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For those of you who know me well, you know how much I dislike cell phones. Disdain is not nearly strong enough a word to cover how I feel about them and their users. I suppose that means 99% of everyone who visits this site. . . but I mean it in the abstract only; I'm sure no one is guilty of breaches of cell phone etiquette. . . assuming there IS such a thing.

Today, I joined the ranks of the unclean and paid my way through the gates of the 7th level of telephone hell; I bought a cell phone. But with my current situation, I felt it was necessary to keep in touch with friends and family on a more consistent basis. Having this thing in my pocket will help me do that.

At 10¢ a minute, it's not like I'm going to yack for hours with my friends about nonsense. It does, however, serve the purpose of keeping me on a leash. (Not an image I like much, though.)

So, with a stroke of the pen and a press of a few numbers on my keypad, I have entered the 21st century. Funny, still feels like the 19th.

☆

No other news today. Waiting on next Tuesday for my appointment at the Parkland ENT Clinic.

Oh! Almost forgot. . . Dan McMurry came home today and is now ensconced in his home office where he has an actual, high-speed Internet connection.

Yippeeeeee!!! He'll be on his feet in no time. Whoops! He's on his feet but at least he doesn't have to wear that drafty hospital gown.

Way to go, Danno! Glad you're making progress. Now, let's see if we can do the same for your partner, Randy.

Seriously, our prayers go out to both of you guys and Liz's dad, and Liz, too. Please give this all you got and get back in the saddle, boys. I know you worry about your employees, Dan, and that you'll be able to take care of them as soon as possible.

I just spoke with Liz and though she sounds very tired, she also sounds relieved to have Dan at home. God Bless all of you.

More next time. . . .

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I thought the train had left the station for the day but just a few minutes ago, my friend, pathologist, Dr Randy Askins, called to get the latest poop on the Parkland situation.

He helped me put a more positive spin on the day by telling me it gives him time to send slides to the ENT Clinic and gives them time to analyze them before my appointment.

So, even though the appointment is now a week away, it gives them more time to gather and analyze the tissue sample taken in the needle biopsy by Dr Wyatt and examined by Randy to diagnose me.

It's still frustrating. . . but I guess I can deal with it.

Later. . . .

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I heard from my friend, Dr Randy Askins, today and gave him a sitrep. Asked him for help in getting an appointment.

I took a late lunch and when I returned home found a voice mail from the ENT Clinic at Parkland telling me that they had an appointment available at 1pm tomorrow. I got the message about 15-20 minutes after the voice mail, which, evidently, was way too long a gap.

When I called, they had already filled the appointment with someone else. I pray they get the help they need, but it doesn't help me at all. The next available appointment is for next week -- August 7th at 2:30pm.

Oh, I almost forgot. . . after I got the message, I cancelled my appointment for a Glucose Tolerance Test scheduled for tomorrow. Now, I've got to start all over again.

Anybody know where I can buy a manual on how to do this stuff?

And the hits just keep on comin'.

☆

Last night, I received another update on my friend, Dan McMurry, from his wife, Liz Gallego:

Dan and I have been touched by all the love we have experienced. I never realized how many wonderful friends Dan and I are so fortunate to have.

Dan no longer looks like the man in the moon but he is not ready to receive visitors.

The progress he has made is miraculous. I know that all the people who are praying for his recovery are making a big difference. Thank you. Sunday morning I saw Dan's arms and hands for the first time. The nurse commented on how well his left hand was healing. Dan has a three inch strip from his elbow to his wrist on his right arm that is still in danger of needing a skin graft. When it will turn rusty brown, looking like a scrape, he can come home.

Randy, the plant manager, is out of ICU but he is not doing well. The staff infection that he developed following his motorcycle accident has returned. He was in the tank (where the wounds are cleaned once a day) for two and a half hours. The pain is excruciating and he is at his limit of morphine.

My Dad is still in ICU.

Please continue to pray for Dan, Randy and my Dad.

I hope you'll join me in praying for relief for Dan and Randy and Liz's dad from their pain and suffering.

If I've learned anything so far about this ordeal, it is that no matter what I'm going through right now, it's still primarily an emotional struggle. There are others who are in real, hardcore, mind-numbing pain.

That. . . and I really need a cell phone.

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Friday was another long day. After getting a referral from my docs into the ENT Clinic at Parkland, here in Dallas, I thought things were rolling along smoothly. Not so fast, José!

Around noon, I received a call from a woman in the ENT Clinic who said that she looked at the referral and thought my case needed to be moved along at a brisker pace. She said that in order to get into the clinic, I would need to bring 2 forms of ID, utility bills to prove I live in Dallas County, and my bank statement.

☆

Went down to Parkland Saturday morning with the documentation they told me on the phone to bring with me - even took both both printed and online versions of my bank statement.

I pulled out this bundle of paperwork and asked what they wanted to see. Your quarterly report, the guy said. I had no idea what he was talking about but finally figured out that he assumed that I kept separate accounts for business and personal uses. Unfortunately, I never have. Since they were demanding to see a quarterly report from the "tax man" -- a CPA, I finally concluded -- and I didn't have it, they weren't interested in anything else. I didn't even get to identify myself.

I left, went to visit my friend Dan McMurry in the hospital, and returned later, and told them that I wasn't just self-employed but actually unemployed. All true. Same song, second verse. Now, I've got to show them why I have money in my account. . . and where it came from.

This is so frustrating. I never anticipated that it would be this difficult.

The India option is still on the table. Or Costa Rica. Parkland is probably preferable if I can make it happen but I'm open to anything at this point.

More soon. . .

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I feel like I'm being "schooled" by my circumstances. There's something new to learn every day.

But my efforts at learning how to handle the situation may be paying off.

Two sources have told me that the best way to get into Parkland for treatment isn't through the business office but, rather, by getting a referral from my ENT, Dr. Bob Wyatt. My friend, pathologist Dr. Randy Askins called Bob's office and spoke with Nurse Millie Hale who jumped on it and called the ENT clinic at Parkland, filled out some paperwork and got me referred to the clinic. Now, all I have to do is wait a few days to allow it to "work its way through the system," according to Millie, and call them on Monday to "activate" the referral and make an appointment.

This doesn't guarantee they'll treat me, I suppose, but it does make it more likely. So, all other options are still on the table until I hear otherwise.

My dear mother (a bit of quck exposition here: my stepfather is Canadian and Mom and Ross split their year between East Texas and Victoria, BC). . . any way, Mom tells me that Ross's doctor says the cost would be much less up there -- $70–80K for a non-resident compared to about $200K here. All in all, I'd rather stay here if possible.

But things are looking a little brighter. Cross your fingers or say a prayer for me that they continue to do so.

By the way, I heard from my friend, Liz Gallego via voice mail last night. Her husband, Dan McMurry, is co-owner and manager of the welding supply company near downtown Dallas that blew up and burned for hours. He and another owner were burned severely while trying to battle the blaze with a garden hose! Liz says Dan is doing better and it will be a few days before doctors know how severe his burns are. I also heard on the news today that his condition has been upgraded from serious to fair. Thank God for that! Our prayers go out to Dan and his family. We love ya, buddy! Hang tough.

Thanks, everyone, for your thoughts and prayers. I appreciate hearing from you.

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Long day today. But if feels as if I'm finally getting something accomplished. And that's a Good Thing™.

Late in the day I did something that I hadn't done previously: I googled "squamous cell carcinoma" and searched for images. This is not pretty. If I didn't have enough motivation before to take care of this, it's a certainty I do now. Whoa!! This is some really ugly, nasty looking stuff.

To be candid, I've never really known what cancer looks like. I do now. One photo in particular, though not as graphic as the rest, really hit home. In case you're too squeamish to look at it, I'll just say that it looks like a later stage version of what I have right now. The other images are pretty gross, I must say, and I have a fairly strong tolerance of such things. But this one looks like what mine could become in just a short time.

I'll add links to some of the images later. I'm off to eat and get away from the phone and computer for a while.

I'll also add a comments section later, as I have a moment or two. I'd really like to hear your thoughts and, truthfully, I pray for your encouragement, whether you're volunteering to help or not.

God Bless you all.

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Today is a day of exciting news; first the bad news. My friend, Dan McMurry, was evidently injured fighting the explosion and fire at his welding supply company near downtown Dallas. It made national headlines very quickly. I first saw it on the Drudge Report about 11:30am. I'm sure you'll see it on the news, wherever you are. I just hope Dan and the two others taken to hospital for burns are okay.

My own bad news came in the form of lab results from my last visit to Dr. Jessie Doyal, my GP. Evidently, there's some question about diabetes and they want to do a Glucose Tolerance Test. . . 3 hours of drinking sugar water and being stuck in the finger for blood every 30 minutes. Sounds like loads of fun.

I'm up for it. Gotta do it. But it still sucks.

The good news is that my best friend Ric Spiegel -- who is in the throes of caring for his mother as she descends into Alzheimer's -- talked to his own ENT medico, Dr. Wayne Kirkham, a prominent and highly sought after ENT today and gave him my sitrep. He immediately recommended that I get in touch with the Parkland ENT clinic, which I plan on doing. In fact, I just called. Seems I need a referral from my ENT, Dr. Bob Wyatt. Thanks for the good work, Ric(ky).

Well, Bob is off this week; his wife just had a baby. Back on Monday. The gal at his office will call to find out what Parkland needs for the referral. Whatever that means.

If I can get in there, this might be a solution to the problem. We'll see. I may yet need additional financial assistance for treatment.

More as things develop. . .

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This is the first entry in this blog (and podcast, eventually), which I've created to keep the people who have volunteered to help me updated with the latest news about my battle with cancer.

If you're new to the fight, here's what's been going on up till now:

About a month ago, I asked my friend, Dr. Randall Askins, a pathologist, for a referral to an E.N.T. -- an otorlaryngologist. For several months, I'd been noticing a lump growing in my neck and wanted to check it out.

Dr. Robert Wyatt, examined me and said he suspected that it was cancer. He did a needle biopsy to suck some tissue out of the lymph node (the superior cervical node, for the record) and sent it off to Dr. Askins. I have to tell you, that was one of the strangest sensations I've ever felt -- in or out of a doctor's office. It felt as if I were being sucked from the inside out through a straw. Which is precisely what it was. I just didn't expect it to feel like that. Very weird.

Off went the tissue sample to Dr. Askins. A few days later, I went back in for the results and the diagnosis. I had been expecting to hear it was one of the dozens of forms of lymphoma. What Dr. Wyatt told me was unexpected. I have sqamous cell carcinoma. The cancer appears to have originated in my right tonsil and spread to the lymph node on the right side of my neck, just under my jawline.

I talked to Randy after my visit to Dr. Wyatt and he said that he'd called in 3 other docs to consult and they all agreed that it was cancer and malignant. No question.

He also said that it was in its early stages, T2N1, to be somewhat more precise, and it is highly treatable. At this stage, it has a 90% cure rate. But, he said, it's imperative that I get treatment right away.

There's no doubt in my mind that I need to act as quickly as possible. But there's the rub -- I have no insurance and, so, my options are more limited. That's what prompted me to research alternate avenues for both financial aid and treatment.

That's enough for now. I'm going to set this blog up so that those of you who are volunteering to help me can post blog entries just by emailing to a special address. More on that soon.