and sometimes go off on tangents in a search of absolute value. They use secret code names like 'x' and 'y' and refer to themselves as 'unknowns,' but we have determined they belong to a common denominator of the axis of medieval with coordinates in every country. As the Greek philanderer Isosceles used to say, 'There are 3 sides to every triangle.'''
When asked to comment on the arrest, Senator Obama said, "If God had wanted us to have better Weapons of Math Instruction, he would have given us more fingers and toes." Democratic leaders told reporters they could not recall a more intelligent or profound statement by the Senator.
Here is another:
Cloak & Dagger
A soldier at the Pentagon got out of the shower, and realized that his clothes were missing. While searching around for them, he accidentally locked himself out of the locker room, and he found himself completely naked in the halls of the world''s most powerful military organization HQ. But, luckily, no one was around to see him.
So, he ran as fast as he could to the elevator. When it arrived, it was empty. He breathed a sigh of relief and got in. When the doors opened on his floor, there was no one waiting outside. "This must be my lucky day," he said to himself. He was now only a few yards from his office.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps coming from around the corner. He heard the General's voice. There was no way he'd make it to his door in time, so he ducked into the closest office available, and found himself in the laboratory for Research & Development. The Head Scientist looked up from one of her experiments with puzzled interest.
The soldier thought quickly, stood up straight and saluted.
"I am here to report the partial success of the Personal Invisibility Device," he said.
"I see," the Head Scientist said. "But the Shrink Ray seems to be working perfectly."
Thursday, September 11, 2008
My MPRI Experience
Week 8 – Treatment #34 – Thursday, September 11, 2008
Today, I had my 34th treatment so now I am now to just 10 left and so after this Friday, I will be down to single digits. Two weeks from today, I will be packing up and heading home for good. That will sure be different. I took over another case of popcorn today for the Therapists. Today, I got up again before 5 a.m. and headed to the YMCA with John. Today, was a short workout day so I did not get in my swimming. I am almost down to fighting weight now. I almost quit my stair-step workout today since I hate that so much but I pushed ahead and finished my 30 minutes. I think I walked 3.39 miles on the stair stepper today. I did not plan on going to the gym tomorrow since I am driving home but I may go ahead and go since this would be only my 3rd workout this week. Since Ed is riding with me, I could always have him drive if I need to. I mentioned to a couple therapists that tonight we are having a going away party for Zack tonight at 7 p.m. Ben had asked about a tour of Jill’s House so I told him he might want to come over for that. Zack’s Dad showed up yesterday afternoon and so he is really excited to have his dad around. They will be leaving to go back to Kansas on Friday morning. I may add some more to this later today if I get a chance or if something exciting happens. I made it to my first morning devotional this morning at Jill’s House. We are meeting at 8 a.m. in the Chapel. I may need to shorten up my breakfast time so I can get in there by 8 a.m.
Joke of the Day
Grass Eater
A man was riding in the back of his limousine when he saw a man eating grass by the roadside. He ordered his driver to stop and he got out to investigate.
"Why are you eating grass?" he asked the man.
"I don't have any money for food," the poor man replied.
"Oh, please come to my house!"
"But sir, I have a wife and four children..."
"Bring them along!" the rich man said.
They all climbed into the limo. Once underway, the poor fellow said, "Sir, you are too kind. Thank you for taking all of us in."
The rich man replied, "No, you don't understand. The grass at my house is over three feet tall!"
How about this one?
The Three Basketball Players On The Roof
There were 3 basketball players, one each from IU, Notre Dame, and Purdue, standing on a burning roof in Indianapolis. The fire department came with a blanket and yelled to the Notre Dame player to jump. He jumped and they moved it to the right. He hit the sidewalk with a splat.
They then called to the IU player to jump. He said that he wouldn't jump. They said they liked IU better than Norte Dame. So he jumped and the fire department moved the blanket to the left. The IU player hit with a splat on the sidewalk.
Then they called to the Purdue player to jump. He said that he wouldn't jump. The fire department said they hated IU and Notre Dame. He yelled back, "Lay the blanket down on the sidewalk, and then I'll jump!"
Last call joke!
The First Cut is the Deepest
Once upon a time, two little boys, Sammy and Tim, were sharing a room in the hospital. As they were getting to know each other a little bit, Sammy eventually asked Tim, "Hey, what're you in for?"
"I'm getting my tonsils out. I'm a little worried," said Tim.
"Oh, don't worry about it," Sammy said. "I had my tonsils out and it was a blast! I got to eat all the ice cream and Jell-O I wanted for two weeks!"
"Oh yeah?'' replied Tim. "That's not half-bad. So, Sammy, how about you? What're you here for?"
"I'm getting a circumcision, whatever that is," Sammy answered.
"Oh my goodness, circumcision? I got one of those when I was a baby and I couldn't walk for two years!"
Today, I had my 34th treatment so now I am now to just 10 left and so after this Friday, I will be down to single digits. Two weeks from today, I will be packing up and heading home for good. That will sure be different. I took over another case of popcorn today for the Therapists. Today, I got up again before 5 a.m. and headed to the YMCA with John. Today, was a short workout day so I did not get in my swimming. I am almost down to fighting weight now. I almost quit my stair-step workout today since I hate that so much but I pushed ahead and finished my 30 minutes. I think I walked 3.39 miles on the stair stepper today. I did not plan on going to the gym tomorrow since I am driving home but I may go ahead and go since this would be only my 3rd workout this week. Since Ed is riding with me, I could always have him drive if I need to. I mentioned to a couple therapists that tonight we are having a going away party for Zack tonight at 7 p.m. Ben had asked about a tour of Jill’s House so I told him he might want to come over for that. Zack’s Dad showed up yesterday afternoon and so he is really excited to have his dad around. They will be leaving to go back to Kansas on Friday morning. I may add some more to this later today if I get a chance or if something exciting happens. I made it to my first morning devotional this morning at Jill’s House. We are meeting at 8 a.m. in the Chapel. I may need to shorten up my breakfast time so I can get in there by 8 a.m.
Joke of the Day
Grass Eater
A man was riding in the back of his limousine when he saw a man eating grass by the roadside. He ordered his driver to stop and he got out to investigate.
"Why are you eating grass?" he asked the man.
"I don't have any money for food," the poor man replied.
"Oh, please come to my house!"
"But sir, I have a wife and four children..."
"Bring them along!" the rich man said.
They all climbed into the limo. Once underway, the poor fellow said, "Sir, you are too kind. Thank you for taking all of us in."
The rich man replied, "No, you don't understand. The grass at my house is over three feet tall!"
How about this one?
The Three Basketball Players On The Roof
There were 3 basketball players, one each from IU, Notre Dame, and Purdue, standing on a burning roof in Indianapolis. The fire department came with a blanket and yelled to the Notre Dame player to jump. He jumped and they moved it to the right. He hit the sidewalk with a splat.
They then called to the IU player to jump. He said that he wouldn't jump. They said they liked IU better than Norte Dame. So he jumped and the fire department moved the blanket to the left. The IU player hit with a splat on the sidewalk.
Then they called to the Purdue player to jump. He said that he wouldn't jump. The fire department said they hated IU and Notre Dame. He yelled back, "Lay the blanket down on the sidewalk, and then I'll jump!"
Last call joke!
The First Cut is the Deepest
Once upon a time, two little boys, Sammy and Tim, were sharing a room in the hospital. As they were getting to know each other a little bit, Sammy eventually asked Tim, "Hey, what're you in for?"
"I'm getting my tonsils out. I'm a little worried," said Tim.
"Oh, don't worry about it," Sammy said. "I had my tonsils out and it was a blast! I got to eat all the ice cream and Jell-O I wanted for two weeks!"
"Oh yeah?'' replied Tim. "That's not half-bad. So, Sammy, how about you? What're you here for?"
"I'm getting a circumcision, whatever that is," Sammy answered.
"Oh my goodness, circumcision? I got one of those when I was a baby and I couldn't walk for two years!"
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
My MPRI Experience
Week 8 – Treatment #33 – Wednesday, September 10, 2008
Yesterday afternoon, I worked on my daily devotionals, my Muslim 30 day prayer booklet, my ministering to Muslims booklet, my Men’s Small group lesson, and my 5th Grade Sunday school lesson so it was a full afternoon. I also started backing up using my free Dell Safe program. It ran for almost 24 hours and still has around 24 hours to go. I was doing some windows updates this morning and it blew up my computer. I just started it up again now. Once it has a full backup, the regular backups should be much shorter. I am only interested in a couple of my main files anyway.
Last Friday started our first wave of folks leaving Jill’s House. Julia and Web left on Friday; today Jim and Judy left; on Friday, Zack & Theresa and Randy and Lisa will be leaving. Early next week Jill and her Mom Sharon will be leaving. Then, in a couple weeks, it will be another mass exodus with John and I; Sara and Robbie and others leaving. Last night, Sharon invited me to eat with her and her family. We had chick and dumplings and they were great. Bob, Jill’s Dad, made most of the dish I think. Anyway, it was great. After that, I walked over to the local bowling alley for a good bye party for Jim & Judy. When I was just about ½ way there, Jim and Judy drove by and picked me up. We ended up in the bar for the first hour or so before they started bowling. I played a couple of games of pool. It was Emmett and I against Robbie and George. Robbie was about the only one who looked like he knew what e was doing. It was interesting though that Emmett and I won both games we played – or how Robbie put it – they lost both games – we did not really win. Anyway, it was fun. There ended up being around 13 of us. Ed and I got a ride back to Jill’s house with Sara and Robbie.
Since I had not made it to the YMCA for over a week, I decided to bite the bullet and go with John at 5 a.m. this morning. I am not sure if I slept any at all last night. I just tossed and turned all night. I even got up before 5 a.m. without using my alarm. John and I worked out at the YMCA for around two hours. I did my regular routine of 30 -40 minutes of weights, 30 minutes on the killer stairs, and 30 minutes in the pool. I “swam” a record 11 laps today. I feel like a new man (in an old wrapper). I got back to Jill’s house and ate breakfast (two bowls of cereal, a banana, and two cups of coffee). Then, I walked over to MPRI. I got there about 25 minutes early but had to make a rest stop. They called me in 15 minutes early.
I decided to try another one of my bathroom humor routines on them. Courtney came out to get me and said they could not find me. I told her I was in the bathroom. She looked kind of concerned and asked if I still had my water. I said yes. She looked kind of doubtful so I said “Do you want me to give you the details?” She said “No!” I asked who was “ballooning” me today. She said Victor. I said good – I have a story for him. When I walked into the treatment room, we exchanged our normal how are yous. I told them that I had having a problem with gas this week. I asked them if they has seen any of the hot air balloons that were flying around latterly. Anyway, I told them I felt like I had a hot air balloon at the bottom of my rectum. However, I was not worried about it since I felt like any slight poke would release all the gas. I looked at Victor and I think his balloon wilted. It was kind of funny to me at least. Then, when Courtney was filling my balloon with water, the end of the syringe came out and splashed water all over my leg. I asked Courtney if she had done this before (of course she has done this 1,000s of times and could do it in her sleep.) She told me she had done it once before. Well, anyway, I don’t know if I shook Victor up or what but when they did my x-rays, they said my balloon was not in far enough. So, they had to reposition it. I told Courtney, again today, they should not have a man doing a women’s job. Yesterday, Courtney had to take some air out of my balloon that another guy had filled with water. Other than that, things went fine. I kidded David again today about having a foot fetish since he has been playing with my feet the last two days. (They put a washcloth over my feet and then rubber band them together to make sure I do not move them around.)
So, now I am back at Jill’s House. I finished up a load of laundry and got it folder. I decided to get my blog updated and then will start work on my devotionals and then work on my 5th Grade Boys Sunday School lesson and then work on my other Bible study lessons.
Joke of the Day
Panda Bear
A panda bear walks into a restaurant and orders a sandwich.
When he receives the sandwich he eats it and then shoots the waiter and leaves the restaurant.
A policeman sees the panda and tells him he just broke the law. The panda bear tells the policeman that he's innocent and, if he didn't believe him, to look in the dictionary. The policeman gets a dictionary and looks up "panda bear."
It says, ''Panda Bear: eats shoots and leaves.''
If you think that was bad, read the blonde joke below:
Dead Mama
A blonde goes into work one morning crying her eyes out.
Her boss, concerned about his employee's well being, asks sympathetically, "What's the matter?"
The blonde replies, "Early this morning I got a phone call saying that my mother had passed away."
"I'm terribly sorry to hear that. Why don't you go home for the day... we aren't terribly busy. Just take the day off to relax and rest."
The blonde very calmly explains, "No, I'd be better off here. I need to keep my mind off it and I have the best chance of doing that here."
The boss agrees and allows the blonde to work as usual. "If you need anything, just let me know," he says.
A few hours pass and the boss decides to check on the blonde. He looks out over his office and sees the blonde crying hysterically. He rushes out to her, and asks, "Are you going to be okay? Is there anything I can do to help?"
No," replies the blonde, "I just got a call from my sister, and she said that HER mom died too!"
How about this one:
Bad Food
A Doctor was addressing a large audience:
"The material we put into our stomachs is enough to have killed most of us sitting here, years ago. Red meat is awful. Soft drinks corrode your stomach lining. Chinese food is loaded with MSG. High fat diets can be disastrous, and none of us realizes the long- term harm caused by the germs in our drinking water. But there is one thing that is the most dangerous of all and we all have, or will, eat it. Can anyone here tell me what food it is that causes the most grief and suffering for years after eating it?" After several seconds of quiet, a 75-year-old man in the front row raised his hand, and softly said, "Wedding Cake."
One last try:
A Zoo Story
A guy found a sheep and showed him to a policeman.
The policeman said, "Take that sheep to the zoo, now."
Next day the policeman sees the man with the sheep again.
The policeman stops the guy and says, "What on earth are you doing with that sheep?"
The guy says, "What is there to do? Yesterday I took him to the zoo and now I'm taking him to the movies."
Ok, how about this one:
No Arms and No Legs... Pile
What do you call a guy with no arms or legs lying in a pile of leaves?
Russell.
Man, it sure is hard to find a good joke – one last try (A dumb blonde joke:)
A car was driving down the street when all of a sudden it started swerving. The car was going back and forth till someone with a cell phone called the police. A police officer pulled the car over. A blonde rolls down the window and says, "Officer, I'm so glad you are here. I saw a tree in the road, then I saw another. So I had to swerve to keep from hitting it!" The officer looks at her, then says, "Ma'am, that's your air freshener."
You have to admit that was kind of cute!
Yesterday afternoon, I worked on my daily devotionals, my Muslim 30 day prayer booklet, my ministering to Muslims booklet, my Men’s Small group lesson, and my 5th Grade Sunday school lesson so it was a full afternoon. I also started backing up using my free Dell Safe program. It ran for almost 24 hours and still has around 24 hours to go. I was doing some windows updates this morning and it blew up my computer. I just started it up again now. Once it has a full backup, the regular backups should be much shorter. I am only interested in a couple of my main files anyway.
Last Friday started our first wave of folks leaving Jill’s House. Julia and Web left on Friday; today Jim and Judy left; on Friday, Zack & Theresa and Randy and Lisa will be leaving. Early next week Jill and her Mom Sharon will be leaving. Then, in a couple weeks, it will be another mass exodus with John and I; Sara and Robbie and others leaving. Last night, Sharon invited me to eat with her and her family. We had chick and dumplings and they were great. Bob, Jill’s Dad, made most of the dish I think. Anyway, it was great. After that, I walked over to the local bowling alley for a good bye party for Jim & Judy. When I was just about ½ way there, Jim and Judy drove by and picked me up. We ended up in the bar for the first hour or so before they started bowling. I played a couple of games of pool. It was Emmett and I against Robbie and George. Robbie was about the only one who looked like he knew what e was doing. It was interesting though that Emmett and I won both games we played – or how Robbie put it – they lost both games – we did not really win. Anyway, it was fun. There ended up being around 13 of us. Ed and I got a ride back to Jill’s house with Sara and Robbie.
Since I had not made it to the YMCA for over a week, I decided to bite the bullet and go with John at 5 a.m. this morning. I am not sure if I slept any at all last night. I just tossed and turned all night. I even got up before 5 a.m. without using my alarm. John and I worked out at the YMCA for around two hours. I did my regular routine of 30 -40 minutes of weights, 30 minutes on the killer stairs, and 30 minutes in the pool. I “swam” a record 11 laps today. I feel like a new man (in an old wrapper). I got back to Jill’s house and ate breakfast (two bowls of cereal, a banana, and two cups of coffee). Then, I walked over to MPRI. I got there about 25 minutes early but had to make a rest stop. They called me in 15 minutes early.
I decided to try another one of my bathroom humor routines on them. Courtney came out to get me and said they could not find me. I told her I was in the bathroom. She looked kind of concerned and asked if I still had my water. I said yes. She looked kind of doubtful so I said “Do you want me to give you the details?” She said “No!” I asked who was “ballooning” me today. She said Victor. I said good – I have a story for him. When I walked into the treatment room, we exchanged our normal how are yous. I told them that I had having a problem with gas this week. I asked them if they has seen any of the hot air balloons that were flying around latterly. Anyway, I told them I felt like I had a hot air balloon at the bottom of my rectum. However, I was not worried about it since I felt like any slight poke would release all the gas. I looked at Victor and I think his balloon wilted. It was kind of funny to me at least. Then, when Courtney was filling my balloon with water, the end of the syringe came out and splashed water all over my leg. I asked Courtney if she had done this before (of course she has done this 1,000s of times and could do it in her sleep.) She told me she had done it once before. Well, anyway, I don’t know if I shook Victor up or what but when they did my x-rays, they said my balloon was not in far enough. So, they had to reposition it. I told Courtney, again today, they should not have a man doing a women’s job. Yesterday, Courtney had to take some air out of my balloon that another guy had filled with water. Other than that, things went fine. I kidded David again today about having a foot fetish since he has been playing with my feet the last two days. (They put a washcloth over my feet and then rubber band them together to make sure I do not move them around.)
So, now I am back at Jill’s House. I finished up a load of laundry and got it folder. I decided to get my blog updated and then will start work on my devotionals and then work on my 5th Grade Boys Sunday School lesson and then work on my other Bible study lessons.
Joke of the Day
Panda Bear
A panda bear walks into a restaurant and orders a sandwich.
When he receives the sandwich he eats it and then shoots the waiter and leaves the restaurant.
A policeman sees the panda and tells him he just broke the law. The panda bear tells the policeman that he's innocent and, if he didn't believe him, to look in the dictionary. The policeman gets a dictionary and looks up "panda bear."
It says, ''Panda Bear: eats shoots and leaves.''
If you think that was bad, read the blonde joke below:
Dead Mama
A blonde goes into work one morning crying her eyes out.
Her boss, concerned about his employee's well being, asks sympathetically, "What's the matter?"
The blonde replies, "Early this morning I got a phone call saying that my mother had passed away."
"I'm terribly sorry to hear that. Why don't you go home for the day... we aren't terribly busy. Just take the day off to relax and rest."
The blonde very calmly explains, "No, I'd be better off here. I need to keep my mind off it and I have the best chance of doing that here."
The boss agrees and allows the blonde to work as usual. "If you need anything, just let me know," he says.
A few hours pass and the boss decides to check on the blonde. He looks out over his office and sees the blonde crying hysterically. He rushes out to her, and asks, "Are you going to be okay? Is there anything I can do to help?"
No," replies the blonde, "I just got a call from my sister, and she said that HER mom died too!"
How about this one:
Bad Food
A Doctor was addressing a large audience:
"The material we put into our stomachs is enough to have killed most of us sitting here, years ago. Red meat is awful. Soft drinks corrode your stomach lining. Chinese food is loaded with MSG. High fat diets can be disastrous, and none of us realizes the long- term harm caused by the germs in our drinking water. But there is one thing that is the most dangerous of all and we all have, or will, eat it. Can anyone here tell me what food it is that causes the most grief and suffering for years after eating it?" After several seconds of quiet, a 75-year-old man in the front row raised his hand, and softly said, "Wedding Cake."
One last try:
A Zoo Story
A guy found a sheep and showed him to a policeman.
The policeman said, "Take that sheep to the zoo, now."
Next day the policeman sees the man with the sheep again.
The policeman stops the guy and says, "What on earth are you doing with that sheep?"
The guy says, "What is there to do? Yesterday I took him to the zoo and now I'm taking him to the movies."
Ok, how about this one:
No Arms and No Legs... Pile
What do you call a guy with no arms or legs lying in a pile of leaves?
Russell.
Man, it sure is hard to find a good joke – one last try (A dumb blonde joke:)
A car was driving down the street when all of a sudden it started swerving. The car was going back and forth till someone with a cell phone called the police. A police officer pulled the car over. A blonde rolls down the window and says, "Officer, I'm so glad you are here. I saw a tree in the road, then I saw another. So I had to swerve to keep from hitting it!" The officer looks at her, then says, "Ma'am, that's your air freshener."
You have to admit that was kind of cute!
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Don't Jack With This Lady!