Daifung vs. The Brain Invaders

Apologies to all for having been quiet for so long. It was brought to my attention that my silence might be interpreted as a bad sign, you know, with the brain cancer and all.

Truth be told I’ve been meaning to get to updating for a while but between work and other daily life it keeps slipping away. I made a New Year’s resolution to update my blog (and generally to write) more often, and feel decidely remiss in having accomplished nothing in that regard so far. I am trying to mend my ways, however. Hopefully I can get something started.

Regarding my health, I had my latest MRI on my birthday (January 15th) and received the results, which are quite positive, a few days later. While the official radiologists report noted “no significant interval change”, which in itself would be good news, it also quoted the maximal radius of the primary enhancing region at 7mm. It had been 8.9mm 6 months ago. While 6 months is a long time, any evidence of continued shrinking of the tumor is extremely positive. On looking at the scans themselves, both my oncologist and I could clearly see a decrease in contrast enhancement, meaning less blood flowing to the tumor area, always a good thing.

I continue to feel well and am in the process of preparing for an official transfer to become a US Salesforce employee and an eventual return to live in the Bay Area. Much is up in the air but there is a lot of positive potential for the future.

That’s it for now. I’ve posted a ton of pictures to my Flickr site recently and received about 13 rolls of processed film to scan today. I hope all are well and hope to post a lot more thoughts in the near and continuing future.

I guess it makes some sense since I’ve lived on the east coast, the midwest and the west coast and tend to pick up bits and pieces of accent where-ever I am.

It’s a rainy, gloomy day here, so I don’t feel so bad being inside working on reports and cases. It’s boring but productive, though I’m already over my target hours for the week. I’m excited though that one of the kindly Burning Man folks found my little Pentax Auto 110 somewhere on the playa and is sending it to me! Another Playa miracle.

I’ve still got a ton of scanning to do from film I shot at Burning Man, and if it stays rainy all week-end maybe I’ll get to it.

Two years ago those were the words that changed my life forever. I remember the moment so clearly it seems both yesterday and a thousand years ago.

It was 7:00 on a Tuesday afternoon and I had been waiting in the office of the clinic just above the Airport Express station since 5. The week before I had visited a doctor at the clinic believing I was having migraines. Since I had no history of migraines the doctor scheduled an MRI and I was now awaiting the results. I remember being terrified that the cause of my headaches had been an eschemic attack, a type of stroke that my father had had previously.

After 2 hours of waiting, as the clinic was closing I was finally admitted to see the doctor. He pulled out my MRI and pointed to a section on the right side that showed the expected white curls amid black space and said ‘this part looks normal’. He then pointed to the left side which was a cloud of white and said ‘this is not normal. I advise you to go to a hospital immediately.’

He then read me the MRI report that indicated I had 3 lesions on the left side of my brain with an initial diagnosis of either CNS infection, primary CNS lymphoma or primary CNS tumor. I was chilled to the bone.

I remember leaving the clinic in central in a panic. I tried to call Nicole but she was in her yoga class and I could not reach her. I walked down to the taxi stand and looked at the huge line. My mind was racing a million miles an hour and tears were streaming from my eyes as I faced the crowds at the MTR station and finally decided just to walk home. I don’t know how many messages I left for Nicole.

At that time I honestly did not know what to do. I had been told to go to the hospital immediately and was close to getting into a taxi and telling them to take me to the hospital when Nicole finally called. She calmed me (albeit a tiny bit) and told me not to go to the hospital until she could make some phone calls. I agreed and continued walking. By the time I got home she had called her brother in law and sister and said we should go there to eat something. When we got there I could at least try to distract myself with my niece and nephew. At the same time her brother in law was helping me to set up 2 consultations with neurosurgeons for the following day. As it turns out, that may have been my savior. The second consult was with Dr. Fung, the former head of neurosurgery at Queen Mary Hospital (the best place in Asia for brain tumors), who was able to arrange to have me directly admitted to the neurosurgery ward that evening.

It’s hard for me to put words to how I feel tonight, 2 years later. By all rights I should be dead already, and to be here now writing this, feeling well and with real hope of recovery I feel blessed beyond my ability to comprehend. Each day since I heard those words I have lived with a greater appreciation of my life, my family, my friends and everything and everyone that has supported me and enriched my life. A friend of my who is a brain cancer survivor told me that even with all the treatment and torment he would not have given up his experience because of the perspective he had gained. I’m not ready to say that yet, and doubt I will be until I am 10 years in remission, but I understand what he meant.

These last 2 years have burned away a lot of my pride and pettiness, have slammed an inescapable mirror in front of my face and forced me to accept all my faults, failures and fears. I could no longer ignore those parts of myself and my life that sucked life and energy from myself and those around me and could see how pointless those behaviors and habits truly were, yet at the same time I was able to accept the good and the worth in myself in a way I never previously had. I found in myself forgiveness for everyone grudge I had ever held with another, and in doing found forgiveness for myself.

Next week I will have another MRI, and though I am as nervous as always there is reason for hope. The last 2 MRI’s were extremely positive and if I can stay on that trajectory next week I will feel that I can truly look towards the future.

A few weeks ago I had the opportunity to go to the Burning Man festival in Nevada (pictures are posted on my Flickr site) after a 2-year absence.  Being there was an affirmation of life for me, and I went to the Temple and wrote the following on the wall:

I am not dieing of brain cancer.
I am living with brain cancer.
Hope is strength
Family is strength
Friends are strength
God is strength
I am strength

(I had t-shirts made with the same words and wore them all week, giving away several to others who either were suffering with cancer themselves or suffered with afflicted family members)

At the moment I wrote those words and thought about where I was, alive in the Nevada desert instead of dead beneath it, I cried because I realized that for the first time in 2 years I was thinking of living rather than thinking of dieing. Hopefully next week will sustain that feeling.

Thank you to everyone who has cared for and about me, or supported and enriched my life in any way. I wish all of you health and happiness, wisdom and perspective, long life and freedom from hardship and harm.

-TC

Sulky races, Meigs County Fair

Yesterday we went down to Pomeroy, OH to check out the sulky racing (elswhere called harness racing) at the Meigs County Fair. This was my first Ohio County Fair and it was a serious slice of Americana. The grandstands are 80-90 years old and built right on the first curve for a great view. The benches may have seen better days, with worn wood and a few loose boards here and there, but they are sturdy and provide good cover. The age is reflected in the un-broken grain on the huge beams.

Sulky racing is a big tradition in Ohio and throughout the midwest, and a lot of the horses are driven by their owners. While you would expect that the drivers would all by short, fit folks like the jockies in thoroughbred racing, in reality they were a very diverse group, including several drivers who were over 250 pounrs (one of them a woman who placed first in her race) and one who is 90 years old! All American!

Grandstand, Meigs County Fair


This driver is 90 years old!

In addition to the races, there was everything else you’d expect of a county fair. There were barns for cattle, goats, sheep, chickens, rabbits and hogs, along with a packed livestock auction. In addition to the 4H displays there was a display of cool antique tractors and judging for flower arrangements, paintings and quilts. The flower arrangements were particularly cool, many displaying a distinctly minimalist japanese flair.

Hog auction, Meigs County Fair

Old tractor in the tractor barn, Meigs County Fair

Out on the midway there was a surfeit of rides for the adventurous along with all the classic fair foods. My dad said the chicken ‘n noodles, a South-Eastern Ohio specialty, was excellent but I was a little disappointed to not find any deep-fried mars bars. In the young and fearless days of childhood I would have exhausted myself riding all the rides, feeling safe in my ignorance of the physics and the mechanical realities of those well-traveled contraptions. Sometimes ignorance is bliss. Instead of risking our necks and stomach contents on the tilt-a-whirl, we satisfied outselves with checking out Buffo, World’s Strongest Clown!

The midway, Meigs County Fair

Buffo, World’s Strongest Clown

When we arrived home after the Fair we had another surprise waiting; Nicole’s permanent residence has been approved! She should receive her 10-year green card in a few weeks, and after that she will be able to leave the country and return without a problem.

That’s it for today, sorry I’m not in a more profound and poetic mood but I just woke up and need to get cracking on final preparations for Burning Man.

Take care of yourselves and each-other.

TC

Sunflower and bumble bee, Lowell Ohio

my 8′ sunflowers

The last 2 days have been a time of serious reflection for me. It was just 2 years ago in Hong Kong, while giving a 3 hour sales presentation to a big Taiwanese insurance company, I suddenly couldn’t read the slides in front of me. I was seeing colored dots in my field of vision and suddenly felt dizzy and had trouble speaking. I left the meeting, and after sitting with my head on my desk for a while I had the worst headache of my life. Somehow I managed to take the MTR home, where I curled up in bed in the dark and suffered until early the next morning.

I thought I’d had a migraine, but 2 months later I learned the truth, the headache was caused by swelling which severely pinched the ventricle on the left side of my brain. The swelling was caused by three brain tumors.

I’ll never forget that headache or the 2 more that followed. I’ll also never forget getting the results of my first MRI and finding out that there was something very wrong in my brain. I ‘ll never forget learning that I had lesions and I’ll never forget learning they were cancerous.

I’ll also never forget how many people in my life were so eager to support me.

I’ll never forget my parents and my brother jumping on the first plane out to see me, or Andy and Rob following right after to see me before my surgery. I’ll never forget all the emails, phone calls, cards and positive messages of every kind. I’ll never forget that in that night alone in the hospital before surgery I’d never felt less alone in my life.

2 years later I am still alive, feeling well and full of hope. Every day before I go to bed I give thanks. I give thanks for having been able to live that day, and for being able to spend it with Nicole and with my parents. I give thanks for my family and friends who have been so supportive, and for the doctors who have cared for me with honesty and compassion. I give thanks for the sunshine and rain, the wind and the ability to see and smell and feel and experience all the strange and wonderful beauty of the world. I give thanks for being given the opportunity to understand what is truly important in my life, and to see all of the incredible, chaotic, senseless beauty that is life. Someone told me that my life started over that day 2 years ago, and that I’m celebrating my birthday now. Maybe that’s true, but the eyes I’ve been given these last 2 years have shined a bright light on the 36 years before that, on all the amazing people who have been a part of my life and all the amazing places I have seen. I feel luckier today than ever before, and know that I will not need to look back to see the same beauty in the next 36 years of my life.

To all the people who have supported me these last 2 years, I have no words to express how much it has meant and will be in your debt till the end of my days.

And to anyone out there who is facing cancer or any other grave disease I send a message of hope. I send it because Hope is strength. Family is strength. Friends are strength. God is strength. You are strength and recovery is possible!

-TC

The family at the Magic Kingdom

Greetings all. No reason to beat around the bush, I had my latest MRI on Monday and received the results on Wednesday. I would have posted something Wednesday night but was too busy celebrating! The results were very positive. The main tumor decreased in size from over 12mm avg. diameter to just under 9mm, around a 25% decrease! Not only that, but the radiologist who did the analysis does not believe the other tumor area is pathological tissue after all, primarily because it has not shown any change at all in shape or size (highly unlikely if it were an active tumor). Obviously this is awesome news and good evidence that the combination of Chinese herbs, rest, clean air and daikon-burdock soup is working.

The back side of Thunder Mountain

In other news, last week Nicole, my parents and I all went to Disneyworld together. For my parents it was their first real vacation in 5 years and for Nicole and I it was an opportunity to get our minds off the upcoming MRI. Anyway, I took way too many pictures while down there and we had a great time.

Pooh’s wild ride (still not as good as Mr. Toad’s…)

The last time I was in Disney World was about 20 years ago and a lot has changed. Epcot seems to have doubled in size and Pooh’s Wild Ride has replaced Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride at the Magic Kingdom. The Nautilus submarine ride is gone as well, a sad loss for lovers of kitch everywhere. The Magic Kingdom does remain the stoniest place on earth next to Burning Man. Pooh’s ride and the Spectro Magic light parade being just 2 examples.

Mickey ruling the light parade

A real wild gator that shouldn’t have been where it was…

3rd of July Fireworks

We also lucked out that the 4th of July fireworks at the Magic Kingdom were on both the 3rd and the 4th, so we got to see them (on the 3rd). Maybe not as good as Chinese New Year in Hong Kong but pretty cool just the same.

The Geosphere, AKA Spaceship Earth

Epcot is still the coolest part of Disney World as far as I’m concerned, and I still think the Geosphere is one of the coolest buildings in the country. Since the last time I was there they’ve added a lot of cool stuff and a lot of cool architecture. My favorite was the new Mission to Mars space simulator, which was more fun than it should really be. The World Showcase remains pretty cheesy but loveable in it’s own way.

The world of Imagination

Japan (World Showcase) at sunset with the Geosphere in the background

Spaceship Earth with night lighting

Tree of Life @ Animal Kingdom

Disney’s Animal Kingdom didn’t exist when I was down there last and it was pretty cool. A lot of it was zoo-like but also very educational, all combined with the crazy Disney construction style. In addition to all the animals there’s also the coolest roller-coaster at Disney, called the Everest Experience. It doesn’t have any loops, but it does suddenly change direction and send you spinning around backwards at high speed in the pitch dark for a while. Awesome.

Everest over a canal (left), Nicole with Tree of Life in the background (right)

Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Another new addition is the Disney Hollywood Studios, which is a fairly shameless copy of Universal Studios (just down the road). It was probably my least favorite part of the park, though it was fun to walk around all the art-deco streets and recreations of hollywood landmarks, like Mann’s Chinese Theater.

Mann’s Chinese Theatre (Left), Nicole about to be crushed (Right)

Off all the new stuff at Disney World I have to confess my favorite might have been the Blizzard Beach water park, which was an absolute blast. The best part without a doubt is the Peak Plunge (or some such name) which is a virtually straight-down water slide that get’s you up to about 55mph. That was fun and worth the line!

Blizzard Beach

Well, that’s enough for now. Obviously my whole family is incredibly happy about the MRI results, and also very much hopefull that this is a real step towards full remission. I’m not taking anything for granted but am more optimistic now than I have been in the last 2 years, I really believe that recovery is possible now.

I can not thank enough all the people who have supported me, prayed for me, visited, emailed, sent Facebook and email messages, and just thought positive thoughts for me. It really makes a difference and gives me the strength to keep going. I especially need to thank my parents for providing a great and peaceful environment for my recovery, Salesforce.com for be incredibly supportive and flexible, and Nicole for keeping me positive and focused and not tolerating any negative thoughts coming from me.

I hope you are all well; savor life and the people around you!

-Ted

Sunset over the Muskingum River, Lowell Ohio

Well, it has been far to long since my last blog post, though I do try to keep things updated more on facebook (since it requires a bit less effort). I’ll also admit I’ve been having trouble with the combination of Firefox and the Flash picture uploader on the blog, hence authoring this entry using Google Chrome instead.

Where to begin? The 2 months since my last post have been pretty busy. I had my 20th High School reunion in Philadelphia at the beginning of May. It was good to see and reconnect with some of my old friends but I was left with one lesson, sobriety and reunions aren’t entirely compatible. The trip was also a good opportunity to show Nicole a bit more of Philadelphia. It turned out it was cheaper to fly to Laguardia in NYC and take the Bolt Bus (only $10!) to Philly than to fly there directly, so we also had a chance to stop in New York and catch up with friends there as well, which was great.

Jody & Erica on the firing line, Lowell Ohio

Mid-May was busy as well. My friends Jody and Erica came out for Memorial Day week-end and we had a proper all-American holiday with a visit to the range followed by grilling up the tasty treats we bought at the local farmer’s market! Now that we are officially members at the local range, we no longer have to shoot accross the driveway (or is that we no longer get to shoot accross the driveway?). I as also pretty busy throughout May with getting the El-Chapman foundation up and running on Salesforce.com.

Jody firing the .44, Lowell Ohio

Amagansett Beach, Long Island NY

The last week-end of the month the whole family went to Long Island for my cousin Sarah’s wedding (I left the pictures there for the hired professionals). Congratulations Sarah! It was a great event and I had a chance to see all of my mothers (6) brothers and sisters and most of my cousins as well!

As much as it was great to be at the wedding and get caught up with everyone, it was also a chance to show Nicole the area where I spent a lot of summer vacations in the 1970’s. Until I was about 8 we would go to visit relatives on Long Island for a few weeks just about every summer and I have many fond memories. We got to visit all of my old favorite spots, including the windmill and duck-pond in Amagansette, the Big Duck (which used to sell bbq duck but now is a souvenir shop) and Montauk Point. Montauk was particularly exciting since the lighthouse is now open to the public; in my youth it was still a restricted Coastguard facility. I only wish we’d had more than a day (or it was later in the summer) so we could go swimming.

Amagansett Beach, Long Island NY

Amagansett Windmill, Long Island NY

The Big Duck, Long Island NY

Dune Bogs, Long Island NY

Flowers, Long Island NY

Montauk Lighthouse, Long Island NY

Montauk Point from the Lighthouse, Long Island NY

Nicole @ Gossman’s Dock, Montauk, Long Island NY

June brought another type of excitement as I returned to work officially! I am now working 1/2-time remotely from Lowell and so far it seems to be working out ok. I probably get more actually in a half-day of un-disturbed work than I used to get done in a full day in the office in Hong Kong. I tend to work an hour or two between 11AM and 1PM, then 3-5 hours between 8PM and 2AM, allowing me to be relatively in synch with colleagues in Europe, the USA and Asia.

Health wise all seems well. I have my next MRI in early July and will definitely post an update after. In the mean-time I continue to feel well and continue to take my Chinese Herbs as well as drinking an anti-cancer soup made of daikon radish, burdock root, carrots and shitake mushroom. It tastes awful but I know of at least one person with a similar case to mine who drank it for a year and ended up tumor-free.

My work-schedule also gives me plenty of time to take long walks along the river and spend time with my family, which is probably as important as the medicine. That’s it for now, enjoy the pictures.

Cut Hayfield, Lowell Ohio

Muskingum River, Lowell Ohio

Muskingum River, Lowell Ohio

Sunset Over the Muskingum, Lowell Ohio

While my friend Erica had a novel approach to attacking my tumor, we decided to stick with the Chinese medicine, clean air and healthy eating. A good thing too, as we received the results of last week’s MRI today. While not conclusive (pending a full comparison with November’s MRI), it appears that there is reduced contrast enhancement (i.e. less blood-flow) around the 2 tumor areas, increased ‘black’ areas in and around the tumor (likely dead tumor tissue and/or gaps from the receding tumor now filled with cerebral fluid) and decreased distortion of the ventricles (the reservoirs of fluid in the brain). All of this is extremely positive, especially if it is confirmed by the comparison analysis over the next couple days. Either way, at worst the tumor is stable and it may well be regressing!

Obviously we are all very happy about the results, and for anyone who is facing a similar situation all I can say is that there is always hope, never give up. As Einstein said-

“Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow”

-T

Well, finally I had a chance to pick some Egypt pictures and get them uploaded. After 2 consecutive weekends with visitors I don’t quite have the energy to put in detailed descriptions, but Wikipedia can probably fill in where I don’t.

Enjoy.

Gate to Saqqara funerary complex

Step Pyramid of Dozer, Saqqara

The Red Pyramid, Dashur

Statue of Ramses II, Memphis

Statue of Ramses II, Memphis

The Pyramids of Giza

The Great Pyramid

The Sphinx & the Great Pyramid

Entrance to Karnak Temple, Luxor

Karnak Temple, Luxor

4000+ year old paintings, Karnak Temple

Columns, Karnak Temple

Luxor Temple, Luxor

Luxor Temple, Luxor

Filling the hot air balloon, West bank of Nile, Luxor

Sunrise over the Nile, Luxor

Looking towards the Valley of the Queens from the balloon, Luxor

The Valley of the Kings

Tomb of King Tut Ankh Amen, Valley of the Kings

Hapshetsut Temple, Luxor

Hapshetsut Temple (from the Balloon), Luxor

The Colossi, Luxor

Habu Temple (from the balloon), Luxor

Habu Temple, Luxor

Ramasseum (from the balloon), Luxor

Statue of Ramses that may be the inspiration for the Poem Ozymandias by Percy Bysshe Shelly, Ramasseum

Egyptian Museum, Cairo

Coptic Quarter, Cairo

Hanging Church, Coptic Cairo

Citadel of Salahudin, Cairo

Trebuchet, Cairo Citadel

Mosque of Mohamed Ali Pasha, Cairo Citadel

Mosque of Mohamed Ali Pasha, Cairo Citadel

Mosque of Mohamed Ali Pasha, Cairo Citadel

My parents’ home, Lowell OH (across the river actually)

Greetings all and, yet again, sorry for the long lag in posting. Well, Nicole and I are now settling in here in exciting Lowell, OH – population is 600 give-or-take. The picture above is a telephoto view of my parent’s and the one below is a wide-angle view taken from the same location. As you can see, it definitely is rural. By the way, yes that is an oil well in the picture below, there are lot’s of them dotted around the area.

You can also probably tell that my folks’ place is right by a river, in this case the Muskingum river. It’s definitely a picturesque location with plenty of peace and quiet and clean air. Marietta is only 20-30 minutes away and has real grocery stores and what-not, and Columbus is only 2 hours driving and has most everything, including a Trader Joe’s. At first I thought 2 hours was a long way to drive, but then I remembered I used to have commutes that long in California on occasion so it doesn’t seem too bad.

Our new home in Lowell

The last 3 weeks or so have been pretty crazy, between a week in Egypt (I promise, pictures will be up soon), a couple days in Philly (ditto on pictures) and a lot of unpacking once we got to Ohio. Just a few days after we arrived here my brother and his family also came out for a week-long visit, which was great fun but not conducive to blogging. With a few days to settle in we’ve unpacked now and been able to turn to other pursuits. I started working on the Salesforce.com deployment for my mom’s school today and Nicole and I also enjoyed a nice long walk along the river.

Sunset over the Muskingum, Lowell OH

That’s it for now. I continue to feel well and will have my next MRI in early April, so keep your collective fingers crossed. I promise I will get Egypt and Philly pictured posted soon and in the mean-time take care and enjoy the winter!

-T

Parthenon, the Acropolis

Greetings all, today was a full day of sight-seeing in and around Athens, starting with the Acropolis and continuing on to the Hellenic Agora, the Athens Museum, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, Hadrian’s Arch,the Panolympic Stadium (home of the first Modern Olympics), the President’s Mansion (with traditional guards), and the small streets of the Plaka, the old quarter of Athens. Near the end of the day we headed out to the Temple of Poseidon by the sea. Too tired to write more, I guess I’ll leave it to a few pictures.

The Erecthion, Acropolis

The Temple of Olympian Zeus

Column detail, Temple of Zeus

Hadrian’s Arch

Panolympic Stadium

Guard, President’s Mansion

Statues, Athens Museum

The Hellenic Agora

Temple of Hephaestus, Hellenic Agora

Temple of Poseidon

Graffiti near the Plaka

Nightime in the Plaka

Dawn over Delphi

Greetings and welcome to the continuing story of our trip back to the USA. After Olympia and the long drive to Delphi we had a good night of sleep and started out just after dawn to visit the ruins of Ancient Delphi.

The Sanctuary of Apollo

For those that remember their Greek history/mythology, Delphi was home of the famous Oracle (in the form of a series of women who fullfilled the role), who was consulted for essentially every major question or decision made by the leaders of the various Greek states. The Oracle delivered her prophecies from the Sanctuary of Apollo, the most impressive building at the site.

Athenian Treasury (reconstructed)

In addition to the Sanctuary, the complex contained treasury buildings from each of the Greek states, where they would store and display all their donations and offerings to the Oracle.

Theater, Delphi

Delphi was also a worship center of Dionysis, and festivals were held in his name featuring the arts as well as the Pythian Games, second in importance only to the Olympics.

Stadium, Delphi

In addition to the main complex, Delphi was also home to an important tholos (round) Temple of Athena.

Temple of Athena, Delphi

After Delphi we hadded North towards Meteora, passing by Mt. Parnassos, home of the mythical Roc, and accross the high plains that are the breadbasket of Greece.

Mt. Parnassos

Greek plains

Along the way we passed a lot of trucks from Bulgaria, all of whom seemed to be carrying the Bulgarian version of Red Bull

Pit Bull, stronger than Red Bull

Finally, we arrived in Meteora, home of the ‘Stone Forest’ a collection of towering stone pinnacles topped by orthodox monasteries.

Meteora

The next day we visited several of the monasteries, getting a pretty good workout in the process and climbing A LOT of steps.

Grand Meteora Monastery

Monastery of St. Varvaras Rousanou

Holy Trinity Monastery

In addition to being spectacular from the outside, the monasteries are richly decorated within.

Icons, Holy Trinity Monastery

After Meteora we had a long drive back to Athens, stopping on the way at Thermopolae to check out the monument and statue of Leonidas. It was here that the Spartans held back the massive Persian army for 3 days.

Statue of Leonidas

Windsor Castle

Greetings all, after several days without a good Internet connection I am finally able to catch up here in Delphi. WARNING this is a long post as it includes photos from the last few days.

Jan 25

The last time I posted was after a day of London sight-seeing. Well, the next day (the 25th) Nicole and I took a bus tour (out of character for me but the only option…).

The Grey Tower

First stop was Windsor, where we visited the castle that is one of the primary homes of the royal family. The oldest part of the castle is called the Grey Tower, which started life as a traditional round, moated Norman keep and eventually morphed into it’s present form. Also on the grounds is the chapel of St. George.

Chapel of St. George

Stonehenge

The next stop was the most exciting for me, Stonehenge! No one really knows why the monument was built or what it’s purpose was, but the stones have been standing for over 4500 years and the earliest part of the monument has been there for over 5000!

Stonehenge

After Stonehenge, the final stop of the day was the Roman Baths at, where else, Bath.

Roman Baths, Bath

Jan 26th

Alps

The next day we flew from London to Athens, catching fantastic views of the snow-capped Alps. We arrived to late for any real sightseeing, but we could see Hadrian’s Arch and the Temple of Olympian Zeus from our hotel Balcony.

Hadrian’s Arch

Temple of Olympian Zeus

We also were able to visit a stone-topped hill next to the Acropolis with fantastic views. To top it off, we could see the lit-up Acropolis that night from the roof-top restaurant of our hotel.

Nicole with the Acropolis behind

The Acropolis at Night

Jan 27

Corinth Canal

The 27th we started our 4-day tour of Peloponnese and Central Greece with our driver John. He has a big Mercedes Yellow Cab and turned out to be a fantastic guide! We started by heading out of Athens towards the Corinthian Canal, which connects the Agean and Adriatic seas via the Gulf of Corinth. It was a bit of an adventure because there is a farmers strike and the farmers all over Greece are using their tractors to block highways, bridges and the like. Luckily John knows the areas very well and could take some local roads around much of the mess.

Temple of Apollo, Ancient Corinth

After crossing the canal we headed on to Ancient Corinth. We started out at the museum, then moved on to check out the ruins.

Mosaic, Corinth Museum

Mountain Fortress

After Corinth we continued on through the countryside passing several mountain-top fortresses from the Byzantine era before arriving at our next destination, ancient Mycenae.

The Acropolis of Mycenae

For those interested in Greek history, Mycenae was the home of Agamemnon, the king who ultimately commanded the Greeks in the war against Troy. It was here at the Acropolis of Mycenae that the kings of all the Greek states met to decide whether or not to attack Troy, and at the time the valley would have been filled with tens of thousands of soldiers awaiting the decision to march.

View from the Acropolis of Mycenae

Next stop was the picturesque sea-side city of Napflio.

Napflio

Napflio is very popular with honeymooners and taking a look at the location it’s easy to understand why. The town was founded by the Venetians, and they left their mark in the form of 2 fortresses that originally gaurded the town. One, Palamidi, was situated atop a high mountain overlooking the city,

Palamidi

while the second, Bourtzi rests on a small island just off the coast.

Bourtzi

After leaving Napflio, we went over high mountain passes, crossing Central Peloponesse on the way, eventually, to Olympia. On the way we stopped for a bit in the pretty village of Langadia.

Langadia

Church, Langadia

Eventually we made it through the rain to Olympia.

Olympia at night in the rain

Jan 28

Western Pediment of the Temple of Zeus, Olympia Museum

The next morning we woke up early and headed over to Ancient Olympia. We started at the archeological sight but soon fled to the museum to escape heavy (and freezing cold) rains. The museum is amazing, and contains a number of famous statues including the Hermes of Praxiteles, that in addition to the remains of the east and west pediments of the Temple of Zeus.

Hermes of Praxiteles and statue of Nike, Olympia Museum

After the museum, the weather had cleared and we re-toured the ruins, including the Temple of Zeus, whose gigantic columns are all collapsed, and the huge Olympic Stadium. It is incredible to think that you are walking on the same field as the ancient Olympians thousands of years ago!

The Temple of Zeus (with one restored column)

The Olympic Stadium

After Olympia, we headed up to Patras to cross the Gulf of Corinth to the Greek mainland.

The new Patras-Andirio bridge and the old fortress

While we were driving over to the ferry landing I happened to notice the reflection of the new bridge (built just before the Athens games) and the fortress that gaurded the Patras side of the old ferry route. I asked the driver to stop and was able to take the photo above (thanks John!).

View from the ferry, Gulf of Corinth

After that we boarded the ferry for the ride over to Andirio, then followed winfing mountain roads to Delphi, possibly my favorite place in the world and the end of today’s update. I will post again when I next have good Internet access. Take care all!

-Ted

View from Delphi, across olive groves to the Gulf of Corinth

Parliament in the early morning

Greetings all, Nicole and I made it safely to London yesterday and today did a bit of sightseeing. Right now I’m feeling more inclined to sleep than write, so I’ll just add a few pictures to chronicle the day.

Nicole & Big Ben

Westminster Abbey

Cleopatra’s Needle

‘The Gherkin’

The Tower of London

The Tower of London

Tower Bridge

St. Paul’s Cathedral

Nelson’s Column

The National Gallery

International Finance Center HK

This will be the last post from Hong Kong, as PCCW is coming to collect my DSL modem in a few hours and we are leaving early in the morning on Friday. I’m not sure exactly how I feel about leaving Hong Kong. I’ll be glad to be away from the crowds and pollution, but this has been my home the last 3 years and is the place where I met and married Nicole so it will always have a special place in my heart.

Well, gotta get back to packing now since the clock is ticking. Look for a post in a few days from London and in the mean-time take care!

-Ted

Angkor Wat

Greetings all! Nicole and I are back from Siem Reap after a fantastic couple days. It was a little tiring seeing so much in such a short time, but it was invigorating as well to be surrounded by the remains of such an incredible culture. Visiting Angkor has been a dream of mine since I was about 10 0r 11 years old and saw pictures in a book, so the visit was particularly special for me.

Tonle Sap Lake

On the afternoon we arrived, we visited the Tonle Sap lake, which during the wet season covers over 10,000 kilometers and floods all of the nearby forest. We took a relaxing cruise on the lake and estuary before heading back for an early night.

Angkor Wat @ Sunrise

The next day we woke up around 4:30AM in order to see sunrise at Angkor Wat. While we didn’t get the rich colors that sometimes accompany an Angkor sunrise, the whole experience was pretty magical. Our driver dropped us off in the dark, with only moonlight to guide us. We could barely see anything and stumbled with the other folks accross the first causeway and through the outer gate, eventually finding a spot right by the reflecting pools. It was incredible to watch the temple slowly revealed as the sun rose.

View of Angkor Wat from a balloon

Entrance to Angkor Thom

After Angkor Wat we headed to Angkor Thom, which was the capital of the Khmer Empire and stretches 3km on a side.

The Bayon

Inside of Angkor Thom we first stopped at the Bayon temple, which features over 200 carvings of the face of the King that commissioned it. We also visited the Terrace of the Elephants and several other monuments within Angkor Thom.

Terrace of the Elephants

Preah Khan

Next we went to the Preah Khan temple, which has the only round columns of any Angkor-era building.

Ta Prom

After Preah Khan the next stop was Ta Prom, the temple that has been completely overgrown by the jungle (though the jungle has been mostly cleared back now).

Ta Prom

From Ta Prom we drove about 45 minutes outside of Siem Reap to visit a temple called Banteay Srei, which was built out of pinkish-red stone and is one of the most intracately carved monuments in the greater Angkor area.

Banteay Srei

Sunset from Pre Rup

We finished our day with sunset from another temple called Pre Rup.

The next day we visited a few more temples and generally relaxed, returning to Angkor Wat to see it in different light. Then it was time to head back to Hong Kong (with a long lay-over in Vietnam). It was a great trip.

After getting back all focus has been finishing up packing and shipping boxes while getting ready for the trip back to the USA. We leave on Friday early morning for London on the way to visiting Greece and Egypt. Hope to see many of you back in the USA after we arrive!

-Ted

Nicole with my mom and dad on the Great Wall @ Badaling

Greetings all, the above picture and all the others in this post are from our recent trip to Beijing; more on that later. Today, with much trepidation, Nicole and I met with Dr. Pu to revie last week’s MRI results. Happily, there was no significant difference between my recent scan on the 7th and my previous scans in November. This is definitely good news as it indicates that the tumor did not grow and the contrast did not increase to any perceptible degree over the past few months, even though I had not taken chemo since October. I am hoping this is indicative of the Chinese medecine boosting my immune system so that it can fight the tumor. Then again, maybe it’s God, or luck, or whatever other explanation you like. Maybe it’s just the result of a positive attitude or all the positive vibrations you have been sending my way. Either way, I feel well and hope it is a good omen for things to come.

Nicole and I on the Great Wall

As I mentioned, Nicole and I, along with my parents, recently made a quick trip to Beijing. My folks were in HK for Christmas and we had extra time so, after a scramble for visas, we flew up to Beijing for a few days just before Christmas day (got back to HK Christmas Eve). I think the opportunity to walk on the Great Wall was the deciding factor in getting my folks to make the trip, so we took advantage of clear skies (in Beijing?!?) on the first day to visit the Badaling and Juyongguan sections outside of Beijing. As you can see from the photos, it was an almost perfect day. Why almost? You may notice in the pictures above that we are all very bundled up. That’s because it was freezing cold with a stiff arctic wind for which none of us were really prepared. It was worth it though, as there were relatively few other tourists, and both my mom and dad were totally blown away (no pun intended). We also paid a short visit to the Ming Tombs the same day, though after the Great Wall it was kind of anticlimactic.

Above: The Great Wall, Below: Ming Tombs

Nicole with my mom and dad in front of Tienanmen Gate

The next day was spent seeing the sites in Beijing. We visited Tienanment Square, the Forbidden City and the Temple of Heaven, with myself acting as tour guide since I had been before. My parents were almost as impressed by the Forbidden city as they had been by the Great Wall, and they could not believe just how immense the palace is, with one huge courtyard after the other and endless thron rooms. Of course, we only really had the time and stamina to see the main halls and didn’t have a chance to see the many displays in the side chambers. Maybe next time. It’s also worth noting that everywhere we went (including the Great Wall) people want to have their picture taken with my mom and dad, who look pretty much like Mr. & Mrs. Claus. I guess 2 days before Christmas it was to be expected. I believe one of the soldier guards at the Great Wall even got in on the action, and one vendor at the Forbidden city was trying to get us to go into business “just 10 yuan per picture, we can make a lot of money”.

Santa & Mrs. Claus visit the Forbidden City

After the Forbidden City we paid a late-afternoon visit to the Temple of HEaven, which is one of my favorite site in Beijing. I guess I have a weakness for round, pointy temples and this one has 2!

The Temple of Heaven

We also stopped by the Beijing Grand Theater earlier in the day because I love crazy architecture. For those that don’t know, the theater looks like an enormous egg and generates a lot of strong sentiments in Beijing, both positive and negative. What I love about the building is that there are no visible entrances. The entrance actually passed under the ‘moat’ around the rest of the building, making for a memorable site.

Grand National Theater

Well, that’s it for me today. Tomorrow Nicole and I fly to Siem Reap to spend my birthday at Angkor Wat, then after another week in HK we are off for adventure on our way back to the states.

Thanks to all of you that have been sending me prayers and positivity, it’s clearly working!

-Ted

Happy new years to all!

I realized it’s been way too long since my last post, which contained a lot of un-answered questions. Since then both a lot and nothing has changed. After carefully evaluating the medical options (surgery, Avastin, other chemo, etc.) one fact became clear; none of the options could promise either a reasonable chance of a cure or a decent quality of life. All the options were low-probability and high-cost, financially, physically and emotionally. After thinking it through I decided to go with D, none of the above. Instead I am focusing on quality of life while pursuing traditional chinese medecine. TCM has delivered positive results for a lot of people and isn’t subject to a lot of unplesent side-effects. For those not aware, the guiding principle of TCM is to ramp up the body’s natural immune system to fight illness. While western treatments try to kill the tumour, usually doing a lot of peripheral dammage at the same time, chinese treatment boosts the body’s natural defences. Think of it as the difference between economic aid and military invasion to foil an enemy.

In addition to pursuing TCM, Nicole and I are going to move back to the USA to live with my parents for a while. Hopefully a change of scenery will help my body fight, especially a move to someplace with clean air and no stress. While there I will also do work for the Salesforce Foundation, starting with getting my mom’s non-profit school up and running.

With that decision, we’ve been pretty busy planning and packing for the move. We are leaving HK on the 23rd of January and stopping in Greece and Egypt for a few weeks on the way to fullfil a few lifetime goals of Nicole’s and mine. My folks have a nice place in southern Ohio and I hope many of my friends will come to visit while we’re there. I don’t know if it will be the place I recover or the place I die, but we remain optimistic and either way I know things will be OK.

Well, gotta get back to packing. While this isn’t the outcome I would’ve preferred, it’s the one I have and I am ok with it.

Take care of yourselves and each other, and hope for a 2009 full of miracles, memories and redemption.

-TC

Driftwood on the beach in Nome – 1987

Well folks, it’sbeen a tough few days for Nicole and I. We met with my neurosurgeon on Monday afternoon to review last week’s MRI and the results weren’t very promising. Whereas in the previous 2 scans there had been successive decreases in contrast (indicating reduced blood-flow to the tumor), this scan showed an increase. That is likely an indication that the tumor is becoming more active and may indicate that ultimately the current chemo regimen is not delivering the intended result.

Nicole and I in the club where we first met

They are scheduling another MRI in about 2 weeks to confirm and will also do another MR Spectroscopy and perhaps a PET Scan to try to learn more about the tumor structure and how much of it is viable tissue. There is still hope of a positive explanation, but Nicole and I are preparing for the worst while hoping for the best.

Full moon in HK

If the tumor is indeed progressing, there are a number of potential treatment options, so by no means is there reason to give up hope. We are reaching out to experts in the US while the oncology and neurosurgery teams here in HK confer. Possible options include use of Avastin, a targeted therapy that attacks the blood vessels feeding the tumor, radio-surgery, use of other chemotherapy agents either here in HK or back at Duke in the US, and even (as an absolute last resort) radical surgery to remove the tumor. Each of the options has pluses and minuses and there may be other options that haven’t been considered yet. Right now we will just wait to see the results of the next scan and the recomendations of the medical team here.

Nicole, my rock, at the Big Buddha in Lantau

Right now Nicole and I are just trying to remain positive and optimistic while we wait. Nicole is better at it than me and remains my rock. I guess the reality is that none of us can predict the future so there’s no use worrying too much about what might happen or could happen. Any of us could be hit by a bus crossing the street (a real possibility here in HK!) any day. I can still take away the positive that this experience has taught me a lot about myself and made me realize and truly appreciate all the incredible people who have supported and continue to support me. Thank you all for caring and for all the positive energy you are sending my way.

-Ted

The Big Durian, Singapore (a theater/cinema complex)

Greetings all. It’s been a while since I made an update so I figured I had better write something!

I will be starting my 10th chemo cycle tomorrow. Originally it would have been a week ago today, but when I went in for my blood test Friday the 24th my platelet count was a little low and the oncologist didn’t want to prescribe chemo. I waited out the week getting as much calcium and potassium as possible and was re-tested this past Friday. All was well in that test and the doctor prescribed the chemo, but I wasn’t feeling 100% this morning so I’ve delayed the 10th cycle by a day. I am also now scheduled for my next MRI on the 12th, and will review results with Dr. Pu on the 17th. Hopefully it will be more good news.

View from the Singapore Flyer

Sultan Mosque, Singapore

Aside from that Nicole & I had good trips to Singapore and Shanghai, some pictures of which are posted here today. In Singapore we rode on the Singapore Flyer, a gigantic ferris wheel the provides amazing views of the city. We also had a chance to check out the Durian-shaped Cinemas by the Bay and several cool temples and mosques.

Oriental Pearl Tower & The Bund at Night, Shanghai

In Shanghai we went to a friend’s wedding, which was fantastic with beautiful weather. We also had time to walk around the Bund, the old German business district on the river, and Pudong, the new city filled with crazy sky-scrapers. One of the highlights was taking the new maglev to the airport when we left. The maglev tops out at 431km/h and is supposed to be the fastest train in the world. IT was pretty cool.

The Shanghai Airport Maglev

I continue to feel well and remain optimistic. Take care.

-Ted