Onto Fiddlers Green

    

Obituary 

Col. Edward J. Lesnowicz Jr.

    On December 12, 1946, Edward John Lesnowicz Jr. was born to Edward Sr, a 1st Class Petty Officer, fresh from WII service in China, and Donna, a woman with mid19th century Scotch-Irish roots planted in the foothills of the North Range of the Siskiyous in Southern Oregon. Edward’s grandparents, a matriarchal educator and a Great War Veteran healing from old wounds, shaped his boyhood. Ed spent his early years at the Kincaid Family Ranch in the Williams Valley in Williams, Oregon. Ed, the oldest of three, wandered the creeks and trails of Williams Valley flanked by his sisters and cousins, with an angling pole or rifle in hand inspired by silver-screen western heroes. 

    Edward Sr’s work posed a nomadic life across the Pacific Northwest. Ed lived in Idaho, Oregon, and Northern California. The movement and disruption stoked Ed’s rebellious nature. In 1961, Ed’s family landed in Rio Del, California. At Fortuna High School, a precocious 14-year-old Ed would meet the most important person in his life: A beautiful Portuguese girl from a proud immigrant family: Mary Elmira Rocha. Ed, a stubborn romantic, proposed to Mary that year. Mary declined (because she thought Ed was nuts). Ed was undeterred. 

    In 1962, Ed found himself in Santa Cruz High School. He proceeded to raise hell. Ed and a few other rebels founded the JAGS (junior alcohol guzzling society) executing criminally flavored hijinks across Santa Cruz County. Ed was summarily expelled from High School and earned his diploma via night school. Always in search of battle, Ed enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1966 (Mary thought it was a Cabrillo College Sailing Club). Legend has it that a botched JAGS stunt provoked a Judge to issue Ed an ultimatum of juvenile hall or war. Ed chose war and deployed to Vietnam. 

    He fought the North Vietnamese Army during the Hill Battles of KheSahn. Ed, a teenager, witnessed what he would call the Dragon, a metaphor he used to capture the awe and tragedy of combat. The war left Ed with a survivor’s guilt that formed an inexhaustible propellant in his soul that would drive him to lead and love Marines, his life’s calling. Ed, surrounded by death in Vietnam, joined the Catholic faith. A priest, clad in olive drab vestments, baptized and administered Ed first communion in a bunker under threat of enemy artillery. In 1967, Ed returned from Vietnam, married his true love, started a family, and purchased a home in Santa Cruz. Ed graduated from UCSC with a political science degree and a wine aficionado’s pallet after working through school as a wine distributor. Ed dazzled his daughters, Heather and Analicia, with bedtime guitar serenades appointed with a unique panache that made one feel special. On an evening in 1974, Ed returned home from work and announced he joined the Marines, again.

    Ed would serve as a Marine Corps Officer for 30 years. His service took him to the Far East, Africa, Europe, Central America, and the Middle East. He planned the invasion of Pana- ma in 1989, commanded Marines and Coalition forces in Mogadishu in 1992, earned a master’s degree from Johns Hopkins, commanded five thousand Marines in California in 1998, and laid the foundation to receive wounded ser- vice members from Iraqi battlefields in 2003. Despite his martial exterior, Ed was a romantic in pursuit of adventure. 

    He was an exuberant pied piper conjuring family adventures like rustic Rocky Mountain retreats complete with poorly supervised 4X4 off- roading, skiing, sailing all over the world, and trips to Hong Kong, China, and the Philippines. No precarious cause or mission could overcome Ed’s spell over those that gladly followed him.

     Ed was a champion for those that had none. He had a keen eye for the ember of potential and overlooked virtue. Ed was your sword and shield. God help you if you were a bully or tormentor. Ed was your adversary, a relationship you were sure to regret. Ed spent his later years passing on his wisdom and chasing dreams. 

    As his body diminished, his time committed to mentorship increased. Ed drew upon a deep well of wisdom to educate his children, sons-in-law and grand- children. As Hubba, a title his oldest grandchild bestowed on him, Ed steeped his family in the mystery of baseball and produced capable fishermen, marksmen, and ranch hands. Ed bought the Kincaid Ranch, established the Kin- caid vineyard, and supervised the production of the first barrel of Kincaid pinot noir in 2019. Ed’s life ended, much as it began; at the Kincaid Ranch surrounded by family. 

    Ed died on a bright Monday morning with the peace of Jesus Christ surrounded by his wife of 54 years and beloved family. Ed follows his brother John, and parents, Edward and Donna Lesnowicz. His sisters, Debbie Comstock and Crystal Lesnowicz, children, Heather Babcock, Analicia Cubé, Mathew Lesnowicz, and Ed's seven grandchildren continue Ed’s legacy of service, love, and the mystery behind that spark that dwelled in his eye. 

https://pacificgardenschapel.com/tribute/details/255158/Colonel-Edward-Lesnowicz-USMC/obituary.html

I

The happy faces of Mary and Ed boarding the Queen Victoria for a trip through the Panama Canal and then to Florida.  Sixteen Days of comfort and excess.  Bob McElroy will be glad to know that this trip through Panama did not include any AC130s.  Mary walked in the jungle in Costa Rica, but my wheels are not working well so I shuffled around the port.  Canal looks a lot more prosperous than I was last there for the Great Noriega Hunt.  Mary scored some antiques and jewelry in Aruba and .Grand Caymans.  We went to Virginia from Florida for a visit with Meredith, Matt and Kids..  Great Time, as usual by the time we started for home I was coming down with some virus.  Ended up being two viruses.

This put the hookup we planned with Cris and Sue Sullivan in Genoa NV for the Cowboy Poetry Festival in the toilet.  Mary caught my stuff and is still sick, but things are moving up.  Tomorrow NPS is giving me a retirement send off.  Bottom Line, we are on the mend with a few dips.

I have appended below a Memorial Day piece that will explain to some my past and future.  I figured it was time before I run out of time.

Semper Fi

Ed

Memorial Day

Khe Sahn combat base , Viet Nam spring of 1967.  I stink, my fighting hole stinks, the red dirt sticks  to me like paint, and my pillow is one of the thousand sand bags we have filled.  It's getting dark so it's time to put out the claymores.  We just hope the mist does not set in and take away all our visibility leaving just the sound of our wire rattling.  We are prepared for a visit by the North Vietnamese Army, and the ritual struggle with the rats that will invade our fighting holes in the darkness.  My eyes are still stinging from the heat tab that has warmed my coffee, when I hear "coming in".  The next moment Lt Gatlin Howell is in my sand bagged castle.  Lt Howell is in Bravo Company, 1st Battalion ,9th Marines (B 1/9).  I am not even in his unit, but we are his Marines.  He knows we are ready, but he is doing his head check on us.  Is the listening post out?  Are the left and right limits in?  How are you doing?  He always appears when the shooting starts and he leads from the front and sets the example.  Some how when he leaves, my fighting hole does not stink so bad.  We take some heavy hits, but B 1/9 moves on, and I eventually end up back in the States.  Lt Howell left me with the gold standard for combat leadership.  Lead from the front, no compromise of your honor, courage, commitment, and listen to the voices in the fighting hole. 

 

Sixteen years later, I am on the bridge of the USS Denver in a training exercise in  Hawaii.   It is a warm dark evening, and we are discussing Viet Nam.  I present Lt Gatlin Howell as my gold standard for combat leadership.  That is when I find out that my commander, Col "Mac" Ratcliff, was with Lt Howell when he was killed at Con Thien.  At that moment Lt Howell became more than my example.  He became my burden and my ghost.  So who is this ghost?  Lt Howell was of native American extraction born in Oklahoma, but finished high school in Coloma, California.  He enlisted in the US Marines in 1954-55 for four years, and then took the GI Bill graduating from San Francisco State College. With a teaching credential, he joined the faculty of Pelton Junior High School in San Francisco.  He has a wife and a young son when the Marines land in Viet Nam.  He believes it is his duty to get into the fight.  He is an ancient Lieutenant of 31 years when he deploys to Viet Nam on 9 July 1966.  He will win the Navy Cross and he will die on July 7, 1967.  One month before his rotation date home and four days before his birthday.  Lt Howell is buried at the San Francisco National Cemetery.  He left behind his wife and two sons.  They lost a very special person.  His sons did not get to play catch with him.  They lost a rock to build a family on.  Their sacrifice left us with an almost impossible standard to live up to.

 

A couple of months ago, at a regimental celebration, a Master Sergeant was hugging me and sobbing.  He was thanking me for the leadership he learned in Somalia when I was his commander.  At that moment, I realized he was not hugging me, he was hugging Lt Gatlin Howell.  Veterans around the world search battlefields, monuments, and graveyards for their comrades that lost limbs, lives, and souls in the service of their nation.  They are searching for an answer. Is the life that I got to live worthy of those who lost theirs?  This Memorial Day,  I will make my walk to tell Lt Howell that the flame he lit in me still flickers in the Marines that he has touched through me.  This will close a circle. This Memorial Day, we should all stop in awe of their sacrifice. 

Colonel Edward John  Lesnowicz Jr.  USMC (ret)

AAR February 2014

It has been a long time for this update, but it has been a busy six months.  I will call it the good, the bad, and the ugly.  The one thing that Mary and I have learned is that a plan may be good for 72 hrs if your lucky,

The good.  My cancer is in total remission.  We know it likes to come back in a hurry, but we have been in remission for several months.  The doctors are starting to reduce my immune suppression in hopes that my grafted Tcells can handle the infections.

The bad is that the side effects of the graft and the infections still keep coming.
My walking has been reduced to the old man shuffle with a cane if I am smart.  I have a real chance of tipping over.  My legs and feet totally numb.
I have been readmitted to the hospital several times for pneumonia , but I recently warded off readmission for the flu as I was able to fight that off with take home antibiotics.
Finally, I got GVHD in the mouth and throat.  This caused the removal of all my teeth at the Stanford surgical unit.  It has taken a while to get me squared away with some dentures so now I am learning to eat, drink, and talk (without a whistle).

So what could be Ugly?  Well there were three of us that started this procedure about the same time, Bill, Kevin, and me.  We are all about the same age which was pushing the acceptability for a transplant.  All started in good shape for the fight.  We all have had prolonged effects, and numerous stays in the hospital.  I would classify all three of us as A types, Businessman, Lawyer and Marine, and capable of the roller coaster ride.  Well Bill died the other day of pneumonia.  Kevin is still in the fight, but is having some heavy rolls.  I have nothing to bitch about other than I still cannot get in the grass to take a pitch.  It is kind of like being a fire team leader that gets across the beach and starts counting noses.

All of the above said, the best was that the 11th Marines invited me to their St Barbra's Day celebration.  Mary said she would drag me down there if I remained healthy.  So, I stayed well and off we went.  I really have to thank those Marines.  They made my day.   There were a bunch of us who had served together.  The Captains were now Colonels and Regimental Commanders, Lts were Bn Commanders, Privates were now the senior enlisted of the Corps.  They had their heads on straight and priorities in the right place.  Told old war stories and answered those WHY questions they did not ask a long time ago.  It is this brotherhood that can sustain you when you start counting noses.

Semper Fi
Ed

AAR for JUNE

Well, The infections keep coming.  This time it was swelling caused by a cellulitis (?) bacteria.  Good  news is that it only took three days to identify the antibiotic that was required.  Also good is that I am a lot more sensitive to changes in my condition and cannot afford to admire the situation.

So there it is.  We are headed to the mountains this weekend.  I like it a lot better at 5000ft just need to get cleared to fish and able to walk across uneven ground.  Started the reclamation on the Corvette so that Mary and I can go play Route 66 once I get a trip ticket from the doctors.

Thank you for prayers

Semper Fi
Ed

AAR for May

You know you are in trouble when the Docs start by discussing your living will.  I didn't make it to Analicia's birthday.  I was in hospital for two weeks while they figured out how to kill (2) bacterial infections, (2) viral infections, (1) fungal infection while not killing my kidneys.  Again I walked out of the hospital, carrying 15 different medications.  I am still not out of the woods, but at least I am home.  Need to start all over on diet, physical therapy, and attitude adjustments.  We also are in Stanford twice a week so lots of road time.  I just need to be careful, a lot more careful than I am accustomed.

Thanks to bicycle team led by the O'Neals at Tahoe for lymphoma.  They raised over 11k.  There is a research requirement, particularly AITL,  as medicine is a science, but when the patient shows up it becomes a art.

So there it is.  

I have a brand new granddaughter born 6/4/13, Julia Marie Lesnowicz.  This makes seven grandkids, so need to stick around to get some fingerprints on them.  

The doctors are a little amazed that I have been able to pull out of these last two infection events.  They say my body is responding like a twenty year old,  just need to get kidneys to come to attention.    It is not the body.  It is what the Corps gave a long time ago.  We just don't know how to lay down and die, on the battlefield or the bed.  

Semper Fi 

Ed

Situation Report May 2013

UPDATE!!

Hello Everyone.  I know it has been a long time since our last report.  Dad has been up and down.  Here is the story in a nutshell.

After the stem cell transplant they suppress dad's immunity with drugs.  They do this so that the NEW stem cells can grow.  Unfortunately, every time they try to take dad off these drugs he gets a Graft-Vs-Host Disease.  His body just doesn't want to kindly accept the new stem cells.  Dad has never kindly accepted much so that's no surprise.  So, they keep him on the drugs which allow every single flea bitten virus, bacteria or over all "no thank you" floating around to attack him.

It's a game of chess.  There truly is no other way to put it. 

  Dad unfortunately seems to catch "no thank you's" about as well as he catches fish.  He can catch a fish people.  He was checked into Stanford AGAIN last Friday.  I went to see him yesterday and he was in high spirits.  He seemed to be pulling out pretty well and promised to be home for my birthday on Saturday.  

My mom just called me and told me that dad is being transferred to the ICU at Stanford.  His kidneys are not kidney-ing...oh it's a word.  They need to figure this out.  I will update you as more news comes in.  Thank you for your patience on my blogging.  I can give you a pile of excuses but dad would just say for me to go get the dictionary and look up where sympathy is located.  Right, well if you haven't heard that Ed-ism I will save it for later.

More soon. 

Update on Dad

Hello Everyone,

Your prayers, love and support are working!!  Dad has used up another one of his many lives and surprised everyone with his miraculous recovery.  It looks like he is going to kick this thing.  The antibiotics did their magic to the meningitis. He has one more week of the antibiotics to complete the dosage. They detected a gall bladder infection which was addressed last week.  It may come to the removal of his gall bladder, but not until after he has regained some strength. 

I will tell you that its amazing what a weeks time will hold.  We went from sending Matt home from overseas to be by Dads deathbed to Matt watching the Broncos game with dad in the hospital on Saturday.  I visited Dad in the hospital today and he doesn't appear to have lost much if any of his brain function.  He is slow but eager to get out of the hospital.  The doctors said he needed to be up and walking before they would release him...what do you know? he walked two laps around the ward and up a few steps. He has a long road of rehabilitation to get his strength back up but he is ready for the challenge with a renewed spirit.

He is not completely out of the woods but we are all happy that he is with us keeping up the good fight.

Thanks again for all of your prayers.

Heather

PRAY FOR OUR WARRIOR

We need your prayers!!!

Dad was rushed to the hospital on Saturday with a serious infection.  He has Streptococcus pneumoniae bacterial meningitis.  Dad was transferred to Stanford via life flight from Santa Cruz on Sunday.  Dad really is in the fight now!  Yesterday the concern was that he wake up from his state of confusion and inability to speak.  Today we see an improvement from yesterday.  Dad recognized mom, said "hi" and gave a little wave.  He also said he wanted a Pepsi and gave one of his patented sideways "Ed" glances when we said "no".

He is in the thick of it.  When asked what I should put in the blog he said "holy shit!".  So he is still in there between his in and out of consciousness.

Dad is tough but he needs all the good juju he can get.

Please pray for the strength to fight this most recent battle.

Heather

Every little things gonna be alright - Com From Ed

Friends - Wisdom Jacket kicked me in the butt and said COMMUNICATE.  I finally finished a battery of tests last week that gave us some definitive information (not much is definitive in this fight as it just goes one day at a time).   

Sooooo First, where have I been?? 

Sitrep 21 had me approaching the end of my hospital treatment and the possibility of being able to go home vice living in Palo Alto near the hospital.  They call this moving to clinic.  That is when we found out that we were in two fire fights.  I walked into a L-shaped ambush.  I found out that I had to survive the transplant as well as the cancer.  Most of August was spent in and out of the hospital with graft versus host disease (GVHD) in transplant talk. 

Then the last trip had me in the Stanford emergency room and ICU with a staff infection and a viral infection.  Heather and Analicia drove me to the hospital and were doing paper/rock/scissors to see which one was going to call Mary to tell her I was dead.  It was a close one.   After several weeks they let me out of the hospital, but strapped a couple of IV machines to me for 24/7 antibiotics.  I got to come home, but it required in-home nursing care for a while.  So now we hit October/November.  Still a few flair ups but I have been able to stay out of the hospital and I finally got to go to clinic. This means I only have to go to Stanford once a week as long as there are no further “complications”. 

We also got the definitive test (bone marrow biopsy and PET/CT Scan).  I am in total remission.  No sign of any cancer.  The transplant fight will continue, but that is getting better as long as I follow directions.  It looks like lots of restrictions until the Spring of 2013.  So looking at the stats of AITL Lymphoma, I just joined the 60% that survive past 5 years.  So, all is in harmony.  I have to get off my butt and start getting some strength back.  My biggest problem is sleeping too much.  

Heather and Analicia are much more entertaining than I am.  Hopefully, we can get  them back them on the blog.  Heather’s sitrep 22 captures the situation.  They have  been on their cousin’s campaign staff for a seat on the Santa Cruz City Council and she just won.

I usually like to leave you with something learned or observed. 

So who and what is Wisdom Jacket??

Wisdom Jacket is a call sign originally used by Major General “Dutch” Schultz as a battalion commander in Viet Nam.  Colonel Shultz was my CO at the Basic School.   Several years later he was the inspector general of the Marine Corps, and I was on I&I duty in Denver, Colorado.  We had the case of a young Lt. gone missing.  His car was still in the parking lot and none of his belongings touched.  The Marine Corps had handled it by the book, he was AWOL.  Turns out his body was found over a year later just several hundred yards from Barrett Hall, a suicide.  He was a missing person, a Marine we should of looked for.  Bottom line, we screwed it up for the family.  Major General Shultz was there at the memorial service in Colorado Springs to take responsibility for the Corps.  He taught me that a families’ grief is nothing like the grief we feel for lost friends and fallen warriors.  His empathy and demeanor showed me there are many sides of a warrior.  Wisdom Jacket was a true poet warrior.

Several years later, I was the Executive Officer of 3^rd Bn, 3^rd Marines in Hawaii.  My CO was LtCol Chuck Krulak.  His Commander in Viet Nam was Dutch Schultz in the 3^rd Bn 3^rd Marines.  He adopted Wisdom Jacket as his call sign.  I learned from him that there are no simple anserws, take the bigger picture.  You might see something undiscovered with a smaller lens.

When I was the battalion commander of 3^rd Bn 11^th Marines.  I adopted Wisdom Jacket as my call sign in honor of these men. We were in Somalia and we had a patrol ambushed.  One Marine was dead.   My on scene commander of the reaction force was asking for guidance.  He was calling for Wisdom Jacket.  I had blood in my eye and wanted to start a fight for the sake of revenge.  All of a sudden the question was, what would Dutch do?!  The enemy had already melted away.  To start the fight now would be with innocent bystandards.  We retrieved our patrol and our fallen Marine.  And left peacefully into the night.

What this talks to is the value of having mentors and calling on them when you are facing tough decisions.  I call them my ghosts. 

However, it is more important for mentors to remember that what they teach and the values they reflect in their leadership may haunt the battle decades later.

Semper Fi

Ed Lesnowicz

PS: My birth day is 12/12/12.  Happens once every century, and 8 months ago it was doubtful I would make it.  I guess that is why my Marines dubbed me “Fast Eddie” because of the unexpected.

Sit Rep #22 - Thanksgiving

Hello Friends and Family,

It has been too long since there has been an update to the blog and we apologize for keeping you all in the dark for so long.  Here on Thanksgiving day we have much to be thankful for.  Even though our immediate families cannot spend Thanksgiving together due to colds and flus, etc which dad cannot risk catching, we will be together in spirit. 

It has been a long road since the last update.  Mom and Dad lived in San Jose over the summer to meet the required distance from Stanford.  This distance was challenging for the family but we were so grateful to have Stanford close by unlike some families we had met who had traveled across the country for treatment.  There were daily then weekly visits to the hospital.  There were ups and downs with infections and minor complications.  Nothing that the doctors were not able to jump on right away and tackle.  Its been a roller coaster ride and Mom and Dad were at the end of their rope come August.  Dad had one last test of his patience and then they released him back to Santa Cruz to be home.  Being back home has made all the difference in morale around here.  Dad has made steady progress to recovery.

The last scans which were completed a few weeks ago show that the cancer is not showing and the stem cells are winning the battle of taking over Dads system.  They are slowing taking him off his medications of prednizone and the immuno suppressant drugs that he has been on for so long.  These reductions are the next step in recovery.  Dad needs to take over where these drugs were helping him out.

Its still a long road to recovery.  Dad's body is weak and he is tired but his spirit is not broken.  He will continue to fight for the future that he deserves. To celebrate more wedding anniversaries (44 aready!) and birthdays, admire Matt in his successes, watch grandchildren grow, and the seasons pass.

We are all thankful for Dad on this day for the fight he has given and continues.  We are thankful for Mom and her perseverance and determination in caring for Dad along this journey.  We are thankful for our families and the support and love received from all.

ENJOY YOUR THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!! 

AND DON'T TAKE THAT WHICH YOU ARE THANKFUL FOR GRANTED

Love, Heather

Go Stem Cells Go - Sit Rep 21#

I'll start this off with a goodbye.  Not goodbye for good but goodbye for now.  Dad went off to Stanford for his stem cell transplant.  Should that be capitalized?  Well, we do want it to work...STEM CELL TRANSPLANT.

The kids had a few gifts to get dad through.  Savannah is sure her Love Froggy will do the trick.  Nate, well, he's a baseball man so a ball will do.  Hubba Hubba!



Long story really short.  Dad checked in.  They tested anything and everything that moves.  He earned one of those rubber wrist band things for lapping the hospital floor more times than anyone else.  I'm pretty sure I saw him elbow an old lady for it and yell URAH as he was making the last turn.  Good times while waiting for Aunt Chrissy's stem cells.


Speaking of which.  Aunt Chrissy got into town to donate her stem cells.  Dad's in the hospital with a life threatening disease.  Before we knew it he was hit with that huge KIMO that knocks out your ENTIRE system.  So, we decided...PARTY!

Our Santa Cruz Family

GO STEM CELLS GO!!!

Yes we sang.  "For She's a Jolly Good Fellow"

Man, that all seems so long ago.  

Silence fell after all of that.

We waited.  

Praying for dad to make it through those rough days.  "Just waiting for the shoe to drop."  Dad would say.  It was rough but honestly the shoe never really dropped.  It might of felt like it was dropped some days but someone caught it before it hit the floor.  Usually, an awesome Stanford nurse.  The kids couldn't come into dads room for weeks but he had a reminder.

I never I thought I'd be so grateful that a baseball is a sphere. 

As the last few weeks have gone by there have been ups and downs and sideways.  Mom has been holding on really well.  She has to be over in the Stanford Hospital area for the duration.  We have been trying to all go up there to visit their apartment.  My 5 month old needs her Avo as much as Avo needs her 5 month old.  Now we are just waiting to see if the stem cells....

Only a good boy can't spell dame.

They have released dad from the hospital.  So, as we speak mom and dad are sitting in the apartment.  Making trips to the hospital.  A random blood transfusion one day.  Kidneys acting crazy the next.  Low this.  High that.  Pass the pills.  Mom learning how to give an IV!  Yes, she needs your prayers.  I would say dad is balancing on a tightrope, his body trying to find it's equilibrium.  Walking toward a test that will hopefully show Aunt Chrissy's stem cells taking over.  We want that to be over 30%.  Keep in mind this transplant cures 60% of patients with AITL.  This is the plan according to Nate.

Sit Rep #20

Well, here is the deal.  I say deal because plan sounds like we know it will all roll out a certain way.  When you get dealt cards, you play them the best you can.

Yes, my husband has a file of photos for his online poker intimidation. **eyeroll**
             

               FAST EDDIE IS ONCE AGAIN CANCER FREE!

This time they are jumping straight into the stem cell transplant with his sisters stem cells.  Doctors said this was the best PET Scan they have seen for him.  Over the last few months they have been changing his Kimo to find the right mix.  This last one, worked. As all of you have been following along this aggressive cancer is only hiding.  We PLAN on chasing it out of the bushes.  PULL! 

"Bird Shooting" - Okay I felt bad about any other bird getting a shot.

 

What next?

My aunt will be traveling up from southern California for a round of NEUPOGEN SHOTS and a STEM CELL HARVEST.  At that same time dad will be given the highest dose of Kimo yet.  ALL his immunities will be taken away.  They actually sing you Happy Birthday because ALL of your cells are new.  Risky? YEP.  Our only chance to beat this thing? YEP.  This is all set to start on the 19th of April.  

Since dad is using a donors stem cells the hospital stay and recovery are much harder.  They have to do a daily test that checks whether or not his sisters immunities are taking over.  Which is what we want.  At the 90 day point they do another PET Scan to see if the cancer is still in remission.  They will have to be up at Stanford until roughly the 8th of August.  My dads blood type and DNA will change to match his sisters.  CRAZY RIGHT!  We will keep you updated more often in the coming weeks.

We heard some interesting news up at Stanford yesterday during the preliminaries.  A General also had AITL, the SAME chemo worked on him and he had a stem cell transplant last year.  Last year?  He is still around and cancer free one year later!  Hope I tell ya.  It feels good.  The only thing they have ever told us that MIGHT be linked to AITL is being in Vietnam.  Seems that one link pops up quite a bit.  We wonder if that General was in Vietnam too. 

Okay Folks.  This is it.  We are going BACK to Disneyland in one week.  Dad will be hanging on your prayers and comments.  I will be manning the blog station.

Sit Rep #19

Hello All!  We have been sitting around here "watch'in paint dry" as dad claimed the last few months would be.  No, not really.  The idea of having time to watch paint dry sounds luxurious.  Here is an update of the current situation.

1.  Doctors changed dads KIMO a few times.  This current one is every three weeks and seems to be working.  The cancer symptoms are not rearing their ugly heads at the moment.

2.  There will be a CT Scan on the 19th of March to see if the cancer is knocked BACK out.

3. Dad is holding up well.  His hair is coming back in slowly.  Kinda looks like a baby penguin.

 We are not sure what is up with that but don't worry the eyebrows were the first to come back and they look like their not gonna leave again without a fight.

4.  Because the cancer came back so quickly in December doctors have decided that they need to do a stem cell transplant with a donor, not dads yucky stem cells that were harvested a few months ago.  Yes, I just called dads stem cells "yucky" and that might be the technical term.

SOOOO.....

That left us these past two months lookin' around for someones stem cells that are purty.  

LET'S PLAY THE MATCH GAME!!

 
There are donor databases to find matches.  This process takes months and even then they may not find someone that is a match. Your best stem cell match can be found in your siblings. Turns out Fast Eddie has a couple of sisters that have endured his shenanigans for over 6 decades. Now we had to ask for their ACTUAL DNA to prove their devotion.  Sadly my Aunt Debbie that lives 'round the bend was NOT a match.  

Pretty much the feeling around here

SOOOO....
Dads youngest sister Aunt Chrissy.  She lives in San Clemente and cares for my dads aging parents.  Really she already devotes her life to helping them when not working.  Now we want your blood lady.  Well, we have been waiting weeks for the results.  She passed the first tests and Stanford says "looks good".  Today we found out.  She is a 

"PERFECT MATCH"

Stanford is going to give us the schedule for the stem cell transplant after dad goes through another round of Kimo.  We should know more by the first of April.  Now we go back to watch'in paint dry.  

Situation Report #18

We promised to update you today with the news.  The good, the bad and the ugly.  Remember when Voldemort seemed powerless forever but still had a spark or Arnie came back from the Terminator with only a twitch of the finger left at the end of the movie.  Heck he rose up in a couple more movies and even had the energy to be the Govenator...

YES, I am finding the way to tell you something even many of the doctors at Stanford didn't believe.  Dads cancer was in remission the first week of December and then by the end of the month was back stronger than ever.  We have been just sitting around for the last few days trying to wrap our minds around this news and of course waiting for Oncology office hours to open today.

 A weekend of all of us roaming around the house feeling down and not knowing what the doctors will say come Monday.  Will they tell us, "Sorry, go home my friends?"  Yesterday we sat watching the Broncos/ Stellers game, trying to get our minds away from our recent news. The family team wasn't looking to win.  Of course when the game went into overtime the inevitable "Tebow God" conversation started.

Dad: "Well, it looks like God watched over Tebow again."
Me: "Dad.  I surely hope that GOD has way better things to do than rig football games."
Mom: "Maybe God has chosen to show himself this way."
Me: "Whatever." **eye roll**
Dad: "You never know I guess."

Moments later the OT starts.  Tebow throws the ball to Taylor and he goes.....ALL...THE...WAY!!  80 YARDS for the touchdown.  Mom jumps out of her chair and runs over to dad.  He is yelling "WE WON WE WON".  They are hugging, everyone is out of their seats high fiving.  Minutes later dad is on the phone with Mathew doing the traditional play by play.  Everyone is all smiles in that moment.  A moment we all needed and prayed for.  Maybe God does rig a game or two.  What's the harm.

ONCOLOGY IS OPEN TODAY AND WE HAVE A NEW PLAN B

So, as we speak dad is BACK in the KIMO chair.  He is going to have two rounds of kimo but a new regime.  Gemcitabine and Oxaliplatin.  Say that three times fast.  We are not sure yet if the next and final round will be in two weeks or three weeks.  What we do know is AS SOON AS that round is over dad will go straight to the STEM CELL TRANSPLANT at Stanford using those cells that were harvested a few weeks ago.  The new piece is the possibility of  a   Mini Allogeneic Stem Cell Transplant  after the first transplant.  I guess the idea is to "tie him over" until he can get matched with a stem cell donor.

Are you confused yet?  We are just along for the ride ourselves.  Welcome to the boat, grab a paddle.


We have dug out a positive a doctor said today.  Upside, dads cells are fast growing.  Hence the cancer in a few weeks thing BUT also they can get the good guys to grow fast too.  He responded REALLY well to the first 6 rounds of kimo.  Now, we hit it again and then be ready to transplant immediately.


Chin up folks.  Chin up.

Situation Report #17

So it's exactly one month since we last posted to the blog and there is a lot to report. This reminds me that my new years resolution should be to update the blog more often...oh well, I have never been able to stick with a resolution so why start now.

As per the last update you are all expecting that dad is in the hospital beginning his stem cell transplant today. Unfortunately there has been a setback in the time line. To bring you all up to speed, dad caught an infection during his week of stem cell production which landed him in the hospital for a week.

1.  The good news is that they were able to proceed with the stem cell collection during this time period. Oh and dad ROCKED it.  The nurses said they were some of the best they have ever seen.  Not sure what that means but dad is proud.

2.  The bad news is that dad was in the hospital during the Christmas holiday and was delayed in meeting his brand new granddaughter-Mary Josephine. That was a tough one for everyone. Analicia was able to bring Josie up to Stanford for them to meet for the first time.

Grand child number 6 - Mary Josephine

Fortunately he was released on December 28th and we were able to celebrate our belated Christmas with our traditional feast.

Eat your heart out...Polski Style!

So dad was released with the assumption that he would return and proceed with the plan as scheduled. The week out of the hospital he recovered slowly. A persistent rash and chills resurfaced.  It has been concerning since these are the symptoms that dad started with on this AITL journey. Even with this everyone was been looking forward to today and starting this next chapter of recovery.  THE STEM CELL TRANSPLANT!

So Mom and Dad packed up for their month+ stay up at Stanford and headed to Palo Alto on Wednesday(1/4). To their chagrin, the doctors sent dad home with the same concerns over his rash symptoms. There are two schools of thought:

1.  The first school of thought, that dads cancer has presented itself again even though he was in full remission only one month ago.

2.  The second, that the rash continues to be a reaction to antibiotics dad was taking while fighting his infection.

We like number 2.  Doctors say number 1 is RARE.  Let us be WELL DONE I say.  This is going to be resolved by obtaining another CT scan and results of the biopsy of his rash. If the results come back negative dad will proceed with the stem cell transplant as planned. If not, the doctors will put their heads together for plan B.

To sum it all up:

AHHHHHHHHHHHH!

This has been a blow to dad and mom's spirits but we remain hopeful that this slow and steady path leads us to dads full recovery.  We will update you AS SOON AS WE FIND OUT!  That should be by this Monday evening, the latest.

Wishing you all a healthy and happy 2012,
Heather

Situation Report #16

WE'RE BACCCCKKKKK!

Did ya miss us?  We missed you.  We have started hearing from people, "No news is good news...right?"  Then, when Dave the owner of Mission Hill Creamery stopped by today with three delicious pints of his organic ice cream, to check in, I thought I'd better get people caught up.  Dad does love the ice cream and the thought that if we lay low he might bring more just to check in, did cross our minds.  Alas, that would not be becoming. SO...

SORRRRRY!  WE ARE INDEED STILL HERE.

There is so much going on in the coming months, you will tire of us.   Here is a "prelim" to the show starting at the end of this week.  Yes, this is a drama.  Who are we kidding, it might end up a dramedy.  This family can't help it.  

Dad finished his 6th and final round of KIMO!  It was a punch, but no where near a knock out.  If there is one thing that I have personally gained from this situation.  It's this. 

I used to think CHEMOTHERAPY just looked like this:

He who should not be named

  Come on admit it.  So many of you think the same thing.  Well, I've got news for you.  It can also look like this:
 

Fishin' with Hubba

                               

 

Bench time

Hubba knows bait

Learning to catch grasshoppers

The COMPLETE family photo

Dress up!

Captain of the fryer.

The proud son and General Mom still barking orders.

A Cabin Thanksgiving with neighbors

"I'll sing you a true song of Billy the Kid..."

Moms birthday with all the grand kids

Chocolate and Love the world is whole.

I knew my dad was strong.  Hell, let's get real, he acts like a wolverine that can't find anything but plants and berries to eat; which has served him well these last few months.  The only thing I can think about is dad on the kimo drip for hours at the doctors, eating out of a giant sack.  Candy bars, chips, a burrito, olives, some crudites with dip and all washed down with a pot of coffee and a couple Cokes.  Meanwhile, the patients around him just staring perplexed.

DAD:  "CHIP?"
FELLOW PATIENT:  "Umm, no thanks." 
DAD:  "OLIVE? SNICKERS?"
FELLOW PATIENT:  **blank stare** 

Of course, I walk away for a few hours and come back to dad holding court.  His eyes are twinkling blue.  The air in the room seems lighter than when we walked in hours earlier.  He is smiling from ear to ear and so are others in the room.  They've been Eddied.  Dad don't use up your energy on people you will probably never see again I thought.  How selfish of me, he needs them.  A social animal, nothing like the aforementioned wolverine.  Perhaps I should change my comparative animal?  Nah, a wolverine. Just one that ate a caribou that afternoon.  

Last week dad took every test and poke possible.  This Wednesday they go over the results up at Stanford.  Is dad still a candidate for a STEM CELL TRANSPLANT?  If yes, then he will be hospitalized on Friday morning to get prepped and then zapped with a largest dose of  kimo yet.  Released in time for his 65th birthday on Monday, December 12th.  Then we start asking St. Nick for stem cell production to increase.  

Nerves are high around here.  Does this feel like Voldemort all over again?  That's right.  I just dared say his name.  
         

BRING IT ON!!!

AAR Chemo 4 by Ed

I have really appreciated everyones prayers and faith. Adm Quast even ordered me up a Mass at the mission in Carmel. The meetings at Stanford went well, they have a plan and all I have to do is follow orders and we should get to the far side of this objective. Chemo 5 begins this week.

So what did I learn??

Every once in a while you get a sanity check, and this one came from Major Shannon Gainey, USMC. It reminded me of what is important, and it is never yourself.

Shannon spearheaded the reception plan for all the wounded Marines coming out of Iraq to hospitals in Morone, (sp) Spain and Landstul Germany. It ended up being a precursor to the wounded warrior program. She coordinated donations to the comfort of the wounded, coordinated with families to ensure they had the best information about their Marine, and ensured the Marine Corps was ready to recieve them state side. The results of her effort was outstanding.

Shannon is a reservist. She had left her job as an LA Police Officer to serve during the war in Iraq. She was in Santa Cruz on a 600 mile bike ride in support of wounded veterans coming home from war. She knew I was in trouble and stopped to take care of another wounded warrior. She has been taking care of wounded warriors ever since she started the program in Europe. To her, it is not a sacrifice, but a duty for those that have sacrificed. It reminded me that those lucky enough to be called to duty can reorder their lives so that "honor, courage and commitment" is not a phrase, but a way of life. We should seek tasks and objectives that will call us to duty. My duty right now is to survive for my family and friends, but there are future tasks that need to be done.

So thank you Shannon


Semper Fi

Ed

Situation Report #15

So sorry this update has been a long time coming. You can rest assured that no news is good news. We are all just trying to take a deep breath and enjoy dads remarkable ability to push through this. Dad had a big appointment with the Stanford bone marrow specialist (Dr. Laport) on 9/28. We were waiting on a schedule of events from the nurse before updating everyone. The schedule came today! Its a relief to know whats ahead but has also put crazy butterflys in my stomach for the same reason. So here's the game plan:

Dad will be getting a stem cell transplant of his own stem cells the beginning of January. He is scheduled to be admitted to the hospital on the 5th. We are told that this procedure has a 90% success rate...we'll take it!! Dads new "day one", or birthday as they call it will be January 11th. The aftermath will be the tricky part with the concern of infections. Dad will be in lock down for 6 months until he gets a thumbs up from the doctors. This 6 months will be spent 1 month in the hospital, 2 weeks staying nearby the hospital in a hotel and finally back to Santa Cruz for the duration. The time spent outside of the hospital comes with a binder full of do's and don'ts which would make your head spin. We may just want to get a little Darth Vadar action going just to be on the safe side! I think it would suit dad just fine.


The preparations for the transplant will be starting the middle of November with the Oncologist performing restaging tests. We are hoping for a free Thanksgiving week so the family can go up to the cabin for one last hurrah. The entire month of December starting on the 6th is devoted to getting those stem cells ready for harvesting. He will be in the hospital on the 10th, but out in time to celebrate his 65th birthday on the 12th. Every day of December until those babies are out of there is scheduled with one thing or another. Its going to be a busy month. Looks like the stem cell collection will be a few days before Christmas. Hopefully the collection will only be a couple days which will offer Dad a relaxing Christmas, New Years and welcoming the newest grandchild due on the 23rd (Analicia & Dexter's #2) :-)

As we all know a schedule is a guideline that will most likely need revisions along the way. Especially when there are two months of scheduling! Regardless, it feels good to have a plan to wrap our minds around and get mentally prepared for the challenges ahead.

I hope you all enjoy the upcoming holiday season and count your blessings daily.

Aloha,
Heather