Author: Joseph Caserto

Amazon Will Donate Part of Your Purchase to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

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Amazon Smile. You shop. Amazon gives.

Saw this on Facebook and wanted to share:

Contribute to LLS when shopping on CyberMonday – and throughout the holiday season – with Amazon Smile! Visit http://smile.amazon.com/ search for The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, “select” us as your organization and Amazon will donate 0.5% of your purchases to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society! Happy holidays!

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society held the Light The Night Walk that I did in September. My team has raised $5,432.00, so far, and donations can be made through the end of the month, so please consider us if you’re looking for a cause for your holiday giving. Donations are tax deductible as allowed by law.

And, Done.

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A little more than a week ago, I finished my last treatment, and put chemo behind me. Again, I came through it with flying colors, feeling only minimal side effects, which were very mild. I’ll go for a PET Scan in a few weeks, and as long as it’s clean, I won’t need radiation. That’s the scenario I’m focusing on—gotta keep up that positive visualization—and I think it’s a logical one: since the last scan showed almost nothing, there’s a strong chance the next one will be spotless after two more rounds of chemo. As strange as it might seem to hear, this has been an incredible experience, filled with positivity and learning. To wrap up this leg of the journey, and in the spirit of Thanksgiving, here are a few things I feel grateful for as I look back on the last few months, in no particular order.

The love and support I got from family and friends. I thank you all more than you can ever know, and send it right back at ya. I could not have been so strong without you pulling for me, and continuing to so do so. Special thanks and love to my Mom and Bro for a wonderful homestead weekend earlier this month!

My doctors: Amy Huang, M.D., who is my Primary Care Physician and sent me for that first chest x-ray, just to rule out that there was anything going on inside me—spoiler alert: there was—and  Bruce Raphael, M.D., my Oncologist, to whom she referred me. Both are excellent practitioners, compassionate, and I am 110% comfortable getting treated by them.

My team of caregivers, especially Moira and the nursing staff—my Mom’s an RN, so I have a special spot in my heart for them—whose compassion and skill reassured me that I was in capable hands, every step of the way. Some of them are in the slideshow above, in pics snapped as we wrapped up the last days of treatment. I will come visit, I promise!

The strength that I found inside myself to tackle this head-on. Who knew?!

Naps. Love ’em, took ’em (Dr.’s orders), and look forward to many a winter one.

I’ve certainly got a lot to be thankful for as we enter the holiday season. I will keep blogging indefinitely as my follow-up treatment continues, so stay tuned. Here’s wishing everyone a very happy Thanksgiving, and I will raise a toast to you on Thursday!

Thanks and lotsa love,

Joe/Joseph

Five Rounds of Chemo. What’s It Like?

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To Chemo and Back

Click or tap the arrow to play a short video of a day of my last treatment cycle.

I finished my fifth of six rounds of chemo last week, and my streak continues. I’ve done great throughout my treatment, and it’s a little hard to believe that I’ll be done in two weeks, when I complete my sixth and final cycle.

Like anything in life, unless you go through chemotherapy, you form your opinion of it based on what others share about their own experiences. Those tales can often be negative or exaggerated, especially when posted online, where people seem quick to post about the time their sister’s best friend’s mother, lived next door to a woman, whose cousin’s arm turned green and started dripping, after getting that same exact drug!

In fact, for me, it hasn’t been that bad at all, and to share that, I made a short video of my experience getting to and from my treatment on the first day of my last cycle. A shout-out goes to my cousin, Tom Polizzi, for the musical score, an original composition, Beta, performed by his band, Tom Polizzi Trio, live at the Falcon, in my hometown of Marlborough, NY. And, thanks, too, to his dad, my uncle, Charlie, for recording and sharing the audio.

Look for a wrap-up update in a few weeks, and meanwhile, enjoy the video!

 

Goodbye, Mass

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In August, my chest x-ray showed that the mass in my chest had shrunk from the size of a grapefruit to a golf ball. Last week, I shared the preliminary results of my second PET scan. Today, after repeating the old adage, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” Dr. R. showed me the images you see above. (FYI, despite the fact that my body looks larger in the second scan, I haven’t gained weight, but in fact have lost some.) He’s very pleased with my progress, saying the scan shows, “near complete response after 4 cycles of chemo, and the patient appears to be going into remission.” Best news I’ve heard in months!

Chemo: Four for Four

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Joe on 10/13/13

Selfie, taken this morning. Note my Mac Classic on the book shelf!

With round four last week, chemo is two-thirds done, and I’m happily still sailing through!

Side effects continue to be minimal, and I actually felt a little better this round than the last one, when I felt great except for some fatigue. That’s somewhat of a surprise, since chemo has a cumulative effect, with each round having the potential to tax your system a little more. The only new side effect is a slight tingling and numbness in my hands, which is common, but it doesn’t interfere or hurt at all.

Some have been concerned that instead of “no news is good news,” the radio silence (should we update that to internet silence?) has meant that I haven’t been feeling well or up to blogging. In fact, it has been very much the opposite. As the dust has settled and treatment has become more routine, I’ve been able to work steadily and focus on other aspects of life, so my posts here have been less frequent.

I will be going for another PET scan on Thursday, and will find out the results when I start round five the following Monday. As of the last chest X-ray, following round one, the large mass had shrunk from the size of a grapefruit to that of a golf ball. Want to venture a guess how small it will be in the PET scan? Just add a comment!

Thanks and lotsa love to everyone who has reached out to ask how I’m doing, and has continued to keep me in their thoughts and prayers.

Smooth Mornings

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celery, spinach, grapes, and carrots.

Makings of a breakfast smoothie.

 

Medicine doesn’t necessarily have to come from a pharmacy. I take prescription and over the counter drugs to manage the side effects of chemo, but what and how I eat is also an important part of that plan. When it comes to my first meal of the day, I had always been a drink-coffee-first-eat-later kinda guy, but since my diagnosis, I’ve been making sure to limit caffeine, stay hydrated, and have a nutritious breakfast within an hour or so of getting up. One of my favorite menu options is a smoothie, because it’s a quick and easy way to boost my fiber and fluid intakes, and it never comes out the same way, twice.

I don’t measure anything or work from a recipe, but there is a general method. First, I take a carrot, a stalk of celery, some frozen and fresh fruit, and maybe some greens, and toss them all into my blender. For the liquid, I splash in a bit of pomegranate juice, then pour in enough orange juice to cover everything. After adding some flax meal for protein—probably a tablespoon or two—and remembering to put the lid on (important!), I blend up some breakfast.

Finished breakfast smoothie

All smoothed up!

The carrots, celery, juices, and flax seed are standard, but I change up the other ingredients based on whatever I have on hand. Because I vary the amounts of the fruits and vegetables each time, the smoothies always taste a little different, even if what they’re made from may be the same. This week, I discovered a combo that I really like: macintosh apple, spinach, and white grapes. Some others that have worked well: blueberry and peach; clementine and peach; mixed berries, pears, and romaine lettuce; pineapple, strawberry, and watermelon; and plum and raspberry. If I’m out of flax meal, I’ll add a little peanut or almond butter, or skim or almond milk.

To save time, I wash, peel, and chop stuff in advance, and store it in bags or containers. That’s good, too, for making sure I can grab a quick snack during the day, and for cutting down on prep time for other meals. I’ve been freezing any fruit that’s getting too ripe, which also cuts down on food waste. Hot tip: freeze cut up produce flat in a zip top bag, leaving some space between pieces, so once it’s frozen you can take out whatever amount you need and put back the rest. Also, store bags vertically, like books, and it’s easier to get them in and out of the freezer.

Smoothies work for me because they’re a fast and easy way to start the day off right, and they don’t get boring if I change up the ingredients. Drinking fruits and veggies in the morning instead of coffee: who would have thought?

Many Big Thanks for Helping Me Light The Night in NYC

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On a beautiful evening this past Wednesday, I took part in my first Light The Night Walk, with my teammate Sue and I raising over $5000 together for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society!

Thanks to the generosity of our families and friends, we’ll help fund therapies and treatment advances for blood cancer patients. Whether you gave $5, $50, or $350, know that you’re saving the lives of people like me who have these diseases.

The walk kicked off at Pier 57, now renamed SuperPier. (On a side note, as a publication designer, I thought it was cool when I read in The New York Times that the name came from a 1952 Popular Mechanics article.)  It took awhile for everyone to get outside, but once we did, the walk along Hudson River Park was a very nice way to spend the evening. Sue and I were members of the Bright Lights Club, having raised over $1000 each. Everyone who raised over $100 was a Champion for Cures, and carried a balloon, which had a light inside it, in one of three colors: white for survivors and patients, red for supporters, and gold in memory of loved ones lost.

The event was very inspirational, and I’m proud that my team surpassed its fundraising goal. If you wanted to give, but didn’t, there’s still plenty of time. Donations will be accepted through the end of the year, and can be made online through my fundraising page, or if you’d prefer to give by check, please click here to email me for the address. In the meantime, I’m sending everyone a big hug of thanks for all your love, support, and generosity!

Countdown to Light The Night

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Colorful balloons

Light The Night Walk is this Wednesday, and thanks to many generous donations, I’ve raised over $3100, so far! There’s still time to make a donation, or join Team Joe_C at SuperPier in NYC. I’ve set my team goal at $5000, and we’re only $1,100 away from reaching it. The money we’re raising will fund therapies and treatment advances for blood cancer patients. Your generosity will save lives.

Balloons are the symbol for light the night. Read how they also played a part in Live A Big Life Celebration Day, a powerful tribute to my friend Jerry’s late nephew, Cam.

Image: Graphicstock.com