city living

finally, gorgeous weather in new york! warm, sunny days, lovely evenings - so uplifting. chalk it up to climate change, global warming, or sheer madness - but we don't follow those same old weather patterns we used to. back in the day, if it was sunny in the morning, it was pretty much a given that the afternoon would mirror that. now it could be torrential downpours, full sun, hot and humid, and a nippy evening ... go figure.

and happily, we seem to be done with those unbearably stifling and humid july days which made it impossible to function with any reason. jane and i take advantage - after her zometa infusion yesterday at the hospital, we enjoy an late afternoon and evening in manhattan.

the zometa infusion, really a fifteen minute cocktail, acts as both a bone-strengthening remedy as well as a helper in the fight to reduce risk of cancer occurrence. jane is a perfect candidate for this bi-annual treatment, which has no visible or substantial known side effects (at least in her case). when i ask her if it's weird or depressing to again sit in the same chair and place where her chemo was administered, she says that it's not - although there are negative connotations associated with the side effects (fatigue, hair loss, and many more), we actually made very 'nice' use of our team when jane was receiving her treatments. watching dvd's, drinking seltzer, snacking on pretzels, etc. - and being together, looking forward to a lunch at grand lux. so all in all, an easy and quick remedy yesterday.

we venture into the city, traffic free - poor slobs on the way out east to the hamptons, like ants crawling towards their hill. we are effortlessly in the city, everyone milling about on their way out for the weekend, or gathering with friends for cocktails on terraces and rooftops.

we rendezvous with the new CEO (local NY affiliate) of susan g. komen for the cure at a hipster hangout on ninth avenue. we are introduced to dara through hala, the national president and CEO of this amazing organization. we have a lovely chat, and learn a great deal about breast cancer advocacy, local programs, the race for the cure (14 september - mark your calendars!) ... dara is inspiring and energetic, and we're sure that she will help push the ball further in the fight for breast cancer eradication. jane and i are eager to become involved and aid in this fight, with jane's particular interest in outreach to teens - educating adolescents about the disease, making them aware of it's ramifications, and helping them to cope with a diagnosis of a mother, sister, etc..

we venture up the west side, past the grittiness of tenth avenue and hell's kitchen (wow, there still is a REAL new york - who knew!) and join henry & ali for an israeli inspired, mediterranean themed dinner at taboon ... very hip, but not overly self conscious, we regale each other with stories about our kids, travel, work, building, weddings, africa, et al. we slyly tease them that we are all the same age now - reading glasses, menu flashlights, despite what the calendar says. we don't particularly like this idea of not being able to read a menu without yanking two or three accoutrements from jane's handbag!

a lovely friday afternoon - missing the kids but knowing that they're barefoot and happy in their lord of the flies camp environment ... next weekend we see them - yeah!

anecdotes and studies

an anecdote, which comes to me while i am wiping down the breakfast table with windex this morning (and wondering if i'm poisoning my family with carcinogens concurrent to my cleaning).

jane and i go out for dinner, many years ago - sushi actually, with a very nice couple in great neck. we don't know them all that well, but they are very nice and their son is friends with jared.  we talk about all manner of things, very first date like actually.  when the subject turns to business, the husband tells us how he came to america as a teenager, and studied in school, and used his training to start up a business.  we go on and on, and it is clear that they are not only personally successful - a lovely family, etc. - but also professionally accomplished.  finally, jane (who is skeptical about how anyone actually makes money) blurts out: "it's amazing that there are so many people around the world interested in buying CAMEL COATS".  we all just stare at her blankly.  i snicker, used to these foibles.  "well, actually", the husband refutes, "i am in CHEMICALS, and my work is with dow, dupont, and the like!".  'nough said.

yesterday, we are invited to a delightful luncheon at the plaza hotel, courtesy of rochelle and jeff (thank you again!).  it is part of their work with ICRF (israel cancer research foundation) that brings us to the grand ballroom of this venerable hotel.  the room is lovely, filled with eager and participatory women (primarily, as it is a 'women of action' event); the food, tasty; the company, divine; the cause, extremely worthy.  however, beyond all of this, four women are being recognized for their courage and determination in fighting cancer, and for the assistance they provide to the community by sharing their stories, or using their circumstances to inform others.

the first recipient is the one i'd like to talk about. hoda kotb is her name, and she is a co-host of the fourth hour of the today show.  she shares her own personal story - a breast cancer diagnosis, the ensuing emotional rollercoaster, sharing her own 'private' story with others, and using it as a professional catalyst.  she specifically uses the phrase 'you can't scare me' as a mantra to find courage to do things that she may not otherwise have the energy or gumption to do.  very inspiring and engaging, this lovely and smart lady.

i am so happy that jane is with me to hear this; i think in a certain way that this is exactly what she needs to listen to.  she is at that point - not quite sure if she should retreat or charge, and i push her towards the latter direction, even when she resists or is unwilling.  i need her, for herself, to forge ahead and create a new course from this event.  this will ultimately empower her ... share her story, get involved with programs at susan g. komen for the cure, do the september race with a team of friends ... 

on another front, the drug that we see a story on recently, zometa, is the subject of a european study.  jane's oncologist has just been to vienna and knows the product well, and does, in fact, recommend that she starts this medicine.  it seems very promising, and all indicators suggest that there is nothing to loose, and potentially much to gain.  so we hope for the benefits when she begins this course in july ... good news, cancer research marches onward, upward.

better than milk!

there is a drug that is used to reduce the effects of cancer treatment by helping to slow or arrest bone loss. the drug, called zometa, has recently been found to have additional benefits for women diagnosed with early stage breast cancer, and who are premenopausal. this is precisely jane's situation, so it's very interesting and exciting news - when she goes for her next oncological follow up in a couple of weeks, she will ask her physician about the applicability of this to her own setup.

the previously unknown benefit of taking this drug is it's ability to lower the risk of recurrence in this group of cancer patients by 35% - a huge and welcome margin. the study that unveiled this connection indicates that women who are on tamoxifen (which is what jane takes daily - it is a hormone suppression drug) can potentially reap this added boost when it is taken in combination with their current daily regimen. although the control group does not include women who have had chemotherapy also, as jane has had, it seems as if the other factors do indeed match where she's at.

it really is fantastic how research, and sometimes pure serendipity, yield such good news. packed together with another benefit - staving off bone loss, with no known side effects - the addition of zometa to cancer treatment means that there are increased chances for a healthy, long life - bravo!