In December, I celebrated nine years in remission from large B cell non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Thanks to my generous donors, my Light The Night team and I have raised over $25,000 to help the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society help fight blood cancer and save the lives of people like me. For more, visit https://pages.lls.org/ltn/nyc/manhattn22/JCaserto.
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Five Years Later
5-Year Selfie in Times Square on the Q Train
My lymphoma adventure began five years ago, on July 10, 2013, when what I thought would be a routine doctor appointment lead to a chest x-ray, CT scan, and a diagnosis of large B cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Since I don’t have much news, I’ll share a few random thoughts.
A year ago, today, I posted my progress, and officially came out publicly. I had pretty much been living as out, and wanted to put any question on that front behind me, so I could live the life I want. The support from my family and friends has been wonderful and means a lot.
I started this blog with the goal of helping others by sharing my story. As I continue on my road to recovery, several friends have reached out with news of their own diagnoses, and questions about my experience with treatment. I’m glad that I was able to support them in some small way by sharing my story, and send love and healing to them and their loved ones.
I continue to do well, and will celebrate five years of remission in January. Meanwhile, I’m looking forward to a summer of traveling, friends, and working on my house.
Thank you all for your continued support. ❤️
Lighting The Night in Central Park
On October 5, 2017, I participated in the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society’s Light The Night Event in Manhattan, for the fourth year. Patients and survivors like me carried white lanterns during the evening, and I was honored to lead them all into the Survivors Circle, a powerful tribute where we celebrated our fight by raising our lights high to inspire those in treatment and cheer on everyone who beat blood cancer. Thanks to the generosity of everyone who has given, my team and I have raised $2,250 so far this year, and over $17,000 since I started participating.
Each person who has donated is a lifesaver, no matter the amount of their gift. To put it in context, $15,000 can fund:
- 3 months of studies of a patient’s response to a new therapy being tested. (Cost: $5000/month)
- Almost two years of general lab supplies to help LLS-funded researchers conduct laboratory work needed for life-saving treatments. (Cost: $150/week)
- Nearly one year of important one-on-one and group support for families dealing with the challenges of blood cancer treatment. (Cost: $300/week)
Donations can be made through the end of the year if you haven’t given, yet, and still want to. Click this link to go to my fundraising page and make your gift quickly and securely.
Thanks to everyone for your continued support. When we walk, cancer runs.
What She’s Sure You Meant To Say Was…
Filed under, “Why Didn’t I Think of This,” are these works by cancer survivor Emily McDowell, who used the words that she wished she’d heard during her illness and turned them into empathy cards. See more and read the full story at boredpanda.com.
Knowing what not to say is important, too.
Light The Night Videos, Starring: Me!
Me, walking in Light The Night, Manhattan, last September.
With my teammate, Sue, walking Light The Night, in Manhattan, September, 2013.
LAST FALL, I PARTICIPATED IN THE 2013 LIGHT THE NIGHT WALK, IN MANHATTAN. Thanks to the generosity of so many of you, my team raised a grand total of $5,482 for therapies and treatment advances for blood cancer patients! Because I was in treatment at the time, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, which sponsors the event, asked if I would participate in promo videos for the 2014 walk, as a representative of patients and survivors. There are two other videos that I don’t appear in: One for supporters, and the other for memorials. I had some reservations about being in the spotlight, but decided to give it a try. It turned out that helping to promote Light The Night by participating in these promo videos was a great experience.
My view of the film crew, in my living room.
Although the finished videos are short, they’re edited from several hours of footage that the crew from Flicker Flacker Films shot. On the night of the event, they followed my teammate, Sue, and I, as we walked along the Hudson River on a beautiful September evening. A few weeks later, they came to my apartment to interview me and shoot some more. We had a lot of fun, and instead of wrapping up around lunchtime, we ended up continuing through most of the day.
One of the best, and most unexpected things to come out of the shoot, was the video I created, myself, as I went through the first day of my fifth round of chemo. Originally, Trish, the producer, wanted to shoot the footage herself, but because of patient privacy concerns, a crew making a video at the hospital wasn’t possible. For Plan B, she suggested I do a vlog (video blog) entry, which I wasn’t sure about at first, but then agreed to with the understanding that if I wasn’t happy with the results of my labor, we wouldn’t use it. Creating my own video turned out to be a very fun and enlightening project, which allowed me to use my creativity in a new medium.
The finished videos capture the spirit of the walk nicely, and I hope that they help raise awareness for LLS, as well as boost participation and donations. Sue and I will be participating again this year, on Thursday, September 18. Our team name is, Joe’s Adventurers, which comes from the title of this blog. Please check out my fundraising page for more information, and to donate or join us. As always, thanks to everyone for your support!
Lotsa Love,
Joe/Joseph
One Year Later
My Facebook Status, the morning the mass in my chest was found.
It turned out that losing my coffee on the morning of July 10, 2013, was the least of my problems that day. After lunch, I would go to my Primary Care Physician to have my swollen face checked out, have a chest X-ray to rule out the “unlikely” scenario that something in that area was causing the swelling, and learn that the unlikely was, in fact, definite: I had a large mass behind my heart, pressing on a facial nerve. Thus began my Lymphoma adventure, which would lead to this blog, and an experience that I can only describe as transformative. Three weeks later, I had had CT and PT Scans, a surgical biopsy, and five days of chemo that completed the first of six rounds. As the one-year anniversary of my diagnoses progresses, my recovery continues to go well, despite some struggles, and I have a different perspective on many things.
I’m in remission, and am on self-approved medical leave until my Oncologist clears me to return to part time work. Until then, I’m collecting longterm disability benefits from private insurance purchased through Freelancers Insurance Company. If you’re an independent worker, I highly recommend looking into disability coverage.
Even though I had an easy time with chemo, I started to think, ‘Wow, that was a bit intense.’ (I have a gift for understating things.)”
The biggest challenge I continue to face is my emotional health, which has been affected by my own cancer, as well as that of family members afflicted with the disease. Once out of the regimented routine of going for treatment, during what was a very cold, long, and dark winter, it began to hit me that I had been through a lot. Even though I had an easy time with chemo, I started to think, “Wow, that was a bit intense.” (I have a gift for understating things.) Having lost my grandmother to cancer in March, dealing with the effects of that grief on our extended family, and having my Mother continue to go through treatment, the already raw underlying emotions were magnified. Working with my team of excellent caregivers, I’m able to manage well using various methods: medication, psychotherapy and a support group, relaxation techniques, and nutrition. I have my moments, but I keep in mind that, “this, too, shall pass,” a mantra that a good friend shared with me at the very beginning of my diagnosis.
Because I have a flexible schedule, I’m able to spend time with family and friends, and have enjoyed extended visits to my Mom’s in the beautiful Mid-Hudson Valley of New York State. I spent a lot of time at the homestead last summer as I went through treatment, and it’s comforting to be in a place where I can continue to heal and be supported, as well as where I can help to heal and support.
Facing cancer has been like going through a mid-life crisis on steroids: There’s no sports car, but instead, in a short time, I have different priorities after having been confronted with my mortality. It’s easier to focus on taking care of myself, and not consider the needs of others before my own. I’m better at avoiding stress, which seems to permeate every aspect of life in New York City. I’m more comfortable asking for help, even if that’s as simple as telling a friend I need company, and inviting them to lunch or coffee.
My one-year anniversary of being cancer free (speaking confidently and optimistically) will be at the end of the year, when I will consider it among my holiday gifts. As always, the love and support of family and friends is something I feel every day, and rely on when I hit rough spots, or start to question my positivity. Thank you all for continuing to send prayers/thoughts/vibes/love or whatever words you use to describe those gifts of well wishes.
Lotsa Love,
Joe/Joseph
First Birthday Update
Selfie from the SPD Gala. The green ribbon on my lapel is for lymphoma awareness.
I turned 45 last month. Somewhat ironically, my birthday was exactly nine months after I had the biopsy that led to my diagnosis, and that long plus a week after I started chemo. While I can’t say that I was overwhelmed with profound feelings of rebirth, somehow, turning a year older holds a place among the milestones of my recovery, a few of which I reached over the past months.
Last week, I went for my second two-month follow up visit with my Oncologist, Dr. Bruce Raphael, and although I’m still feeling some of the effects of treatment, I got a clean bill of health. I continue to be in remission, and although my blood counts are still low, they’re approaching normal. I’m still feeling some fatigue as my energy is coming back to full strength, so most days I’ll indulge in a nap. Doctor’s orders! I’ll go for a six-month scan in June, which won’t need to be a full PET, but just a chest CT.
Aside from being tired at times, my mood is the biggest thing I’m dealing with. The last few months have been an emotional roller coaster as I came out of treatment and dealt with extremes of happiness and sadness. (I was informed that it’s very normal for people to experience depression and anxiety after finishing chemo, worrying if the cancer will come back, and realizing the intensity of going through a major diagnosis and treatment.) While being in remission is great news, it’s contrasted with family members dealing with cancer and other illness, and grieving the loss of my dear grandma, who passed in March. Although I didn’t find myself emotionally overwhelmed by this mix of events, I had my moments, which I managed with my caregivers, along with making an extra effort to eat and sleep well, and exercise. I’ve been walking at least 30 minutes a day, which is important physically, clears my head, and keeps anxiety at bay.
Being self-employed, I’ve self-approved a medical leave, and because of savings and insurance, I’m fine financially. I pay for long term disability coverage through Freelancers Union, where I also get my health coverage, and can collect benefits until I’m cleared by my physician to go back to work.
Aside from the medical milestone of another two-month checkup, this spring, I attended two events that each had a special part of my revery: the ADIM Conference, and the SPD Gala. At both, I was reunited with many friends who I hadn’t seen since before my diagnosis, but who encouraged me through it, like Hollis (my cancer pal), Jake, Rocky, Shawn, Ina, Jason (thanks for the prayers, they helped!), James, Andrew, Bob “The Man” (my fellow NYU Langone patient alum), Victor, Neil, Nancy, and so many more whose support meant, and stll means, so much to me on this journey. There were friends, too, who didn’t know of my adventures—or who I didn’t know did—but once they heard of them, offered kind words and shared their own stories with me, like Russell, Mary K. and Will, Jeremy, Victoria, Nancy, and Trevett. There are so many others who I haven’t named, but who I thank, nonetheless.
My next big milestone is my one-year anniversary in July, and every year I go without recurring—I have an 80-81% chance that I won’t, and I always throw in that extra 1%—the less probable it is that it will happen. In fact, Dr. R. told me that if I haven’t recurred in two years, I’m most likely not going to. That cuts my race in half, since if I make it to four years, I’ll be cured. As always, thanks to you all for your friendship, love, and support along the way. It continues to be a source of strength and inspiration.
Lotsa love,
Joseph/Joe
‘Tis the Season to Light The Night
With my teammate, Sue, at the Finish Line.
In September, I took part in the Light The Night Walk to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. The funds we raised will provide cancer patients with lifesaving research, financial assistance, education, programs, advocacy, and personalized assistance. To date, my team has raised over $5,000, thanks to the generosity of family and friends. If you’re looking for a worthy cause to help in this season of giving, please contribute to my Light The Night fundraising efforts. Making your gift in someone’s name is a great idea for holiday present. Donations can be made through December 31, 2013, and are tax deductible on this year’s return as allowed. Thanks for helping me Light The Night, and have a very happy and safe holiday season!
Amazon Will Donate Part of Your Purchase to The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
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.
Many Big Thanks for Helping Me Light The Night in NYC
Mouse over or tap the image to access the controller to stop the slideshow.
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!