This and That .... And It's Coming From Me

My last post generated some curiosity about what my profession was so here’s the story. Trrrr says I ramble on too much and this is a good example. But there are other topics following this novel so there’s light at the end of the tunnel if you get through it. My father started a school for training real estate and insurance agents to pass the licensing exam. I worked for my father throughout my teen years. When I was a freshman in college, certain needs at the school and my desire to make that my career, resulted in my decision to discontinue my education and work there full time. My father passed away in 1979 and my brother Tim and I took over the business. Over the years I became knowledgeable enough in both fields to become licensed as both a practitioner and a teacher. Bear in mind however that passing a licensing exam, or teaching someone to do that, requires a theoretical knowledge of the subject, not a practical knowledge. In 2004 I sold my interest to Tim. The class I taught primarily was Title Insurance which involves a combination of real estate and insurance. In 1998 I had a student in class named Terry. Terry had been a legal secretary/paralegal for many years and was in the process of starting her own business providing legal support to attorneys. She needed her title insurance license in order to work independently doing real estate closings. Thanks to the expert instruction she received she passed her licensing exam. Terry approached me about teaching a course on how to do real estate closings and together we developed one that was offered and well received. Shortly before meeting Terry I had begun doing real estate closings on the side because I needed the money. The school business goes up and down with the real estate market and it wasn’t doing well then. I had also just gone through a divorce so money was tight. I was working with another licensee by the name of Carol Heiman so we were the closing team of Heiman and Wyman. I did not like working with Carol so when the opportunity to work with Terry came up I went with it. We became the closing team of Terry and Jerry. I try to make it a point to work only with people I rhyme with. Terry and I started a business practicing title insurance, specializing in real estate closings. Her practical knowledge and my theoretical knowledge complimented each other and eventually got to the point that they melded. I dedicated all of my working time to that business after divesting myself of my interest in the school. You may curious and the answer is yes. This is the Terry I eventually married. It was one of the best decisions I made in my life and one the worst she has made. Sorry that dragged on so much but I didn’t know how to abbreviate it. Now on to some other topics. In my last post I told you that Robbie LaSalle was at a turning point in his treatment. Rob is the patient who has two forms of cancer, adenocarcinoma in the esophagus (like me) and small cell cancer in the same place (very unusual). Rob was forced to change treatment centers because of insurance considerations and the new center is completely reevaluating his situation. He will likely soon began a new treatment plan. His wife Becky maintains a blog and she recently conveyed what the new doctor said. Keep in mind that my doctor avoids mentioning statistics and prognoses. Rob’s new doctor obviously does not. The following is from Becky’s blog. He explained to us that esophageal adenocarcinoma is ONLY curable with surgery. Without surgery there is a 99.9% mortality rate. So he wants to see if Rob is a candidate for surgery. We told him that we had been told that because of the small cell cancer Rob was not a surgical candidate. He said that is why they want to be SURE that he had small cell in the first place. He said that small cell cancer aside... if we don't do the surgery... Rob will live the rest of his live on some kind of chemo and eventually the cancer will become "chemo resistant". So you see just how difficult this disease is to beat. Yes, I know that’s a little negative and somewhat depressing but it is what it is. On a slightly more positive note, emphasis on slightly. I heard back from the assistant to Dr. Nosher, the doctor who did the SIR Spheres. Dr. Nosher said that one side of my liver obviously responded better than the other. We should wait three months, reevaluate, and then there’s a chance one side could be retreated. I’ve asked for some clarification and for him to call Dr. George as Dr. George requested it. Lastly, some people have expressed concern that my recent posts are depressing. I’m sorry for that. But keep in mind that this is a blog about a very unpleasant situation, Some of the things I say are bound to be unpleasant. You’re hearing from a person who is fighting a battle and facing death. I have feelings about all of it and I express those feelings. Most of the blogs out there are written by a caregiver. Mine is one of a very few where people can hear what it’s like for someone actually in that situation. I hope someday that helps another patient. In the meantime, let me assure you that I have no reason to think my death is near. I have no thoughts of giving up the battle. My fight and my will to survive are as strong as ever. With your prayers we will see the miracle I told you long ago you might get to witness. In fact, it’s been so long that I’m getting close to declaring it a miracle. Please pray for Rob too. Carry on. ----------------------------------------------------