I am happy to announce my new novel, Christina Athena: The Girl with the Headaches, hits the market today. While some of my other books have been long and convoluted, this is a very simple story that takes the reader into the mind and life of someone who suffers from frequent, life-ruining, migraines. If you…

For a change, I have mostly good news to report. However, before I get started, I do want to add a caveat. I do have multiple myeloma, which is considered, at this point in history, incurable. So, there will be a day of reckoning sooner or later. My greatest hope is that I can stay…

Last Saturday morning I broke my curfew (to avoid indoor group gatherings until Jan, 2020 because of my stem cell transplant) by attending the movie Making Peace with Creation at my church ( here’s the trailer: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K58eechXY_Q  ). The film does an excellent job of presenting the case why the Christian should be engaged as caretakers,…

I certainly don’t have a corner on suffering. If I bring anything to the suffering table, it is that I’m a novice. Before now, I’ve had a pretty good life, a life devoid of much suffering. Maybe that’s why it has taken me by surprise and I’m still trying to sort out how to live…

Last week, I read my first book by Marilynne Robinson, Housekeeping. I profoundly enjoyed the book as it read like some of the best poetry I’ve read. The novel did not, however, excel in the way of plot or character development, but that didn’t matter because the words were so beautiful. I was so moved…

I have been able to accelerate my book consumption by both listening to books (per the Washington State Library audio book downloads) during the night when I should be sleeping, and reading hard copy of other books. I’m going through a book in 48 hours now and suddenly I’m running out. I have read about…

I think the greatest challenge in fighting cancer is getting out of bed in the morning. It is the pivotal moment of life. The bed is warm and with nights of little sleep, rest still seduces you to stay, but to no point. If I even stand, the war begins. If I don’t stand and…

There is not enough here to warrant a posting, except this is where most of my kids and family find out what’s going on and I wanted to focus on some good-news items (as the previous posts had so much bad news). RENAL FUNCTION: As I said before, this is so important to me because…

Summary (for those like me with a short attention span): Not a lot new since I shared my last update, except that I reached out to the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, and have been invited to be evaluated for a cutting-edge (CAR-T + 2 or 3 modifiers) study on November 5th. If accepted, I would…

Good News I will start with the preverbal good news first and see if I can get some lipstick on this pig. My white count has suddenly jumped back up to the normal range after being severely low and was putting me at risk for a serious infection. For that I’m grateful. My red blood…