My doc is famous!

I saw the oncologist this week and he told me he’d been discovered by KING 5 TV.

Dr. G is part of Minor and James, and they now offer doctor profiles on line. The idea being that you can search who is out there and pick a doc based on what s/he looks and sounds like in a short video (as well as more usual criteria).

Want to hear Dr. G’s story?. He talks about his father, a survivor of the Treblinka death camp, and his daughter’s treatment for leukemia, as well as his medical philosophy.

What does this have to do with KING 5? Anchorwoman Jean Enersen heard about the Minor and James profiles and then interviewed Dr. G as part of a story on how people now choose their doctors. Read Jean’s story.

The best news is that the tamoxifen appears to be working so well that I don’t have to see Dr. G for three months!

May have to move my blog

I am having tremendous trouble with Blogger and may have to move my blog. If this happens, and you don't see any postings on this blog, feel free to contact me at my home email address -- if you know me, you already have it.

Sing out loud, sing out strong!

This past weekend my choir, Dunava, spent recording a few songs for a potential CD or at least a really good demo.

We went by ferry to an island in Puget Sound to a studio in a private home. Our gracious hosts had set up everything for us, so when we walked in the door all we had to do was warm up and SING!

We planned to record five songs:
Polegala Trava Detela (Croatian)
Trgnala e Vakla Zelka (Bulgarian)
Jos Ne Svice (Croatian)
Dobri Denek (Croatian)
Ogrjala Mesecinka (Bulgarian)

And we threw in an old favorite, the Bulgarian Dilmano Dilbero, just for fun.

At the end of the afternoon, we travelled by ferry to Vashon Island to stay overnight at Angels of the Sea, a lovely bed-and-breakfast in a converted church. We had potlucked lunch (vegetable sandwiches on focaccia, 7-layer dip, plenty of crunchy vegetables, and brownies). We also potlucked dinner -- sesame cold noodles with chicken, potato knishes, sauteed greens, salad with organic lettuces and goat cheese. This choir clearly travels on it's stomachs!

We opened a bottle of red wine while relaxing, then toasted ourselves with champagne and sparkling juice before sitting down to a festive meal.

While some of us were cooking, others were dancing all over the B&B. Plus we spontaneously burst into singing Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." Somehow, despite our 20 year age range, all of us knew all the words to this pop hit from the 1980's.

While digesting we listened to some potential songs to learn for the future. I shared a recording made at Camp Tel Yehudah in 1976 of me and my camp friends singing Haben Yakir Li (My Precious Son), in an arrangement by Malavsky originally created for a high school choir. I would love for Dunava to sing some Jewish music, and this has always been a personal favorite. So I found an Israeli company that has published it and wrote to order my very own copy! I also found a video on youtube of Israeli Cantor Udi Szpilman and his small men's choir performing a somewhat jazzoid version. You can see them here. The video is four and a half minutes long, so prepare to download.

Then we ate mango pudding for dessert and waddled downstairs to watch a video together.

We woke up to a fabulous breakfast of waffles, yogurt and fresh fruit prepared by our hostess, Marnie Jones, who also treated us to a harp concert. We returned the favor and sang to her. I think she enjoyed it!

No matter what use we make of the songs we recorded, it was a wonderful educational opportunity to learn something new (about how to record), to listen critically to ourselves and figure out how we can improve, and to enjoy one another's company without the pressures of work, spouses, children, pets, etc. What a terrific weekend!

An Israeli Feast

Last Saturday night I helped host an Israeli feast (with three friends) to benefit Hadassah. We raised some money for a worthy cause, enjoyed a wonderful evening with friends old and new, and had the pleasure of sharing our love of Israeli food and culture.

Debbie and I dressed up in beautiful embroidered dresses; Rik wore a shirt with the collar open at the throat to show off his hairy chest and gold chain. We enjoyed appetizers in the salon (that’s the living room), then adjourned to the dining table for dinner and dessert. I even made Turkish coffee and "read" the coffee grounds for those who so wished. We listened to our favorite Israeli music throughout and after dinner danced a few Israeli folk dances.

Unfortunately our third partner was sick and couldn’t attend at the last minute, but I brought leftovers the next day and shared the photos.

Layl Yisrael-- An Evening in Israel
Benefiting Seattle Chapter Hadassah
27 January 2007 - 8 Sh’vat 5767

~ MENU ~
Pita with Za’atar (Wild Hyssop Spice Dip)
Israeli Olives from Kibbutz Beit Hashita
Crudités with Feta Cheese
Ajvar (it’s not Israeli, but we like it a lot!)
Hummus with Tahina
Salat Hatzilim (Eggplant Salad)
Spinach-Cheese Borekas
Zhoug (Yemenite Red Chili Relish)

Malt Star “Black Beer” (non-alcoholic)
Golan Winery Moscato Galilee 2005
Mount Tabor Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2003 Galilee

Israeli Salad with Shamenet (Sour Cream)
Halibut Cheeks with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce
Artichoke Hearts with Fava Beans
Ajlouk de Courgettes (Zucchini Salad)
Mejadara (Biblical Lentil Pottage)

Oogat Shokolad “Sabra” (Chocolate Cake with Chocolate-Orange Sauce)
Halvah
Mint Tea
Turkish Coffee with Hel (cardamom)
Nescafé
Carmel Israeli Brandy “777”

No XRT

I saw the radiation oncologist today and he says he does not see much of a change between the May and December bone scans, so even though the PET/CT scan shows some activity, he would not treat me at this time. If I have increased pain, he would of course consider treating, but at this time, no radiation (XRT) for me.

Let's hope that the tamoxifen kicks some cancer butt and that my brief stint with pain disappears soon!

Scan Results

Got my PET/CT results yesterday -- I have 3 spots of active disease in my sternum, spine (T12) and right scapula. The scapula is the only one which hurts. The spot on my right arm which has been bothering me did not register!

I will see the radiation oncologist on Friday about radiating the spine and perhaps the scapula. And my medical oncologist has switched me from Aromasin to tamoxifen, which I never took. We'll try it for a month, see how I tolerate it, and then maybe try it for a longer period of time.

I'm back on the pony that goes up and down on the merry-go-round.

A new cancer image

Yesterday I thought of a new cancer image:

I'm on a merry-go-round with my cancer. Sometimes I ride on a bench and hardly move at all; other times I'm on the horses that go up and down, up and down. And I'm staying on this merry-go-round until there's a cure.

No more roller coasters for me -- my ride with cancer doesn't end, it just goes 'round and 'round...

New Year, Same Cancer

We rang in the new year with Rik's parents at their winter home in Florida. After a relaxing visit, and a hectic trip back, I slept for 13 hours! Who knew it takes a vacation to recover from your vacation?

I had a bone scan in December, but the results were inconclusive. I may or may not have new or active metastases. So on this Thursday I will have a PET/CT test. This test measures the uptake of glucose. Since active tumors absorb glucose more rapidly than regular tissue, it gives a good measure of tumor activity. It's also VERY expensive -- about $4000. Thankfully our health insurance will cover the costs.

But over the weekend I noticed some discomfort in my right arm, which to me indicates tumor activity. So I have called my oncologist and hopefully will be able to see him within a couple of days of the scan, to get the results, see if the pain in my right arm really is active disease, and talk about treatment options.

I tihnk we are about to take another ride on the cancer roller coaster. Are you ready?

Lit those candles...

Today is the last day of Chanukah. We have had a busy holiday indeed! We began and ended with dinner with friends. In between Seattle was hit with a HUGE storm causing power outages for almost a week; I had a bone scan; Shira came back from Israel; and we went to visit friends on Harstine Island.

Thankfully we only lost power for 24 hours. Instead of sitting in a cold, dark house, we went over to friends and hung out there all day. Around dinnertime we called our neighbors and they reported power back on our block. So we came home to a warm, lit house after all. But our friends on Mercer Island were without power for almost a week. They joined us for a latke fest and a home screening of "Bride & Prejudice" one night and we all went out for dinner together the next night. They have a gas hot water tank and gas cooktop, so they were able to shower and eat hot food -- all things that help make being in the cold tolerable.

Our elderly neigbors didin't fare as well. A tree came down and took with it the power line to their house, so they were cold and dark till last night. They would not come over to stay with us, but Rik took them hot coffee the next morning.

It makes you think how close we all live to the edge -- if we go 24 hours without power our food spoils, our homes are too cold for comfort, and we sit in the dark. Rik and I have reconfigured our emergency supplies again and will be sure to include items in our cars as well as in our home.

I get the bone scan results next week, but it was a regularly scheduled exam. Shira arrived safely bearing many gifts from Israel: a DVD of a favorite movie called "Halahakah" (The Troupe) which is kind of like an Israeli musical M*A*S*H, plus more Armenian pottery tiles, Ahava facial scrub, and za'atar (hyssop) tea. Our friends on Harstine Island welcomed us to their beautiful home in the woods. We went for a long walk in the rain, ate like kings, and even tasted 7 different kinds of single malt scotch!

Last night we concluded Chanukah with friends, more latkes, and lots of candles. You gotta love a holiday where the designated food is fried potatoes!

Raising More Money

Yesterday culminated months of work for my synagogue -- we raised $112,000 for our operating budget! The room was colorful and crowded, the food tasty, the film moving and the program went smoothly, starting and ending on time. I was the keynote speaker and got to tell my story about how being rediagnosed with cancer helped me find community.

Here's what I said:

Good morning. My name is Jill Cohen, and this is my Beth Shalom story.

Four years, three months and 13 days ago, on the day I got the news that my breast cancer had returned and spread to my bones, I went home on crutches, lost my balance, fell and broke my leg.

It takes a long time to recover from a pathological fracture. Almost five months went by before I was able to put enough weight on my injured leg and walk with a cane.

I was overwhelmed by my cancer’s spread to more than 20 sites of bony metastases in the back of my skull, my sternum, my spine, my humerii and my femurs. The drugs I take to control my cancer put me into early, and permanent, menopause. I had three surgeries. I had radiation in five places.

I experienced significant losses. At age 42, I had to retire on medical disability from my career in the Jewish community. I tried to accept that cancer had finally cheated my husband and I out of ever becoming parents. I cried buckets of tears with Rik, with family, and with friends.

But I had help from an unexpected source – the members of Beth Shalom.

I had not been a frequent shul-goer. At one time I was involved with the Keruv Committee to reach out to new members, but that was it. Still, something had drawn me to Beth Shalom and I became a member.

It didn’t matter that I wasn’t active. Rabbi Z encouraged me to write for 15 minutes a day, to help me find meaning in my cancer experience. Rabbi G assured me that I wasn’t alone in suffering. Mitzvah Corps volunteers fed us three times a week for months and drove me to doctor’s appointments and to daily radiation treatments.

But my epiphany came on Rosh Hashanah, just after I broke my leg. I didn’t feel ready to go out in public yet. Harvey N offered to come over and blow the shofar. People from Beth Shalom and other friends filled our home to capacity with folding chairs, prayer books and food. I was lying on the couch, watching the hubbub, when I realized that I had been given a glimpse into the future. This is what my shivah minyan would be like: community and friends, giving support in a time of need.

I knew that I had to give to this community that had given me so much.

Once I was mobile, I began to attend Shabbat morning services. They gave structure to my week. Our connection to the Divine is evident in every beautiful note we sing together.

Steve P asked me to serve on the board, and I said yes, if he would let me try to raise money for the shul my way. So far it seems to be working!

And I always offer to make a meal when the Mitzvah Corps calls.

Involvement in our synagogue gives me a connection with the spiritual and an attachment to community, things we all need in our fast-paced, 21st century lives. Once I looked outside my own personal “four walls,” I found community waiting for me.

Here’s a quote from my favorite science fiction author, Robert Heinlein:

“The banker … pulled out a single credit note. "Eat first — a full belly steadies the judgment. Do me the honor of accepting this as our welcome to the newcomer."

Don’s pride said no; his stomach said YES! He took it and said, "Uh, thanks! That's awfully kind of you. I'll pay it back, first chance."

"Instead, pay it forward to someone else who needs it."

(Adapted from “Between Planets”)

I can’t possibly repay all that I owe. I can’t pay back; but I can pay it forward. I invite you to join me in this mitzvah today. Pay it forward to Beth Shalom.

Get involved in a committee. Come to a class or lecture. Invite someone to your home for a meal.

If you reach outside your personal space, you’ll find community waiting right there for you, the way it was for me.