Clinical Trial/New Doo

Tues. Oct. 23, 2007. 12:50 pm. New haircut!! Continuing to perform. Past weekend played ArtsMaplewood's Jazz Weekend Concert at Burgdorff Sat. eve , then a Church gig Sun am (music of Duke Ellington) then Sunday eve SwingTown Dance Party. Alot of fun. Exhausted Monday, slept in!! Today trombone 4 rehearsal. So, resting between gigs. Must learn to do less, drop out and tune in to self preservation. Carol and I hiked the reservation on a beautiful Saturday morning. Must continue same. Next weekend to Bethesda then to Virginia to hike in Shanendoahs. Leaf peeping. Again, need to find time for self. Read, listen, paint and sketch, practice, hike etc. Bass is back. Fabulous sound and feeling. Thank you Arnold. Thanks Ronnie. Trying to keep in touch with many friends and relatives. Trying to work my way back to a normal life style. I'm pretty much there, but have to let some things go. Less volunteering. Go tomorrow to MSKCC for checkup and coaching on injections. Carol will prep the next Vaccination spot (a different extremity each time) for next 2 weeks. In about 1 month, before the 3rd Vaccination, I must undergo another Bone Marrow Biopsy. Ugh!! Donating myself to science here. I just tried to lookup my Clinical Trial on NCI website. There must be hundreds of clinical trials for AML patients. Couldn't find mine in the listing. It's going well though. No negative reactions so far.
Again, thanks for all your support. I've learned so much about people, life, cancer and the world in this process. I feel fortunate to be living in the NYC area for medical expertise (and of course the arts). I feel fortunate to have the support from Carol, Rebekah, my entire family and friends. I'm feeling good and really appreciate that. It's not an easy process physically or emotionally, but my friends and relatives have supplanted the hardships with love, prayers, and attention/support. As Devon said to me Sunday, "we're blood brothers now". Hah!! I guess John we're now "platelet brothers"!! Hah!! I miss my Chemo Sabbe Michael. Fortunately we have lots of his music to dig. Music is so healing; uplifting. Challenging. Its a wonderful family.. music.
I'm reading about violinmaking, guitar playing, piano playing while listening to country, Irish, Brahms Second, Mehldau etc. Then studying scores, preparing scores (Birkhat), playing trombone/tuba/bass. Carol and I skimmed Annie Liebowitz's book 1990-2005 retrospective last night. Breathtaking. Susan's last years/months/days/hours. Powerful. Mixed with new life, 3 babies at the same time. And longevity. And deeply revealing portraits throughout. Creative; thoughtprovoking; solid.
Enjoy this beautiful Fall. JIM

Forward

Thurs. 10/11/07. 10:30 pm. Bob and Bonnie and Ben and Barbara just left. (That's Bonnie and Barbara with me at dinner). Carol made a "Thanks" dinner for friends who have helped us out . We'll have others. Yesterday I had a Birthday morning first with singing from Benjamin , Maayan and Greg. Then a trip to MSKCC to get poked and shotup. A+ report from Dr. Berman on the CT Scan results. Mini fungal at best, we're pretty much clear. Then visit with Jon F. Then Vaccination shots. No issues. EZ. Got home and napped by 4 pm. Wed. night Concert Band rehearsal. Carmen Suite. Finlandia. Stars and Stripes etc. Fun. Birthday Cake too. Today I napped some more. Tomorrow guitar lesson and NJ Symphony Concert at NJPAC; Neemi Jarve and Nadia Salerno-Sonnenberg. Tschaikowsky program. So, we're doing good. Finding a routine. Still trying to catchup with folks I haven't seen in a year. That's coming along. See ya. Thanks for all prayers and support and love. JIMBO

Start'er Up

Mon. Oct.8,2007. 5:35 pm. Went to MSKCC at 53rd St. for the CT scan. Due to holiday no traffic. We were done by the apptment time. Had to drink a liter of the juice. EZ. Then over to York Ave. to begin the Vaccination trial. 3 pokes today. 1st 2 are like a skin test, similar to your TB test under the skin. 3rd poke on other side is a shot designed to draw in certain elements of my Immune system. 48 hours later (Wed am) we will introduce the vaccination. Then again in 2 weeks.
Tomorrow Tbone 4 in the am. Guitar lesson at 1:30. Then Tuba/Dixieland Gig from 5-9 for the opening of a new Target in Wayne (Riverdale). I guess I'm back!! Hah! See you soon. JIMBO

Under 3%

Thurs. 10/4 8:30 pm. Yanks 2/Clev 4. Oi!! Phone call from Coco today says I'm in Remission, under 3% blasts (you and everybody else has that count). So, on to a CT Scan (checking fungals still) and another meeting with Suzanne (nurse with Clinical Study) Monday for pre Vaccination inoculation (which is designed to draw in certain immune system cells). Then Wed. a checkup with Doctor Berman and the 1st Vaccination. What a birthday that will be. I'm ok with it. For me and science. Carol and I enjoyed ribs and chicken at the new Indigo Smoke here in Maplewood. Tomorrow we play tbone 4's and rehearse with the Jazz Trio. Sturday is GreenDay here. Sunday to hear Chanticleer at SOPAC. Peace. Thanks for your support. JIMBO

#6

Mon. 10/1/07. 6:00pm. Number 6 Bone Marrow Biopsy (or Aspiration, both today) to be used as the baseline for the Clinical Trial. Also had blood tests (12 vials; not as much as a pint) and urinanalysis. Signed all the paperwork etc. Once these baseline tests are examined and I'm totally accepted into the trial we'll begin the prevaccination shots and the vaccinations (in a couple of weeks). So while they are shoving needles and drill like tools into my hip bone I tried to lighten things up: "so you use Lidacaine instead of Novacaine in this procedure? Yes. Must be the female version of the drug". Hah!! Both Carol and I had to miss our Lifelong Learning classes today. Next week as well since I need another CT Scan to monitor the fungal material on the lungs and the liver. I keep turning red at times. I swear this condition existed before my illness, from either blood pressure meds or some other sensitivity. But...we've got to stop the Voriconizale (antifungal) for now and see if it eases up. Doc doesn't like to see skin changes. Indicates a (negative) reaction. So, it was nice to see Dr. Berman and Coco and Lola and Mona. I was going to stop up to 12th floor to see Mariah, Katrina etc. but ran out of time. Next Monday we'll get up there.
Played a wedding ceremony at a pretty park/lake in Morris County (Kinnelon) Saturday. Enjoyed a party yesterday. Tonight will dig Antiques Roadshow while we wait for the beginning of the playoffs Thursday. (Maybe Monday Night Fball). Picked up the October Better Homes and Gardens which has a feature on my cousin Rick Wogisch (Architectural Landscaper) in his home garden. Also books to send to my students who graduated from high school while I was in the hospital. Finally!.
Still feel good and am enjoying the energy and ability to start playing etc. (Played Trombone Quartets Friday as well). Love. Peace. Keep Healthy. JIMBO

A Million Bucks

Wed., Sept. 26, 2007. 1:30 pm. Well friends, I feel like a Million Bucks!! I have energy, goals, a love life,( I love life), a great family, great friends. I can only celebrate what I've been through. It has brought me closer to my own life, if that makes any sense. You know, becoming more in touch. We take so much for granted all the time, that this has been a reality check for me, a way for me to reevaluate everything. (It was a helluvah year!!). The New Years services give me strength, hope, comfort. Seeing my Grandchildren and their parents give me great Nachos (spelling?? I'm not great at Yiddish or Hebrew). The diner gives me food!! Tonights Band rehearsal will give me goals and something to work for. The JJ Blues Band gives us more to work towards, and SwingTown, our 22 piece Big Band. New Jazz Trio is playing in October (thanks Ben and John and Susan for all your help). Then there is health. My artwork, my guitars, trombone, tuba and double bass and electric basses. Then there is all the great music to listen to (Faure, Mahler, Brahms, Albert Collins, Miles etc. etc.), or watch on the DVDs (this week part one of "The Great Conductors and Leonard Cohen). I've had a chance to be with friends. Carol and I visited Elaine over the weekend in Woodstock. Ahhhh Woodstock. Then I went to visit my old bandleader from the Catskills yesterday, Tony Leonard, He's 94 years old and still kickin', although a bit weaker at it. Then there is this place my parents selected to raise us: Maplewood. I'm still here and digging it. We enjoy being and working here (mostly volunteer work anymore). Heard from my Army buddies this week, Jon and Joel, and Jerry. And my High School buddies Tom and Alan this week.
All this, and then there is Carol. What a woman. She takes good care of me. We really have alot to be thankful for. I have alot to be thankful for. Even though she suffers through every pitch of the NY Yankees. She also takes care of Mom's needs; doctors appntmnts, food, pharmacies etc. etc. On and on. She's fine. I celebrate knowing and living with Carol.
Last night I went back to Caldwell, scene of years of work and many fine performances for me. Sadly to the funeral home, wife of a colleague, but also wonderful to see the places, and some people from those 30 years I was active there. Very cool. I heard from Billy Sempier yesterday. He's hanging in, just got back from Europe. Then John C and I hope to go see Helmacy soon. I had lunch with Bob and Doreen last month and checked out their digs. Very cool. Spoke to Pablo by e mail this week as well. Missed the JCHS monthly Pancakes this time around, maybe next time. Got back to Life Long Learners this week. That class makes sure I get into the Library once a week. Keeps the brain ticking.
OK. Gotta go paint. It's getting late. Enough celebration for one day. But I feel like a Million Bucks. Peace. Love. JIMBO

All OK

Thurs. 9/19;11:45 am. Just got the phone call: no cancer, no fungal on my liver!! It must have been a piece of bacon tryin' to hookup! Hah!! So, will need to continue an anti something (I'm not sure which, anti-biotic or anti-fungal???) but other than that I'm clear. Now onto the Clinical Trial which will require extensive visits to my 2nd home (no, not the Woodstock home, the upper East Side Country Club known as Memorial Sloan Kettering). In any case, Carol is hugely relieved. We'll keep you posted on this mopup operation Vaccination process. Meantime I visited my Internist today to catch him up on my progress. He's been on the mend as well. Doing good now, new office etc. Gotta go send photos we took last night of Ben, me and John....New Jazz Trio, for our Oct. 20th Jazz Weekend gig at Burgdorff. See you soon. Again, thanks for your support. JIMBO