Birthday Present with 3Gs

The first anniversary of my illness is fast approaching. I can't believe that it has been so long. I was sure it will be 6 months, 8 months tops! Adopting an attitude of a marathon runner helps me a lot. This one will be a triathlon. Apparently, my initial condition was so much out of scale, that it will still take a lot of time to fix it. However, I am making progress and in the right direction. I got used to the new experimental treatment and feel OK most of the time. My appetite is good and I try to eat all the time. Even when I feel like throwing-up, I eat and it makes things better. I even gained a few pounds.... I have treatments twice a week for 2 weeks and then a week off. The week off is great as it allows me to gain strength and travel! As a matter of fact, coming this Monday I'll travel to the West Coast for a week on business. The periodic tests show slow progress in the right direction. The doctors would like to see the numbers getting better faster, and so do I. So the plan is simple: continue and hope for a faster recovery. Having the family around me is a blessing. I enjoy the company of the ones that live under my roof and Skyping with the ones overseas. Now back to the title: Birthday Present with 3Gs Do you guess? Yes, I had a birthday 3 days ago. But the 3G is not the latest cell phone as a present. It is for a few years that I dream of flying in a WWII fighter plane. Every year at the end of the summer there is a WWII air show in our area and I have been watching them for a few years. They come to a small municipal airport with an impressive fleet of planes and volunteers who fly and maintain these planes. There is a static display where you can climb aboard and see the very basic conditions that the fliers had to endure for many hours. Or, you can pay money and take off for a ride of your life. Among the planes were: B-17, B-24, B-25, P-51, T-6 and more. You can see all the details at: http://www.collingsfoundation.org/menu.htm So, as a birthday present, I came to fly in the T-6: a twin seat fighter trainer from WWII, with a powerful engine and a good-view canopy. The weather was excellent: blue skies, some clouds and a perfect 20 deg. C Shoshy came with me and it was great to have someone close to share this wonderful experience before and after. As you can see in the pictures below, I was strapped in the back seat, explained about communications and emergency and we took off into the air for a 30 minutes ride. Shoshy can testify that from the ground the T-6's prop made a huge noise. It wasn't that bad inside. After some instructions, the pilot let me fly the plane, take turns, dives, climbs and it was a fantastic ride. With a small plane and a huge engine, the responsiveness was instant. The views were magnificent. From above we could see the beautiful New England, the ocean, rivers, houses and the trees. Then, came the 3Gs. I informed the pilot that my stomach is OK and "show me what this plane can really do". He took the T-6 into a series of dives, turning on a dime and climbs, generating up to 3Gs. I didn't have to watch the G-meter. Initially I almost fainted. On the first pull-out the G force was so strong that I started to have tunnel vision, which became narrower every second with black all around me. In addition, it was quiet a sensation to get pinned so hard to the seat. Luckily I recalled a TV documentary I saw a few years ago, with breathing techniques that they teach pilots to reduce the G-effect. It worked because I was ready! I could stay alive and conscious throughout all the stunts and even enjoy them. This was like riding a roaring roller coaster at 10,000 feet and 200 knots. At the end the pilot let me do a few quick turns, dives and pulls with several Gs and now I start to understand the true feeling of a fighter pilot. Needless to say, I took many pictures: one hand on the stick and another with the camera. The landing was perfect. Shoshy greeted me on the ground and I could sense a sigh of relief. We had lunch together in the diner overlooking the runway and headed home happily ever after. The next gig is sky diving... Yours, always optimistic, Guy

My own Olympics

It’s time for a new update.

First, a few pictures: some of us, some of nature. More at the end.

The Olympic Games in China are the most amazing I have ever seen. You look at top athletes who practiced hard for many years and it all comes down to one competition that determines if they go home or continue.
It’s moving to watch the roller coaster of triumphs, failures, joy, disappointments and surprises.
While watching the games (in some very late hours) it hit me that I feel all of the above. If you recall from my past updates, I compared my struggle to a marathon. Now with the Olympics it is even clearer to me. Just like these wonderful athletes, I experience the roller coaster of a very long treatment: the ups and downs (good and bad medical results), good and not so good days with side effects and the expectations before every milestone.
However, since I really feel that it is a marathon, and a longer one than I ever expected, I try looking forward and get less excited or discouraged from the ups and downs. Since I already broke the record of how seriously I was ill at the start of my treatment, I hope to break another record and this will be the full recovery in spite of this situation.

A month ago I started a new clinical trial. The other treatment was working OK but not doing the job fast enough. The new experimental medication is really bleeding-edge: phase-1 on a handful of patients. I am the 12th and last patient to join these trials and the one with the highest dosage!
The first 2 weeks were quiet hard to say the least. As you say in Hebrew “Al Hapanim”. Coupled with vomiting and some cold it wasn’t something I experienced so far. The key was to get used to the side effects and go on. I found that eating did magic for me. With Shoshy’s good cooking and dedication, coupled with my desired to eat all the time, my situation gradually improved and I even gained 2 Kg for the first time in years. Eating when you feel like throwing up is counter intuitive (except if you are a mariner!). Yet, I found this to be the best solution. And so, after 2-3 weeks life returned to the ‘normal’ routine.
I am starting to cope with other side effects, the most noticeable one is pain in the tip of my hand fingers. This is a well known result of the long treatment with Velcade.
So far it comes and goes. All I need is two healthy fingers to continue typing…

Before every treatment, which is now twice a week, I go through a series of blood tests, based on which the doctors decide on the specific treatment on that day. There are all sorts of variations in the battle to protect other systems in the body (kidney, liver, etc.) while treating the main problem. However, there are certain go/no-go criteria for the treatment and one of them is minimum level of Sodium. In my last update I told you about how I drink a lot of V8 two days before each treatment. This loads my body with enough Sodium to pass the required threshold (since my Sodium is very low).
Well, I found a more efficient way to deal with the problem. On the morning of the treatment I eat two slices of bread with a few herrings, plus one big can of V8. It works!

Summer has been quiet and not too hot, thanks God. The house is a mess. We started a few renovations 2 months ago and we hope to finish them soon. Without a kitchen we are like gypsies.
I enjoy having the family around and their support. From time to time we take a walk and go see something interesting, like the annual sand castles contest on the beach (see the pictures).

To summarize: so far so good. I feel like a driver shifting gear and I hope that the new treatment will work well. It has to. In a month I'll know more and hope to continue the positive direction.
Yours, always optimistic,
Guy

A new beginning

A month has gone bye. Time flies.

As always, let's get the medical update first, then to my adventures.

A month ago I reported that I will probably need to switch to another clinical trial.

The present medications worked OK but the doctors were expecting better pace of recovery.

This week I am going again through the gauntlet of a long day of tests and next week is a new beginning with a great hope to do better. I am really not worried because I am in the best place with the best team.

Amazingly, in spite of over 9 months of weekly chemotherapy, the special treatment was able to get me back to the scale, substantially improve my immune system and protect my kidneys. My starting point was very bad and I had the dubious honor of breaking the Dana Farber record for how bad I was when it all started. Dana Farber takes care of patients whom the regular treatment does not work, so my record is interesting to say the least.

Starting next week, I'll be going twice a week and as usual will do what I have to do with optimism.

I just came back from 2 weeks in Israel. It was a combined business and pleasure trip. Before it was certain that I will switch to another clinical trial, I had to negotiate a pause in my treatments. After all, what are 2 weeks compared to many months of treatments.

In the end, I was ordered to take a pause because this is the rule when switching medications.

And so, on Tuesday July 1st, I did what I always do when traveling -maximize the vacation time by taking off on the same day right after the treatment. This time it was a lot tougher than in the past. I wasn't in my best condition and with the 5 hours delays in Boston, the adventure was ... challenging.

Nevertheless, knowing that soon I'll meet all the family, friends and colleagues, gave me a lot of energy.
The weather in Israel in July isn't my cup of coffee. I like it when it's maximum 20 C.
I knew that I had to drink well all the time, eat well and be well and that there was no room for anything to go bad.

As you may recall from my writing about the previous visit, this time I took it a lot easier with less running around. Orbotech was very kind to give me a company car and a cell phone.

Thank you to the many relatives and friends who came to see me in Zahala.
Spending time with my father was important for both of us. We had good time at home and and in the many visits to the Cafe Matilda in Zahala. As you may recall he doesn't know about my condition. It was a hard decision for me not to reveal him my condition. Due to his short term memory loss, why make him sad every time we talk about it?

I also spent a few evenings with the family: lunch here, dinner there. They all made an effort to get many family member to join and meet me.

During last week I spent 5 days in Yavne at work. Since I became ill in late Oct. 07, I couldn't work a few consecutive days. Therefore my goal this time was to have a productive week, share and learn and at the end still stand on my feet. It wasn't easy but I made it.

It was important for me to meet my colleagues, get all the updates, participate as a team member and go through the full schedule. The people I work with are truly wonderful individuals which make a good, professional and a friendly team.

I found a good explanation to my overall feeling. I feel well most of the time. However, it's like driving a used car with 200,000 Km (or miles). It will get you from point A to B and at the same time certain systems don't work well, squeak or take more time to activate.

Two weeks before going to Israel my friend Danny asked me what do I want to do. I replied "I would like to meet a few friends and have a nice get together. I refer to friends as to the boys and girls from our elementary school in Zahala, whom we keep in touch with some of them.

I had no clue that Danny and Tali were planning a grand class reunion for me.

With all their heart and tenacity and the short time to organize everything, Tali and Danny devoted a lot of time and energy to create a very unique event.

And so last week on Thursday afternoon, some 30 "kids" gather in the Matilda cafe in Zahala to what turned out to be an emotional, inspiring, unique and a happy class reunion.

Words and pictures can't describe the feeling. Many didn't see each other since the 2004 reunion. Everyone was so happy to be part of this event and you could see it on their faces.

It was very emotional for me and a very happy moment. We didn't have many speeches, just mingling, talking, changing groups, having good food and drinks and having the best time of our life. It lasted almost till 2 am long after the closed the cafe.

Danny has done a nice presentation of the photos he took at the event. Please look at http://www.kitrifoto.com/

- under presentations, 2nd presentation.

Thanks to Ori my uncle, I had the opportunity to finally get acquainted with Sabich. I heard a lot about this food. Ori took me to what is know as he best Sabich on this planet. Now I can testify: it is really great!

Food in Israel is exceptionally good and I love to eat - all the time.

However the best food was at my aunt Nava. She threw a feast that will get top rating with Kleber or Zagat.

So as the Gashash skit says: so what did we have? good food, good company, loyal colleagues, supporting family and relatives and a surprise class reunion. Not bad for a short visit.

The last day in Israel I spent with my mom in Jerusalem. It was great to wind down without trying to do something at the last minute (Lehaspik).

I love coincidences and I had a few during this stay. Especially in Israel, eventually you'll find a connection to anyone. It's a very happy feeling to find out the connection, meet a long time navy pal and meet on a plane back to Boston someone new whom you have met only a few days before.

I won't start with the details because these stories are too complicated to write about.

A little story about the flight back to the US. The plane was packed (I fly economy). Next to me there is a big Indian guy who works for a large construction firm.

I had a challenging flight because of my stomach and other issues. What made it harder was the fact that my 'neighbor' was farting and burping all the time. This audio-smelling show was initially shocked, but like everything in life, I got used to it and was able to sleep for a while. Lucky for me I fly with a face mask all the time (just in case) and the mask filtered the clouds of odors around us... When the flight attendant served us drink and food, he was rude: "give me red wine" or "give me more". Every time he was impolite, the flight attendant added "please" to his sentence. he didn't get it. It was like a lesson in the kindergarten. At the end, everyone around us laughed every time he was talking. Mercy on him.

This is it for now. As mentioned before, next week is a new beginning and hopefully a good one.

Until the next update,

Yours, always optimistic,

Guy

Just Do It !

(you will see later why this is the title for this update)
It has been more than a month since my last update. I feel obligated to update you all because I promoted my blog from day-1. Since many of my family members, friends and colleagues are really scattered all over the globe, it;s the best way to Keep In Touch (my blog's name!).

Business before pleasure (medical updates before my adventures update):

I get my chemotherapy treatments every Tuesday 7:30-12:00.I do it like a machine: get up early, drive to Boston, on the way there I pickup a cup of coffee, get the treatment while working and when it's over, quickly pack my laptop and drive home. At the slightest signs of hesitation to go, pity, doubt or tiredness from this drill, I quickly push the bad thoughts away. This allows me to do what I must do and as a trained soldier.
I have hard time to realize the fact that it has been over 8.5 months of weekly chemotherapy!
Ongelofelijk !!! (Unbelievable in Dutch, as Iris & David taught me).
It is hard to predict how much longer. My starting point was very bad and it was clear (maybe not to me) that it would take many months. However, being optimistic, I am willing to bet on 6 more months or less.A complete blood analysis is done every Tuesday, just before every treatment. Based on the results, the doctors decide how to proceed. Because I am in a clinical trial, the process has some very strict guidelines and the results must be within a lo/hi range. If one of the criteria isn't met, the treatment is interrupted in favor of taking care of the too high/low parameter.
A month ago my sodium got to a very low level and it was going down too close to the limit.
One of the nurses who was concerned simply asked me: "do you like V8?" (it's a tomato juice in a can with 40% sodium). I do like it and replied with a YES. To my surprise, V8 has by far the highest % of sodium than any other food or drink.
And so, 2 days before every treatment, I drink lots of V8 like there is no tomorrow. As a result, my sodium hasn't been that good in months!
To keep my body in shape I now have a personal trainer (Judy). She comes home once a week for yoga and stretching. While it looks simple, I can testify that I feel every muscle after one hour of exercise. Between yoga and the daily walks I should be fine.During last Tuesday's treatment I did some periodic tests which are done every 5 weeks.It is a mental process called expectation! The 24 hours between the test and the results can be as hard as the treatment itself.

My latest results indicate that the present medications don't work that well. The numbers are up. I have programmed myself to deal with setbacks and this is no exception.
The implication is that I will go on another clinical trial very soon (new medications) and hope for the best.
It is a disappointment and I would lie if it wasn't. Yet, I am not worried regarding the treatment. In my case I have no choice at all, but to continue and try a combination of medications that will finally work.

Now to the pleasure (adventures) part of this update:

My boss in Orbotech in the late 90's, Avi Koren, always told his staff "Just do it!".
While it sounds simple and naive, there a lot behind it. In Life like in work, things have got to be done. It is about doing what you believe is right, with passion, professionalism and sometimes against all odds.One of my latest acts of "Just do it" was to travel with Shoshy for a family visit to Europe.Since my time window is between Tuesdays, the trip could last only 6 days.
I have family in Holland and France and my situation could get worse before it gets better. Therefore I decided to take the full 6 days and go for it. At the time of booking my condition was not so well to say the least. I had all sort of issues. Somehow by setting a target and spending the money (expensive airfare), my condition slowly improved towards the travel day. Next week Shoshy and I will celebrate our 30th anniversary. We are a rare breed with this kind of statistics. So, this was another good reason to go back to where we spent our honeymoon 30 years ago in to date. I have family in France whom I haven't seen in a long time, another opportunity to see Iris my sister and her family, Shoshy by my side and 6 full days to do it all. And so, on a Tuesday afternoon, right after treatment, we set off to France and Holland. For those of you who read my blog from Feb. 08, this was a familiar drill deja-vu. Needless to say, the nurses and doctors who OKed the trip, are still amazed. This time during the flight, although I was the only passenger with a face mask, it didn't draw a lot of attention as last time. The first part of the visit took us to Den-Haag, Holland, where My sister Iris lives with her family. On the day we arrived, we rented bicycles for me and Shoshy and together with Iris and David we cycled through a nature reserve with sand dunes and nice trails that led to the ocean. There, we played Matkot (go translate this to English...) and took a lot of pictures. My sister's apartment is right on the beach with a clear view to the ocean (see the pictures). Having dinner and watching a perfect sunset is absolutely breath taking. Holland is covered with orange flags because of the Euro Cup 2008 (soccer). On the day that we travelled to Paris, Holland beat France 4:1 and the French were in mourning. In the two days in Den-Haag we did more sight seeing but most important we stayed together, talked, updated each other and recharged. The train back to France took us in no time to Paris at 230 Km/h. Paris is the most beautiful city, hands on the table! Meeting with our Parisian family branch was really overdue. We got royal treatment from the get-go. Leslie (Pierre's mom) picked us from the train station, prepared a French dinner for us and then took us for a night walk under the lighted Eifel tower (she lives nearby).
Moishale my uncle made sure that we'll see all of Paris without walking too much.
Micky, my cousin, prepared a gourmet brunch for all the family in her apartment. We did some sight seeing on our own, by taking an open bus tour of Paris. In between, we had coffee in the Champs Elysees, tasty dinner in a very nice restaurant near the Opera, walked between the Trocadero to the Eifel at night, raided the flee market and much more. As Shoshy said "this was exhausting even for a healthy person".
On Monday noon we headed back home. On the plane I saw the movie Two Buckets. It's about two not so young guys who are terminally ill and decided to make a list of things to do before they die and Just Do It. What a coincidence, but with a small twist: I do have long term plans!

Going back to something I already mentioned to you in the past: out of every bad situation there is a possibility for a good outcome. I wanted to visit Israel this summer and negotiated with the doctors the terms. It was difficult because of the treatments on every Tuesday. Now that I have to move to a new clinical trial, a mandatory two weeks off is my ticket to Israel!
I plan to be in the Holy Land from 2 to 14 July!

And so my fellow blog-readers, this is it for this update.
Always optimistic,
Yours
Guy
Shoshy & Guy logo!, Paris, On bicycles in Holland

Playing MATKOT, Eating Herring!, Sunset from Iris's window

View from Iris's apartment, Paris, getting funny in Holland

Thank You !!!

May has been a great month (still is!) with many visitors and events.

In my last update I told you about a few coming events.

Since then:

Lior walked all the 20 miles in the Walk for Hunger in Boston and raised money for this worthy cause.

My dear sister Iris came from England to see me. I wish we had these reunions more often. Iris went on a few missions: get our home better organized by throwing away a lot of stuff and getting me on a healthy and fattening diet.

Tod, a friend of the Zahala elementary school, came to see me on his way between the US and Europe. Together with Iris we had a lovely sightseeing day in Boston.

Spring time in Boston is amazing (I also mentioned it last time because it is really amazing). Every year I look at the explosion of nature as if I am new to this area.
Lucky for me, I have no allergies, so I can enjoy the amazing color show without worries. Some of my local friends tell me that I'll become a true American when I'll have at least one allergy.

I write this update as I get my weekly treatment at Dana Farber.
If you see something funny in my writing, at least I have a good excuse - under the influence of experimental drugs!
It is amazing how I got used to the drill in the past 7 months: get up early, grab something to eat, drive to Boston, get the treatment, drive back home.
During the chemotherapy sessions I sit on the bed with the laptop open, the Blackberry is there too, a few scattered notes and before you know it, the 5 hours are gone.

Belive me - it is better to be busy than look around.
Thanks to my friend Danny Kitri in Israel, I have a CD with many marches: American, British and Russian. As I drive to and from Boston for the treatment, I listen these marches which get me in the right fighting mood (including "In The Mood, by Glenn Miller).
I also found a way to get rid off some side effects right after every treatment - a little exercise in the form of walking around the block. Today Lior took me to a wonderful walk 10 min. from our home - in the woods nearby there is a boardwalk around a pond.

The title of this update is Thank You !!!

In my last update I told you about the MMRF walk/run event on May 10th, in which Orbotech was one of the sponsors in my honor.
I am happy to report that the event was a success. There were hundreds of walkers and runners. I have attached a few pictures to share with you.

Many of you came on a very cold Saturday morning to the walk. You and others who could not come donated with an open heart.
I would like to personally thank each and every one of you for your kind support for me through this event.

Thank you to Nancy and others that helped her in this event and to Orbotech Inc. management for their support and encouragement.
It means a lot to me and it gave me a strong back wind in my drive to win this battle and soon.

I owe Nancy from Orbotech Inc. a big and a special thank you for her initiative and taking care of everything - hours of preparations in the weeks before the event and during the event day.
A few weeks ago Nancy came to me with a proposal that Orbotech will sponsor the MMRF walk/run event in my honor. Initially I was reluctant for reasons that I can't even explain to myself. Maybe it's because I am not used to being the center of an event. Gracefully Nancy persisted and I gave the OK. From that point on, things started to roll in an amazing way. Nancy has sent emails to the all the Orbotech employees plus a few reminders, instructions, directions, etc. encouraging them to participate. I sent emails to my many friends and relatives around the world and even to some key customers and suppliers.
The response has been most overwhelming in terms of donations and encouragements. We had to raise the bar twice and at the end the total is over $26,000.

The donation page will remain open for a year. Late comers who still wish to donate can do it any time. Looking at similar sites, some use it to donate on behalf of family members for birthdays or for any other occasion, etc.
www.active.com/donate/bos08/teamorbotech
I got emails from friends and ex-colleagues that I haven't heard from in years, all of which made me very happy. I found it very rewarding to be able to renew old contacts from my distant past: elementary school, Naval Academy and the Ship I was on, friends and acquaintances from the 5 different countries I lived in, customers an suppliers in North America that I work with and work colleagues throughout the years (Orbotech and ex-Orbotech).
As an example of dedication: my friend Eyal from Baltimore, jumped on a plane at 6 am to be with me on that day, and at the end of the event jumped on the return plane to go home.
The Orbotech team (in this case all of you and me) got the #1 award for this event. Strangely enough, when Nancy and I went to receive the award at the conclusion of the event, the person who gave it to us was no other than Dr. Paul Richarson, the clinical research director of the Jerome Lipper Multiple Myeloma Center at Dana Farber! He is signed on my clinical trial!

For all of this, a big THANK YOU one more time from the bottom of my heart.

On the medical front, the drill is simple: every cycle is 5 weeks with a weekly treatment every Tuesday. Every end of a cycle progress is measured. At the end of every 2 cycles, a decision is taken: continue or change. So my life has turned into time intervals of my lucky number 5 !

Written a day later:

I just got the news that the test results are good: there is good progress! The numbers are just as the doctors want to see them: not going down to fast or too slow. I had a bet with myself what will it be and I was very close.

Yours, always optimistic,
Guy

from a window at our home. . . . . . . . . under the big Spruce in our yard

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