Category: Stella

  • October 12, 2012: My Wife Has Cancer — I’m Going for a Bike Ride

    We moved to Israel seven years ago to “live the dream” of a better life for ourselves and our children. And for six years, with fulfilling jobs and a wonderful community, our lives did indeed feel dreamlike. And then the dream went dark. It all started when the Doctor said: “It’s definitely cancer.” My wife…

  • October 10, 2012: Battle Plans

    The language surrounding cancer is nasty. It’s worse than Klingon. After awhile, you get sick of hearing words like Tumor, Carcinoma, Disease. Even the chemo drugs have nasty sounding names. Our Doc told us about one drug that goes by the name Zometa. Fine for the U.S., but in Israel they needed a fast name…

  • October 9, 2012: Fight Like Hell

    I wasn’t going to write today. But I can’t help it. On the one hand, I feel that I need to reassure everyone that just as we defeated cancer against all odds before, we WILL do so again. I can write that both of us are determined and ready to do battle and then everything…

  • October 4, 2012: I Didn’t Want to Write This

    I didn’t want to write this post. I hoped I never would have to write anything of the sort. I had dreamed and occasionally let myself believe that the cancer movie was over for good. I could release the army and remove Stella’s name from prayer lists. We could just go about with our lives…

  • September 25, 2012: Cancer Roller Coaster

    I got one thing wrong last year. I thought that the whole cancer experience was like a long, dark night. We had to just focus on “reaching the dawn,” waiting for the sun to finally rise and restore our lives to what they were before cancer blotted out the light. But now I know it’s…

  • August 3, 2012: Night Run

    Starting last night around midnight, a group of us ran from Bet Shemesh to the Kotel, a total of almost 39 kilometers. We got there just as dawn was breaking and were able to daven (pray) as the sun came up. A night run is a completely different experience than running during the day. Often,…

  • July 26, 2012: No Way to Treat Heroes

    Let me paint a picture for you. You have cancer. You go for a chemo treatment. You know that the chemo can kill the disease, but it won’t be easy. You arrive at the treatment center in the morning. First you line up for a blood test. You need to pass this test before they…

  • July 12, 2012: Cool Down

    After a particularly tough run or ride, it is highly recommended that you do what is called a “cool-down.” It means you jog around for about 10 minutes and try to let your body get over the torture you have just put it through. I hate cool-downs. When I run, I like to hit the…

  • May 16, 2012: The Happiest Day of My Life

    It’s pretty clear that over the last year, I have had some of the worst days of my life. I have had the scariest days, the angriest days, and the saddest days — all since last June. But you know what? I have also had some of the best days of my life too. And…

  • April 30, 2012: Gotta Song in My Head

    (Oooh la la la…) Want to get in my head? Usually not advisable, but today, at least for a little while, come on in. (Na na na na na) I know there’s a song playing in there now. So let me turn it down for a sec just to fill you in on what’s going…