Unsettling News came in threes
Unsettling News Item #1: About a week ago I got a message from a fan community to which I belong. It was in the form of a video and featured one of my favorite singer-songwriters, Raul Malo. First Raul thanked the fans for our support and then went on to say he wanted to share something personal. It seems that since COVID the band members made a conscious decision to take better care of themselves. They have been working on improving their nutrition and went for physicals. Raul was sent to a gastroenterologist who sent him for a colonoscopy which led to a CT scan which revealed 2 cancerous spots. By the time you read this he will have begun treatment. His tone of voice and delivery made it feel more like a Public Service Announcement and less about his personal situation. By coming forward with his news he may have saved someone else's life. I hope his treatment is successful and I hope that Mavericks fans will donate to SAA in his honor.
Unsettling News Item #2: Around the same time as News Item #1 I learned that a former colleague is battling chronic myeloid leukemia, a blood and bone marrow cancer. He's been on meds for 15 years but his cancer has developed a resistance to the medications. HIs doctors recommended a stem cell transplant. He is currently in the hospital getting chemo and radiation to wipe out his immune system to prepare for the stem cell transplant. The hope is that these cells will graft to his bone marrow and make new white blood cells. A successful procedure will enable him to be around for his wife and two young children and continue to do amazing work.
Unsettling News Item #3: A friend in the bicycle club to which I belong asked about my hair (sapphire blue) and when I told her why I did it she revealed that her daughter has terminal brain cancer. What do you say when someone tells you that? She doesn't think there is help for her daughter but hopes that soon there will be help for others.
If you are able, please support my fund-raising effort by making a donation. The researchers who receive our support are in our community* and are the next generation of cancer pioneers. Without Swim Across America's early stage funding, they are not able to conduct trials that can lead to breakthroughs that can save lives. Thank you for helping make an impact in the fight to find a cure!
* Beneficiaries include: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory, The Feinstein Institute of Northwell Health, MD Anderson Children's Cancer Hospital and SHARE Cancer Support.