It has come to our attention that we have not let you know how Anne is doing. We decided to have her write something for me to post here:
“Given the nature of the news we received last week, we are both doing better than we might have expected. It has so changed things that I find I just have to accept it rather than try to fight it.
Several things have helped with this. Most important is Gary’s incredible ability in this time to see the glass as half-full. I thought I knew Gary really well, but this experience has revealed a deep inner strength in my husband which I had never before fully appreciated. Without his strength and attitude, I would not be doing as well.
My rudimentary understanding of the Buddhist concept of pain vs suffering has been an incredibly powerful tool for me. One of the problems of any diagnosis with the word “cancer” is that it is an emotionally-charged word filled with “black” images and scenarios, many left from decades ago. Whenever my mind goes there, I try to catch myself and ask, “Is this happening now?” The answer is invariably “no,” so I realize I am suffering unnecessarily and also missing out on the present moment.
Thank you all for your prayers and support for both of us. It means more than you can imagine. Please continue to ask for the best possible outcome for Gary.”
Gary and Anne,
You are in our thoughts more often than you know. So now you have a Feet of Clay Presbyterian Fella and a Mad-as-a-Hatter Jewish Lady praying for you both.
Gary…funny things to write on your tombstone, really! Gosh, no wonder we love you. We have often had that discussion, usually after several glasses of blessed wine…
Hang in there, both of you. Kat gets to do the Endoscopy Thing (again) on May 17th. Will let you know the outcome of that.
“Hang in there” dear friends, and know that the The Healing White Lights have been sent out to surround you.
Shalom, Kat and Terry
Fortunately, it looks like I’m not going to have to come up with funny things to write on my tombstone. Which is OK since no one reads tombstones anymore anyway.
Thanks for the prayers and white light.
“All we have to do is get back to shore.”
When big events threaten to overwhelm us, we must focus on what can be done
“right now”. And often when the answer is nothing, we have to recognize
that (one of the gifts of aging) we’ve handled everything else in our lives
so far and we have the strength to play this hand we’ve been dealt. (That’s
easy for me to say–who knows how well I’d do in your shoes).
The love of your friends enfolds you in healing and protective energy. D
I actually do read tombstones. What I’ve observed is that the quality of tombstone literature has gone down considerably over the years. All the really good reading is on the really old graves. I’m just saying, just because you aren’t planing anything for yours soon there is a literary void there. Someone should be offering to step up and write some better material. Suddenly I’m really wishing I’d been born in Nantucket. It would make drafting my on epitaph more poetic. Well there is alway the hope that I will expire there…
As for mine, I have high hopes in the iPad technology. I think that one of those properly secured at my final resting place could be cool. People could still spam me and heck, I might will some of my millions in Nigerian bank notes to a lucky mourner who checks up to see if I am tweeting from beyond.
I think I’ll like the idea of twitter once I’m gone, too. Sort of how everyone seems to like Ronald Reagan so much better now than they did before.
The “Non sequetar” comic strip does a pretty good job of maintaining the quality of tombstone literature. Of course a comic strip headstone doesn’t have the same impact as the real thing.
There’s something about writing something funny in stone that is just so much more permanent. Way less transitory than an iPad.
Gary ~ We’re so sorry to hear about this health issue facing you now! Please know that you are in our thoughts. I’m so impressed by your optimism and will be watching for updates as they come along. Since I”m a librarian, I went directly to the Gale Encyclopedia of Medicine online to learn more about what you’re facing, not that I understood much of it. But I was relieved to read the word “treatable” in both your update and in a couple of articles. We are sending positive thoughts your way! I’m not a religious person at all, but nonetheless I write it — Keep the faith!
Thanks for the words of encouragement, they are always appreciated.
We should know more about what is going on after Wednesday. I’ll post an update as soon as we make some sense out of what the doctors are talking about.
It’s good to hear from you. Take care.
Hi Gary,
I was sorry to read about your medical problems. I’ve read all the comments on your website from you and everyone else. I does sound like there are positives for you in this situation. We look forward to spending a few hours with you and Ann in July. Further, I look forward to getting to know you both better when we move out there permanently in another year. I’ve always admired both of you very much, and I hope we can become even better friends in years to come. I will continue to read the updates, and I wish you the very best. Hey, I read another work of literature this past semester that I can highly recommend: “Buddenbrooks” by Thomas Mann. Great–and pretty readable.
Regards, Hugo
I’ve been trying to figure out why you admire us, but have come up with a blank. We must have done something right, though I’m not sure what. Another of life’s little mysteries.
We’re meeting with the oncologist this afternoon. This should give us a better idea of what the positives and negatives of the situation are. At this point it looks like it’s going to be a fairly unpleasant ordeal, but not as bad as it could be.
I’m pretty optimistic the whole thing is going to turn out fine in the long run.
Hi Gary:
I’m officially submitting some possibilities for the Borg pump name..don’t know if you remember the Saturday Night Live skit with Dana Carvey and Gary Neilon when they played two guys from a Gym club who seemed to have taken too many steroids and sounded a lot like Arnold Schwartznegger (obvious parody). Their by-line gag was we want to “pump YOU up”! Their names were “Hans and Franz”..so either would probably work as a name for your pump…then I started thinking about some Arnold roles like “The Terminator”..now that sounds like a good name for a chemo-pump don’t you think?! One can just picture the “Terminator” zapping those cancer cells into oblivion!
Anyway, lots of good energy always with you in my thoughts..love your wit..I’m a firm believer in the power of humor.
Take care,
Linda
I will add Hans, Fritz, and Arnold to the list of potential pump names. I’m excited you posted something to the site. I am planning on making a final decision on the pump name soon. Thanks for the contribution.