It was just another usual Thursday in October. I had been heading downtown every week to Sansom Street to handle my Jeweler business on Thursdays and now again to see Dr. Dave…every week after my DLI. Since mid September when the procedure was completed, I needed bloodwork to check my relapse status. It was my fourth visit now and basically not much had changed. Last week my blood counts had stabilized and there had been no real change to my situation. Slightly disconcerting this was since we were hoping for a better reaction. This weeks visit would include a PCR blood test to venture molecularly for a deeper look into my response.
I arrived around 2:30 pm at the office and ran the usual gamut of checking in, weight check, blood draw and escort to the exam room. I settled in and put my briefcase behind the examination table since I had been running all day and needed to use the rest room. I left the room for about ten minutes and returned to find a gentleman sitting on my table. What the heck? He had long gray curly hair covered by an old baseball cap. A baggy sweatsuit on and old sneakers. A little disheveled, I thought. It took me a second to recognize him. Of course we spoke and agreed that there must have been a misunderstanding. He said that a nurse had placed him in the room and told him that the doctor would be in soon. I guess since the room looked empty that it was clear. Nope.
I introduced myself and he shook my hand. “Nice to meet you coach”. The gentleman was the current Philadelphia Flyers coach… Roger Neilson. Not just the Flyers coach, the former Maple Leafs, Sabres, Kings, Canucks, Panthers and Senators coach. An NHL icon. Now, I’m not a real celebrity hound or overwhelmed by celebrity but it was very cool. I told him that I needed to get my briefcase under the table and that as soon as Dr. Dave came in we would straighten the room situation out. He asked me about my visit and I gave him a quick rundown of my cancer situation. He asked me if I had ever had a Bone Marrow Aspiration before? “Multiple Sir”. He looked scared. He was scheduled to have his first aspiration today. Oh boy. I gave him a quick tutorial on the procedure and my technique of holding the table, curling your toes… you know the deal. “Does it hurt”? He asked, I couldn’t lie. “Big time!”. Really scared him then. “Knock…Knock”.
Dr. Dave walked in and lightened up the room like he always did. “Well Coach, looks like you met Keenan!” “Two hockey guys with Leukemia just hanging out”. The conversation was mostly about our connection to the game of Hockey and of course our disease. Coach Neilson actually had Multiple Myeloma, a form of blood cancer associated with Leukemia. He had just been diagnosed and this was his first major testing of his marrow and blood. Poor guy. I answered a lot of questions for him and left him at ease. I think. But what about the room dilemma? Dr. Dave handled that. “Keenan, you are the Vet here and Roger you are the Rook”. Wow! Dave was the man. He would have the nurse escort Coach Neilson to another room and that he would see him after we were finished. Pretty sweet.
I shook the Coaches hand and we wished each other well. The conversation between Dr. Dave and I was short and to the point. The bloodwork would be back in about a week for the PCR result. My White Cell count was stable but not going any lower like we had hoped. This was not good news but Dave was still holding out hope for a positive outcome. So was I. Dave had to get going to skewer the coach. I had to hit the road for the trek back to the store to finish out my day. I never saw Coach Neilson again. I know that through reading articles in the newspaper that he was undergoing treatment and was relieved of his coaching duties soon thereafter. He made a comeback after his recovery to become an assistant coach with the Ottawa Senators who made a run to the Stanley Cup finals that year. They failed to win the series and he failed to win his battle. Roger passed the next year in 2003 at 68 years old. Another warrior succumbing to this insidious disease. Soon after his passing, Roger was inducted into the NHL HALL OF FAME. One of the most innovative coaches in professional hockey, his style was legend. If you are a hockey fan, check out his Wiki page. Unique. I would have given up my room to him. Just sayin’.
Next Up: Two Months In.