Three Acts of Kindness

In our daily lives we read and hear about all sort of fundraising, all for good causes.
It feels a lot different when the event or activity is sponsored by your employer or loved ones.
In a span of 3 weeks (from last week to the next 2 weeks) I have encountered and will encounter 3 wonderful and heart warming acts of kindness and support.

First event was a week ago. Inbal's high school friend from Needham, Lindsey, ran the Boston marathon for the first time (26.2 miles !!!) as a charity for Dana Farber. She never ran anything like a marathon. Nevertheless, she trained, raised a lot of money and made it through. We both told each other "you are my hero", each for his/her own marathon. It was moving and touching to watch her running by as we cheered her at mile 18.

The second event will be the Multiple Myeloma Research Foundation 5K walk/run event in Boston on May 10th.
I was overwhelmed by Orbotech's decision to sponsor this event in my honor.
In the course of our lives we are asked to take part in all sort activities, as well as contribute money and time.
This is the first time that I find myself asking others to do something that is directly related to my life, which is to support the research for Multiple Myeloma (MM).
Interestingly enough, the team of doctors who are taking care of me at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, co-invented the only known medication for MM.
The results are promising and at the same time there is a lot more to do.
I invite everyone in the Boston area to come and join my family and me in this event.
As many other have already generously done, you can donate through the link:
www.active.com/donate/bos08/teamorbotech

The third event will be the Boston Walk for Hunger on May 4th. In the past few years I have participated twice with my daughters in this 22 miles walk around Boston.
This year I will be cheering Lior and Neta from the sidewalk, as they walk for this worthy cause.
The act of giving is very powerful for both sides.

Spring in Boston is absolutely amazing, even after watching it for so many years. It is a miracle how in the span of 3 weeks the landscape changes from bare trees and land to a colorful party of everything that grows. I have attached below a few pictures.

On the medical front, no real news. The process is slow: I go every Tuesday for my chemotherapy session and every 2.5 months tests are run to determine progress. I have programmed myself to be patient and adapt to these very long time constants.

This week I was lucky to have two dear guests.

First, my sister Iris came from England for 10 days. We are very close in spite of the big ocean between us. It is a wonderful opportunity to talk about everything, get a good advice and keep up with the latest family news. The one thing I am not getting used to when Iris is here, is having more than 10 cups of tea per day...

My second guest was Tod whom I know from our kindergarten days.

Guests are a good thing. They force me to take it easy, go and see things, sit and talk and drink a lot of tea and coffee.

And so, as I look outside and see the Spring colors all around - I am optimistic.

Yours

Guy

About test results and waiting for them

I can't believe that more than 5 months of treatments have gone by.
This week was an important one. As I completed two cycles of clinical trials (the last 10 weeks), I had a series of tests to determine progress.
One of the tests was a bone marrow biopsy. It's a short procedure, but very painful, where the doctor uses "Home Depot" tools to drill a small piece of the heap bone for analysis. This is my 3rd test of this kind. Luckily it is a short procedure. As part of the clinical trials, the medical team asks the patients to do a bone marrow biopsy after every 2 cycles. It is not mandatory. I agreed and It is in a way my contribution to the research for a cure.

As the anxiety for the test and its results was building up, the suspension, the unknown, the what-if questions, got me like any other person in a similar situation.
I recalled my early university days, running to the bulletin board to look at my exam results.
When you think about it, life is about many tests and confronting the results.

Needless to say, in the case of my present illness, test results have some very serious implications.

To cut the story short, I got the results and they show progress!

I already know and witnessed that progress is neither predictable nor linear.
And so I take it with satisfaction that the direction is positive and at the same time I know that the road to recovery is a long one and prepare myself for the ups and downs to come.
Many friends ask me "how much more time with treatments?". Nobody knows. It is a closed loop process in which periodic tests determine the course of action.
I feel that my body is strong, my spirit is positive and I am optimistic.
Therefore, it will take a few more months or a bit more and at the end, as planned, we'll have a nice party.

Summer is around the corner and along with it the travel season.
Since the treatment's results are good, I will continue to have my weekly appointment (every Tuesday) at Dana Farber in Boston. If the results were not good, they would have given me a 2-3 weeks vacation and start with another clinical trial. This would have allowed me to sneak a visit to Israel.
So the good medical news are bad news for my travel plans.
Since the priority is to get me healthy again, I accept the curfew.
Shoshy and the girls will start their pilgrimage to the holy land in May.
Yours
Always optimistic!
Guy

No News = Good News

This is the first update with nothing new and exciting to report. Sometimes, it is OK too.

Yet, a month has gone by since the last one and I feel compelled to tell you what's going on in the medical and personal fronts.

Needham High School, winter in Mass., colorful glasswork)

On the medical side, no news. In two weeks, I will complete another treatment cycle as part of the clinical trials and then will undergo tests. Depending on the outcome, the doctors will decide between staying the course or changing to other medications in their arsenal.

During my weekly treatment I look at the results and take my doctor's advise not to take it too seriously. There are ups and downs, just like the stock market (not really that bad...) and the long term approach is the best way to look at the situation.

While there is no good news yet in terms of reducing the cancerous cells, other parameters have improved, which explain why I overall feel really well most of the time. Sometimes, when I get all sort of small and normal irritating problem, the first thought is that it is all because of my illness. I found this approach dangerous, because we all get sometimes stomach ache, head ache, etc. So, I am used to telling myself that all the little irritations have nothing to do with my big problem. Putting all of this aside helps me to feel better.

Time flies. It is almost five months that I have been in chemotherapy. I must admit that initially I planned on a few months of treatments, having a good bye party with the doctors and forget about the whole thing. It is clear that due to the slow progress it is going to be a longer 'adventure'.

Yet, I am ready and the basic plans have not changed, just will take longer to get there. Getting into a routine helps a lot. My week is as follows: I go to the office for 2 days and the rest work from home. Tuesday is my treatment day.

A typical Tuesday: I drive to the hospital in Boston, get the few hours of treatment and drive back home. While there, I try to concentrate on my laptop's screen which looks a lot better than the patients around me.

To make sure that I am on track after a long treatment, going to the office on Wednesday is really important. This is my way of putting aside all the little annoyances, irritations and leftovers from Tuesday's treatment.

with all 3 girls at our home, Shadow (our cat) pretending to relax next to Trevor the fish

Having most of the girls at home is a huge plus. Of course I wish it could have been under different circumstances. Yet, it is most enjoyable to have the family around you. Today, Sunday (Easter), was a good example. After a very lazy start of the day, we decided to go out strolling along the ocean. We dressed properly and took off to the unknown in a very clear, sunny and chilly day. Lior was driving (with some four back-seat drivers) and I played with the GPS until we found our destination: the promenade along Quincy Shore Drive.
Closing my eyes and smelling the sea reminds me of many memorable moments as a sailor. From the Mediterranean to the Red Sea, beautiful sunsets, stormy seas, huge waves, dolphins and the missions. In front of me the Atlantic Ocean with the Boston skyline in the background, brings no memories of sailing, as I have not sailed in this part of the world, but instead, our many years here in Boston.
After walking on the sandy beach we found a good restaurant and finally at 3 pm had our first meal of the day. Everyone was happy.Next update I hope to report progress.

Yours, always optimistic,

Guy

Sunday afternoon by the Atlatic Ocean

Two chemo treatments and 14,104 km (8,815 miles) in between

This update is not as funny as the last one with the drug dealer. It was indeed a unique situation which I was able to describe only part of it. This time it is about a plan which was turned into a reality.
A week ago I was in Italy for 5 days (7 days with travel time). It all took place between Monday 11 Feb. to Monday 17 Feb.
Monday is the day of my weekly treatment. Now you can understand the title of this update.

It all started with my wish to visit the Italian company that Orbotech acquired last year. As the marketing manager of this new group, I felt that the personal interaction with the team is a must. There is a limit to what can be achieved by email and phone calls. In addition, doing one more 'business as usual' activity was important for me. Since becoming ill I haven't traveled at all, except the Nov. 2007 trip to Israel. Since travel is challenge and a risk, I have to cherry pick the important cases and get the medical team blessing for it. I consulted with my doctor, and she was favorable overall, with one condition: that I will be OK on the day of travel! A date was set and I was very excited.
A week before the trip I was hospitalized for 3 days. I thought to my self: "here goes your wonderful plan". At the same time I convinced myself that by the time of the planned trip, I will be OK! Indeed, I felt really well in the days following the hospital adventure, maybe after laughing so hard watching the drug dealer, his girls and the piles of money on his bed.
The plan was still very tricky for Monday 11 Feb.:
9-12 am: go to the hospital for my weekly chemotherapy.
12:30: drive home, pack and rest for 1 hour.
2 pm: take a taxi to the airport
4:45 pm: fly to Europe.
Crazy but doable!

Monday was a long day. Everything worked according to the plan: I got my treatment, the doctor gave me the final go-ahead, the taxi came on time and I was on my way to the airport.


As you can see in the picture, treatment time is not a lost time thanks to my laptop.






The nurses at the hospital were not sure why I tried to speed up the treatment and get out early. Usually patients stay longer after the treatment until they feel well.I promised the doctor and nurses to be back in a week and on time for my next Monday treatment. I must add at this point that the people who knew about my plan were divided into two groups:
The optimists - encouraged me, happy for me, wished me well. Special thanks for my doctor who looked at the facts and not at the theory.
The pessimists - try to talk me out of my plan. "you are totally irresponsible", "you shouldn't fly at all", "it's a BAD idea", "you'll be sick like a dog", "what if you get sick in Italy", etc.

As a disciplined patient, if my doctor says OK, I go. If the order was not to go, I would have stayed.
With my body loaded with anti-biotics, anti-virals and a face mask, I took-off to Venice via Frankfurt. I must admit that I prayed that everything will go smoothly. I had no plans to be admitted to a small Italian hospital, far away from a serious medical center. Unlike in the Far-East, where it is common to see 50% of the people with face masks, I was the only one in sight with a face mask (in two flights and 3 airports on that day). The long flight to Europe was almost full. Some people who were assigned to sit next to me (right and left), saw me and the mask and quickly found other seats, fearing that I have the Plague. I am not used to be treated as someone with Leprosy. Try to explain that the mask is to protect me and not them.
However, the outcome was very positive and I thanked all the people who ran away from me: I had empty seats all around me to relax, stretch, sleep and enjoy almost first class conditions in the economy class. Now, please don't get an idea that on your next flight you can put on an inexpensive face mask and get two empty sits next to you. The toughest part in this long journey was breathing through a mask for some 24 hours. I couldn't take any chance.

In the arrival area in Venice airport, a taxi driver waited for me with a big sign :" Guy Alon". It's funny. Throughput my many travels I have seen numerous people waiting with signs and now it was the first time that it happened to me. For a moment I felt really important...
Driving on the highway at 180 Km/h was like playing a video game of a high speed chase. Everyone was going way too fast. My Italian language quickly came back to me after a nice conversation for an hour with the taxi driver. The old guy was born in that area of Northern Italy and lived there for his entire life. He never went abroad and he visited south Italy only a few times. Some people travel and some stay put.
Finally after 3 airports, 2 flights, 2 taxi rides and 24 hours, I arrived to the company in Gorizia. It is a town on the border with Slovania where you can see the snowy peaks of the Alps. It was a great relief to take-off the mask.
The local Italian team gave me a warm welcome. Their hospitality was great throughout the week and I thank them all for that. I'll skip the professional and technical details of the visit, just to mention that it was very important for me and my job and I am glad that I did it. I arrived to the conclusion that the Italian food is the best medication. I enjoyed every bit of it. Everything was soooooo good: the tortellini, tiramisu, minestrone, to mention a few of my favorites. My plan was to work until Friday afternoon, rest on Saturday, then on Saturday afternoon take a taxi to Venice airport, check-in to a hotel nearby and fly out early on Sunday morning.
Working for a full week was quiet an effort for me. I haven't done it since becoming ill. As a result I slept for almost 14 hours (until 2 pm on Saturday). For me not eating 5 meals a day is very unusual. So, I took a short walk looking for a restaurant. Nothing was open: 2-4 pm everything is closed. I settled for a coffee place for a good latte and a croissant. The small coffee shop was full of local people. Everyone talked to everyone, quietly, with hand gestures and about everything: from work to personal matters. Two old guys flirted with the waitress. They were a bit drunk and friendly. I understood every word. The spicy language and hand waiving made me laugh hard behind a newspaper that I found on the table. For the Israelis among you who remember the movie KVALIM, the picture was similar to the scene where Shissell, Mushonov and Arik Einstein have a conversation near the bar.
When a big noise was heard from the room at the back of the coffee shop, everyone ran to help (it was the waitress boy who bumped into something). The friendliness among the people in the coffee shop was in stark difference to what we are accustomed to see in most other places. By the way, it is in that part of Italy that two famous coffee companies have their main facilities: Cafe Illy and Cafe Segafredo.Hungry but happy I waved goodbye to the crowd at the coffee shop and took a taxi to Venice airport.
The thought that I will be near Venice and not actually see it, crossed my mind. If you know me well, you can guess the next chapter of this trip.

I threw my bags in the hotel room and took a bus to see Venice. Dressed well (it was cold), I then boarded a boat-taxi that took me via the Grand Canal to the famous Piazza San Marco.It has been almost 30 years since my last visit to Venice. In the summer of 1978 Shoshy and I were there on a honey moon! We fed the pigeons, climbed up the campanile tower, had a great Italian gelato, and enjoyed a sunny day. This time, I was alone, it was cold, it was a full moon clear night, and I was very happy to close a loop. Many of the buildings were illuminated, the place was clean, no sign of past floods, there were many Asian tourists who braved the cold temperatures and most of the shops and restaurants were open. I managed to walk quiet a bit, in spite of my body not used to such a long walk and not fully cooperating with my plan. Finally at 10 pm I sat in a small restaurant for my first meal on that day (excluding the snacks of course). It was a farewell dinner in this trip to my favorite Italian cuisine. There was something funny in that restaurant that got my attention. Usually the waiters are friendly and especially in my case, because I speak Italian. My waiter was smiling but always looked in a certain direction, no matter where he walked to (like a gyro on a gimbal set). I was puzzled. He barely looked at me or the other diners. Even when he brought the hot soup, he placed it right in front of me without looking down at my table. Then, I turned my head and looked at the direction that the waiter was watching. I got it ! Behind me on the wall there was a TV showing live (but silent) a very important soccer game in the Italian league. The local team was winning (barely). Can you imagine how the hot soup would have landed on my table if the local team was losing...

On my way back to the shuttle-boat, I lost my way. I went in circles in the small allies and finally was assisted by a young fellow who showed me the way out.

The trip back to Boston was similar to the one that took me to Venice: long flight, long connection, face mask all the time, free seats around me and not so great airline food. Lucky for me I stuffed myself with a lot of real tortellini (my favorite) before the flight.
In the Boston airport I had a nice surprise: all my 3 girls came to pick me up! What a joy!
After 6 long days I was back home, tired, but in a good shape, high spirit, without viruses, flu, etc.

The morning after my arrival I went to the hospital in Boston for my weekly treatment, as I promised the medical team not to be a deserter.
This was my busiest week in a long time.

On the medical side, I continue with the experimental treatment at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute and so far so good. It will take a few more months for sure. Tomorrow (Monday) will be the end of cycle-1 and I will go through a few tests to assess progress. If they find a lot of traces of tortellini in my blood tests, you know where it came from.
The marathon goes on. The Italian trip gave me a nice boost.
I am already planning my next travel adventure, but this is a secret for now.
Yours, always optimistic,
Guy

Unexpected Hospital Adventure

Would you believe if I told you:
That in the last weekend I slept next to a drug dealer?
That I enjoyed it?
That I laughed so hard at times during the weekend?

I am 100% sure that all of you either think that:
The medications are finally start to work on Guy!
What does a drug dealer has to do with Guy's treatments?

You'd better believe me because it is true.
Ask Shoshy and Inbal who were the witnesses.

The story started last week. On Friday I had high fever and my doctor ordered me to be hospitalized. In my condition they don't take a chance.
Hospital experience in Boston (which we are all too familiar with from Shoshy's adventures 4 years ago), is nothing compared to other hospitals anywhere in the world. I am not just talking about the room, facilities, cleanliness, equipment, etc.
What makes the differences are the nurses and the way they run the show so smoothly. Another pleasant surprise was the food. I have a famous saying that the hospital food alone can kill you. Not in Boston! The system is as follows: you get a menu and 45 minutes before you would like to eat, you call a number and order a la cart. The menu (4 pages) looks like one from a respectable restaurant. The food arrives warm, on a nice tray and in nice plates. From drinks, appetizers, entrees, side orders, to deserts. For the Israelis among you: America Versano!

And so, I found myself alone in a nice hospital room for two, hooked up to several IVs ("infusiot") and well take care of. Whenever the doctors decided to run a test it was done without delay: from a simple blood test to an X-ray, Ultrasound, etc.

After a quiet morning alone in a room and a good lunch, the other empty bed wasn't empty any more. My neighbor was a young good looking African-American guy, accompanied by two ladies.
There was a curtain between the two beds and most of the time I could only hear the conversations and the bad language, most of which I will not be able to repeat here. Instead, I used just a few letters so please use your imagination..

The "entertainment program" started with the admission nurse. She asked his permission to do few tests, including to swipe a special small stick in his but to test for antibiotics resistant viruses. Needless to say he refused. When the nurse went out he picked-up the phone, called a friend and said: "The Mo... Fu... wants me to stick this thing in my F... ass. Who the F... they think they are."
Then his ladies joined the conversation with plenty of a variety of words we don't use very often. I still don't get what was the fuss all about.

The guy looked intelligent and I had no clue about his business. He made a few innocent calls until one in the afternoon which revealed the unthinkable: my neighbor is a drug dealer!!!
In a few conversations with the ladies and on the phone, I learned the profit from each deal, how often does he buy a supply, there are deals that lawyers are involved, where to go to have fun, etc. a wealth of information you don't just read in the Boston Globe.
The girls were gone and new girls came. The guy made more phone calls with plenty of bad language. I sat behind the curtain, sometimes with Inbal, laughing hard but quietly and enjoying this live entertainment.
One evening when Shoshy came to see me, she was amazed. The guy with three other girls were counting money on the bed. Lot's of money, more than in any ATM ("Bankomat"), big packs of greenbacks ($$$), probably the proceeds for the business or businesses.
Amazingly the nurse came in, took his vital signs, laughed with the girls and went away. can you picture that in your mind?

The next day, it was the Super Bowl with New England Patriots vs. the New York Jets and Inbal joined me in the room for the game. Although we (New Englanders) lost, the entertainment came from the guy and his ladies. At times, especially in the final moments he stood next to the TV, cursing and blessing everyone, waving his hands and acting with passion.
We laughed so hard in spite of the loss.

Later at night I couldn't sleep, The guy was conducting business with many partners over the phone. It was about buying, selling, and the "Mo... Fu... who stick needles in my F... arms, want me to collect my F... urine" and "get me out of this F... up place".

This blog can't describe all the events in the 3 days at the hospital which made me laugh hard and have a good time.
Yet, there was a lesson: stereotyping doesn't work. I did not expect to meet a funny, intelligent drug dealer, with a circle of friends so devoted to him he had visitors at all time of the day. A drug dealer so kind and funny that even the nurses could not resist enjoying his company. Who could believe or expect what I have described above?

So, after 3 days with live entertainment and some serious medical work, I went home. Walking with Inbal on the sidewalk, breathing fresh air and looking up to the skies, are a few things you start to appreciate only after you miss them.

A few days before I was admitted to the hospital, my mother came especially from Israel to see me. I am thankful for you mom!
Although things didn't go as planned, I enjoyed the visit and the healthy foods. Next time I promise to behave better.

In the last blog I told you about the clinical trials. About 10 days ago I started a new treatment with experimental medications. Now after two sessions I feel OK, no side effects, eat well and I hope it stays like this.
All that is left is to see how the new medications do their trick and kill the bad cells. The goal is to reach the point where a stem cell transplant can take place, probably in a few months. This is a marathon and my focus is on the finish line and the recovery party!

Yours, always optimistic,
Guy

Ehhh, What's Up Doc?

I have made a commitment to update my blog every 3 weeks or so. The update part is easy, however it is always a challenge what will be the main theme (to spice it up) and more important the title. This time I hit the jackpot - What's up doc? by Bugs Bunny!

Bugs Bunny is me - I love carrots (I drink a lot of carrot juice) and I always ask the doctors a lot of questions. I am sure I'll be lucky like Bugs Bunny, who escapes every possible situation. I am as optimistic as him - look at his smile.

Where does the expression "What's up doc?" come from? There really isn't much story behind the phrase "what's up, doc?" besides that it was simply an invented catch phrase to add to the characterization.

The real reason why I picked Bugs Bunny for this update is because I am going to be one very soon!

In the past 2.5 months I have had 3 chemotherapy cycles. While the progression of the disease has stopped, we had limited sucess in getting the number of bad cells down. The doctors were able to have a lot of progress on many other blood parameters. As a result, I feel really good, no more (almost) bone pain, I move freely, go to work here and there, eat well and try to live normal life. Last Friday I drove with a colleague to see a major customer in CT.

After consulting with the doctors, they suggested me to join the clinical trials - hence the Rabbit!

Last Thursday I went through a screening process to determine if I am a candidate for the trials. For the doctors among you, this is not a double-blind. I will be getting the real experimantal medications.

I will start taking the these medications on this coming Monday and will continue to do so in the next 2.5 months. Similar to what I had so far, the experimental drugs are also non-Toxic and I do not expect an side effects. Based on the results, the doctors wil decide on the next step: continue or change protocol one more time.

All that is left for me to do is be patient and hope for the best. The goal is to get the bad cells to a very low number where the stem cell transplant can be persormed.

As I mentioned in my last update, it is wonderful, helpful and pleasant to have all the family with me.

And so, I optimistically look forward for a successful treatment and to my humble contribution to the medical reasearch process for finding a cure.

Yours, always optimistic

Guy

Patience is the name of the game

I write this update not because of some exciting news, but because there is a little change and I don't want to keep the silence for too long.In the medical business doctors don't like to rush and change course. I have recently learned this as a result of my slow progress.The medical team told me to be patient and I have no choice. The explanation is simple. In the arsenal against the disease, there are several bullets. Using the advanced and more powerful ones at the beginning may not be a good idea. If they don't work, there isn't much left to do. The approach is to start with the conventional treatment, run a few cycles, then decide on the next step.Lucky for me, both the conventional and the clinical trials use non-toxic chemotherapy which explains my overall good shape and good appetite. The only limitation is the bone pain which has some impact on my mobility. When I can, I drive to work, drive for treatments and try not to be limited with the bone pain. I move slower than all of you know me.So, the next step is to complete the last treatment of cycle-3 coming on this Thursday, then next week run a few more tests and if the predictions are right, change a protoc

ol and move to new medications (clinical trials). I will be on vacation from all medications for 2 weeks and will start the new treatment probably on 28 Jan.Another month means a lot of patience. As long as I can eat well and the pain isn't too bad, I'll be OK. January is a busy month at work and I have plenty in my work to do list to keep me busy.

Shoshy's cooking:

On the family side, it is getting very exciting for me. Slowly but surely my girls are converging on home. In 24 hours all three girls will be at home and this is really a rare event. Having a family of 5 under the same roof is something we should celebrate.The weather is also very cooperative.

In a glass gallery . . . . . . . . . . Last week's snow storm (our back yard) . . Holiday spirit...

December in New England was very cold and snowy. I had to be extra careful. Breaking a bone is not an options. Last week temperatures dipped to -18 c. However, this week it is amazing +17 c to the amazement of all.So, with good weather, all the family with me, a change of course in treatment and overall feeling OK, it is a good start of 2008.

Yours,

Guy