Happy holidays

Since Dr. Richards says that he uses what I’m able to do on the bicycle as a gauge for my overall condition and because my past two cold weather weekend rides have been so awesome I’m going to make this quick post to pass along some positive vibes.

In short, my past two rides have definitely kicked things up a notch and I’m doing the type of riding that while still quite challenging is really helping to improve my physical strength. I’ve been riding with Dan in the area of the Sourland Mountains and Washington Crossing State Park to tackle some of the more significant climbs we have here in this area of NJ. Last weekend we covered 44 miles and yesterday we did 41 that included two of the steeper hills we climb (Van Dyke and Mine Roads). I couldn’t be happier as it’s been this anaerobic climbing strength that I’ve been struggling to get back.

Meanwhile we’re just a few weeks from our Tour de Hot Chocolate that will be a metric century in that same general area. We have our probable stops all picked out (two hot chocolate and one hot apple cider) and can only hope for no precipitation on the tentative date of January 2^nd. Erin will be leaving for her trip to China on that day but with Sasha and Bailey home and coupled with the gathering of many Mintz’s Mentschen teammates this proves to be a fun day.

Happy holidays!

Gobble Gobble

Time to go to blogging confessional…. It’s been so long that my kids are starting to give me grief about not having posted in such a long time.

First and foremost, Happy Thanksgiving to everyone. Best wishes for a joyous holiday.

I did see Dr. Richards on the 8^th and I did ask him to look forward into January and the possibility that we’ll be discussing treatment options in that general timeframe. He said that he is not going to make that assumption and, therefore, hasn’t given treatment specifics a lot of thought. I didn’t want to press it since when we last had a discussion about treatment options back in April I recall that there were several chemo-based protocols to choose from. So I guess we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. For now I’m happy that my medi-port just keeps right on ticking. My next visit with Dr. Richards is on December 20^th and I’ll get the Rx for my next PET/CT at that time.

Physically, aside from a bit of fatigue I'm feeling quite good.

OK… and now for the cycling update. You knew it was coming.

Thanks to Dan Nies who broke me out of my rut of flat ride after flat ride I’ve enjoyed a bit of hills the last couple of weeks. My long ride reached just over 50 miles a few weeks ago and I’m definitely feeling stronger. Aerobically I’ve been fine but trying to build back anaerobic strength for climbing has been tough.

I did register for the Cycle for Survival spinning event to raise funds for Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in NYC. The event is in February and I’m expecting to have yet another fun and emotional experience. MSKCC has been part of my personal cancer journey and it will be good to give back a bit to them. For anyone that wants to read about MSKCC, the event, or to consider a small donation here’s the link: http://mskcc.convio.net/goto/jmintz

Meanwhile the Tour de Hot Chocolate is still on the calendar for a date in December that hasn't been decided. One decision that HAS been made is that it will not be a 100-mile century ride. Cooler heads have prevailed and we'll be doing a metric century (that's 62 miles for those of you that are metric deficient, LOL).

Best wishes for a happy and healthy holiday season.

Chemo vacation month 1

Without being in treatment the roller-coaster ride levels off very quickly. The past few weekends have been terrific with regard to bike riding. I had two solo 37 mile rides and then last weekend Amy and I enjoyed a 39.5 mile ride on the tandem. This blew me away given that Amy hasn't been on the tandem in quite some time. Guess she can be a bit badass herself!

My plan is to get out early tomorrow before we get busy with other stuff. Unfortunately the time constraint will limit me to a max of around 30 miles but I'm looking forward to it.

This chemo vacation also brings an opportunity for me to use the remainder of my 2010 vacation days on something other then treatment days. Novel idea, huh? New Jersey teacher's convention is next week so Amy and I will have an opportunity to take a long weekend. Our plans are to head down to St. Michaels Maryland for an oyster festival and a relaxed weekend with good friends. Joe and Elisa Duch will join us and we're going to spend time with my good friend Mark Cheben and his wife who live in that neck of the woods.

That's about all I have to talk about right now. I'll be seeing Dr. Richards on November 8th for a checkup and I expect it to be a very short visit. Basically it will just be a flush of my port but I may also ask him if he has any thoughts for the next set of chemo drugs we might try when the time comes.

Treatment respite for the holidays

Amy and I met with Dr. Richards this afternoon and the punch line on the PET/CT results is that I’ve earned myself a break from chemo for a bit. While the results weren’t pristine the SUV values (standard uptake) were in the range of what Dr. Richards considered to be “background noise”. So I’ll be treatment free for a few months and the next PET/CT will be in mid-January when we get to do this all over again.

In the meantime I’ve already had preliminary discussions with my Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Dan Nies, and we may be adding an event to the 2010 bicycling season. Before I found myself back in treatment this past April I had been eyeing what I hoped to be a year full of challenging cycling events. Now knowing that I have a minimum of 3 months without treatment I want to get assertive about recovering as much fitness and strength as I possibly can. Maybe I'll even be able to lose a few pounds. Therefore, the Tour de Hot Chocolate may squeeze into the mid to late December timeframe as an end of year 100-mile bike ride. I know it sounds crazy to some of you but considering how I felt on the bike this past weekend I think I can pull it off. We’ll have to come up with a mostly flat course but I think that I’ll be able to cover the distance. And to have a miles ridden number that has 3 digits come up on my bicycling computer will be incredible to see again. It's been a while.

As I mentioned, we did have a ride this past weekend that was absolutely awesome. Considering that I was only 9 days out from my last treatment I’m not quite sure how/why I was feeling so good but I didn’t question it and in beautiful weather I covered just over 37 miles with Dan Nies, Steph Tobler, and Jim Grassi.

I’ll try to not bore you with the play by play of my biking exploits in the coming weeks but please stay tuned for more information regarding the Tour de Hot Chocolate as it all starts to come together. Maybe we can make this a little more interesting then just a cold weather century ride.

Wait for it.....

Because I know there are folks out there that will be anxiously checking in on the blog this morning for news of the PET/CT results I want to let you all know that I haven't heard anything yet.

The scan itself went well. As always it was nice to see my Princeton Radiology friends Betsy, Nick, and Shane. And then last evening Amy reminded me that Dr. Richards was taking an extended weekend wrapped around the Columbus Day holiday.

So it will be today that I get the news. If he doesn't call me this morning then I will be seeing Dr. Richards in person when I have my post-treatment checkup at 2:00pm this afternoon.

Stay tuned....

LiveSTRONG Day

Here's a better LiveSTRONG Day picture thanks to the Indiana University Volleyball team.

Post #8

Rescheduling treatment #8 so that Amy could take me and having it fall on a Thursday instead of the usual Tuesday has thrown me off a bit. But really my focus right now is on the upcoming PET/CT and the transition that these next couple of weeks will bring. Dr. Richards confirmed that this treatment was my last on carboplatin/taxol and all answers to the question of where we go from here will be based on the PET/CT that is scheduled for Tuesday, October 12.

The scan results could bring any of a variety of outcomes and I’m trying very hard not to speculate. However, I do know that outside of the first week of every treatment cycle that I’m generally feeling quite well. I’m a little tired but otherwise I’m feeling fine and have been able to maintain my weekend bike riding. Last weekend the temperatures here were a bit warm but I rode with Stephanie Tobler and Jim Grassi for a fun 35-mile ride. As the weather quickly turns to fall I’m taking my annual inventory of cold weather cycling gear to see if there’s anything that needs to be replaced. I’m expecting to ride straight through fall/winter as the weather allows and I’m already starting to think about events to plug into my riding/exercising schedule. In February there is a fundraiser for Memorial Sloan-Kettering in Manhattan that some of us may participate in.

The point here is that I’m feeling good and expecting positive PET/CT results.

Yesterday was LiveSTRONG Day… a day to raise cancer awareness, a day of remembrance for those that have lost their battle and also to acknowledge those actively fighting and winning. All day yesterday I received emails, texts, and Facebook posts from friends and family that wore yellow in my honor. Heartfelt thanks to all of you.

While travelling with the Indiana University women’s volleyball team this weekend for games in Iowa and Minnesota Bailey was able to arrange something on the unique side. She was able to have BOTH the Indiana and Iowa teams where yellow ribbons on their shoes for their game. Too cool. LiveSTRONG!!

Tuesday, September 21st

As usual I start with apologies for the time in between blog posts. But really things have been….. well…… BORING. In the big scheme of things right now boring is a good thing.

Treatment #7 on September 7^th was status quo. Same chemo protocol and with manageable side affects. Having Rosh Hashanah two days after treatment was a new experience but I held up fairly well I think.

This past weekend, after a 2-week layoff, I was back on the bike and amazingly I felt very good. I can’t be more thankful for that since the weather couldn’t have been more perfect with bright sunshine and cool temperatures. Dan Nies and Laura Zucconi accompanied me for a wonderful 30.5 mile ride. I’m already thinking about plans for this coming weekend.

I had a checkup with Dr. Richards today and generally there wasn’t too much to discuss. We’ll probably keep the chemo protocol the same one last time for treatment #8 and then see what happens in early October with my PET/CT results. Outside of treatment weeks I’ve been feeling terrific, however, I’m trying hard to not have any heavy expectations so that I can avoid what would be crushing disappointment.

Donations to the Lance Armstrong Foundation collected by our Mintz’s Mentschen team have come to rest at a grand total of $28,553. Spread over 22 fundraising team members that’s an amazing amount.

The PET/CT will be soon after October 7^th and I will post results as soon as possible.

Treatment #7 tomorrow

Sorry for not posting these past two weeks but I’ve been a little under the weather. The day after LiveSTRONG I woke up with a sore throat and thought little of it. I tried to let what appeared to be a simple cold run its course but it didn’t want to go quietly and I even ran a low grade fever a couple of days. Last Monday I avoided the fire drill of going to my primary care doctor and opted to get my antibiotic Rx from the oncologist. My primary care doctor is a teaching practice and from prior experience they don’t seem to handle the whole cancer thing very well. LOL. Aside from a lingering cough I’m as good as new.

But it definitely seems to have taken its toll on me. Since I wasn’t able to ride last weekend there was no way that I was going to let another weekend go by without a fight. I rode yesterday morning and less then 10 miles into the ride, as I said on Facebook, I was singing Jackson Browne “Running on Empty” (Jim Grassi was there with me in spirit). But the weather was too good to turn around and so I rode a slow steady pace through 31 miles. I didn’t feel the best doing it but it sure was good to get out on the bike and to have my body working. Awesome weather this weekend that definitely had me thinking football.

Treatment #7 is tomorrow. I expect that we’ll be sticking with the same chemo protocol since my fingers don’t have any increased neuropathy at this point. As you might expect I’m starting to think more and more about early October and the next PET/CT scan.

By the way, a slow trickle of additional donations has the Mintz's Mentschen total fundraising for our LiveSTRONG event at $28,300. Thanks again to all donors and Mentschen walkers, runners, and riders.

Treatment #6 and LiveSTRONG Event

A lot has happened since my last post.
I guess I’ll keep things in chronological order and start with status of treatment #6. I did get in a nice 25-mile ride on the weekend prior to treatment and then the treatment itself was, as usual, uneventful. So there’s actually not a whole lot to say about it which is nice. Our game day decision kept the drugs and dosage as is for now but we’ll come back to that same decision for treatment #7 that is scheduled for September 7th.

The physical affects of treatment #6 were as per usual so last Thursday/Friday were a bit of a challenge. The pick me up that helped me drive through that though was that the long awaited weekend for the LiveSTRONG Challenge event in Philly had finally arrived.

I took Friday off from work so that Amy and I could get over to the event site and take care of registration while getting into the whole LiveSTRONG vibe early. I was like a kid on Christmas eve. Another Mintz’s Mentschen team had convened for this year and with our new cycling jersey design sporting the “3rd time is a charm” theme I was ready for what I like to call a lovefest. The abundant positive karma that converges with our team and these events makes it impossible to not get excited. And for me it’s yet another opportunity for 15 minutes of very surreal fame. With team members that included some of my closest friends from high school…. Well, you get the point. An incredibly emotional and humbling experience for me.

A couple of quick statistics…. My fundraising total was $5,175 and our Mintz’s Mentschen team raised over $27,470 for this event alone. Total monies raised by over 5,000 participants was over $3 million. This is the largest annual LiveSTRONG Challenge event that even exceeds the event held in Austin (Lance’s home town). Mintz’s Mentschen has existed since my diagnosis in 2008 and our 4-event total is now over $100,000!! I have no words to express my gratitude.

The weather was nice on Friday and since that is the toughest post-treatment day for me I needed to take a couple of zofran to get through the day. It didn’t matter really because we were having fun already as we were engulfed in the LAF yellow and black. Amy and I picked up Erin in Trenton on Friday night and prepped for the walk/run events that were held on Saturday morning. The weather was nice and I spent the day taking pictures.

On Saturday night those of us that fundraised over $3,000 were able to attend a recognition dinner. Dhani Jones (Cincinnati Bengals) and Lance Armstrong spoke. Dan Nies, Bob Wiener, and I attended the dinner with our lovely wives.

And then the cycling event was on Sunday. AND IT RAINED!! For those in our group that trained for the very difficult 100-mile route it may have been disappointing but we all still had a very fun day. Most importantly everyone stayed safe by riding shorter routes and there were no mishaps on the wet roads. Bob Wiener, however, did hold to his plan and was the only one that rode as far as 70 miles. Such a stud. I was feeling quite badass myself with the cooler temperatures and I went for the 20-mile route. With re-routing due to road construction the actual distance was 24 miles and I could easily have gone farther. Finishing side by side with a posse of 6 close friends is an indescribable feeling that was only exceeded when I crossed the finish line and entered the cancer survivors chute where I was given a survivors rose. No words… only tears of thanks for all of my blessings.

Please know that the Mintz’s Mentschen group doesn’t fold up shop when the LiveSTRONG event is finished. If you’d like to ride with us just let me know. We’d love to have you with us.

One week until LiveSTRONG event

I had my check-up with Dr. Richards today. With treatment #6 scheduled for next Tuesday the big topic of discussion from my perspective was the neuropathy that is starting to linger in my fingertips. We didn't come to a final decision today but he did say that we'll be needing to either dial back the dosage or choose some different chemo drugs to use.

Gameday decision on Tuesday for that one.

Hey! The Mentschen total team fundraising is now at over $22,400!! With 23 team members that's roughly a nice round average of $1,000 per person. Too cool.

On that note, my personal fundraising has taken a leap up to $4,820. Since I'm knocking on the door of $5,000 for what would be the 3rd year in a row I really want to try and get over that level. I'll probably make up the difference to make sure that I get there but if anyone out there can consider a small donation to help it would be terrific. Click here for the link to my fundraising page.

This weekend has a good weather forecast and I'm looking forward to getting out on my bike for something in the 30-mile range. I'll be meeting with other Mentschen team members at Washington's Crossing. They'll literally "head for the hills" while I'll be staying mostly flat to rolling and for far fewer miles.

Great weekend

What a terrific weekend.
After a 2-week hiatus I was back on the bike and coupled with spectacular weather I thoroughly enjoyed a 23-mile solo ride. The Mentschen crew participated in a local organized event and rode mileage that was well out of my reach. But it's clear that Dan Nies and others that will be riding the 100-mile distance at LiveSTRONG are ready. Overall Dan covered something in the ballpark of 110 miles on Saturday.

Mentschen fundraising is at $19,475!! Amazing. Thank you everyone for your generous donations and continued support.

Yesterday Amy, Sasha, and I ventured down to Long Beach Island to meet up with some special family that we haven't seen in far too long of a time. There's never enough time but it was another terrific weather day and catching up with Melissa and Pam Kassel while sitting on the beach was very nice. Yes, we also got to spend time with uncle Ed and aunt Cathy as well as Melissa's family. Too bad these moments don't happen more often.

Tuesday, August 2, 2010

I'm one week out from treatment #5 so I'm in the clear from the worst of this round of chemo. With that said I'm definitely having some lingering numbness in my fingers so I think there will be some things to discuss with Dr. Richards when I see him for my checkup next week. As I've mentioned, this is one of the side affects of taxol that has been mentioned but the real kicker is that the neuropathy would be permanent. Although we're now talking something on the order of 8 treatments we may need to change things up a bit before going too much further so stay tuned.

I'm already thinking forward to cycling and exercise this weekend. I did manage to get a 30-mile ride in with Dan Nies on the very hot and humid weekend preceeding this past treatment. But the heat and physical affects of chemo really made it a struggle. It was a flat route but for some reason felt like we were going uphill! What's up with that!? LOL. I think that we'll be riding in the Princeton Freewheelers annual event on Saturday so it should be a good time.

Hey! The Mentschen fundraising total is on the cusp of $15,000. Very cool. And the excitement continues to build as we approach Philly LiveSTRONG weekend. New cycling jerseys and shirts have been designed and ordered. Will we win best jersey again? We'll do our best to stuff the ballot box again. Ha!

I made mention of this on Facebook and because it bears repeating I'll comment here as well. This past weekend I had a surprise tearful moment (happy tears) when I received a significant donation that brought me to the $3,500 total that I had set as my fundraising goal. When I started cycling with the people that now make up the Mintz's Mentschen team I was able to experience firsthand the incredible caring and compassion that does still exist in people as we worked together to support cancer-related organizations. The support and love that has come my way from so many directions has been, at times, very humbling to say the least.

Oh the lessons I've learned since January 2008.
Thank you all.

Pre-treatment post

Treatment number 5 is tomorrow. I have already started my pre-meds and as usual I have some mixed emotions in anticipation. As is typical I'm excited to see Dr. Richards for the opportunity to talk specifics of the coming weeks/months. But at the same time this roller coaster of a process does get to be a bit monotonous. Just when I'm starting to feel good again I'm right back in the chair for another round.

That's not a true complaint... just a bit of whining that isn't entirely justified. As I've said before, so far I have no horror stories to tell. My body is responding to treatment, once again, and many others aren't nearly as lucky as I have been in that regard. I'm truly thankful but longing to do some things that the treatment prevents.

I'll keep you all posted on any notable info from my conversation with Dr. Richards.

As expected this final month that is leading up to the LiveSTRONG event in Philly has started with a bang. Our Mintz's Mentschen ranks have grown and our total fundraising is over $12,000. Thank you all for your continued generosity.

Yesterday I experienced my first triathlon. NO!! Not as a participant. I volunteered to help with the event and lucked into a "crowd control" and traffic cop role at the busiest spot on the course... the transition area. Such fun!! What was also cool is that I saw two old friends from cycling events we've done with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, Carolyn "Stella" Stellatella and Tina Duda. After seeing this olympic distance triathlon in action on a day where it was within a degree or two of 100 very humid degrees I now view these two women as true SUPER women. All I can say is WOW! And also that I'll NEVER do a triathlon!! Rock on Tina and Stella, I'm in awe.