My 26 Year CML Leukemia Adventure

Finally feeling somewhat better after my Covid affair, it was time to get to work. Joe was coming home in mid September and it was my mission to get his auto detail shop up and ready to go for an October 1st grand opening. The biggest hurdle I would face was the zoning and permitting process with Warrington Township. On my first attempt, I was met with a brick wall. Auto businesses were a tough proposition and required special zoning variances, planning meetings, attorneys and a lengthy process. As per the assistant zoning commish…”Good luck”. I left the township building feeling demoralized and worried that this endeavor was dead on arrival. No way. The next day I regrouped and headed back to plead my case. This time I asked to speak to the head honcho. A gentleman named Roy who listened to my pitch, reviewed my plans and location, and surprisingly, signed off on my zoning application with a flick of his pen. It might have helped that he was retiring in a few months. Did I seriously pull off a miracle? You betcha!

Within a month, working alongside my friends Vladik and Ed, on my days off and nights, a beautiful Red, White and Blue themed Auto Detailing shop was born from an ugly duckling of a garage. Joe named the business after his long time hockey number… 26. 2SIX AUTO DETAILING was coming to fruition. The only thing that we needed was for him to get home. He built a beautiful website for the business while he was waiting to leave Ohio and when he got home, helped finish with the last details of the shop. Thank God. I blew my shoulder out carrying a 14 ft metal ladder and I was getting way too old to be doing construction work. I went into full sell mode at my store selling jewelry and Premium Plus auto details. On October 1st the garage door rolled up. Appointments rolled in and the beautiful, shiny, clean cars rolled out. Joe’s girlfriend Kara would be moving down from Ohio to join him in a few weeks too. They were on their way.

Meanwhile, number 1 son was in full transition mode too. October 1st was his big day. We had facilitated the moving company a few weeks prior and Nick had flown down to Ft. Lauderdale in the beginning of September to meet the movers and set up his new apartment. He only spent a few days there and flew back to Philly to finish up with some work details and prepare for the final transition to Florida. Lori was so upset. It was rare to have both boys home at the same time. Canada, California, Sweden, Cleveland, Florida, like a Merry-go-round. We would gladly take the two weeks of them here together and Lor was able to take her coveted Christmas card pic! As Joe was performing his first 2Six detail, Nick would begin driving to Virginia where he would board the auto train for his 24 hour journey to paradise. He’d begin his sunny new endeavor as a Senior Agent at the Meyer-Lucas Group, Compass Realty , Ft. Lauderdale and Palm Beach. Officially, he was marketed as part of the Sports and Entertainment division. Congrats to my boy. He was able to rise to the top of his field in Philadelphia in such a short time. A self made top producer, I’m sure that in no time he would conquer the South Florida market as well. Nick was also…on his way.

As a parent, you only want your children to succeed. You want them to be able to move forward as accomplished citizens and be able to be independent. If you are fortunate enough to be able to help them achieve, then why not? Physically, emotionally, financially or educationally. Whatever it takes… Be there. Hopefully, they will pay it forward by being great people and treating their children in kind. Where am I going with this? Receiving a life or death cancer diagnosis at a young age, with young children, is devastating. While you spend years and tears fighting to live and breathe, you spend the rest of your time wondering how you could possibly continue to protect them, covet them, console them and perhaps control them… if and when you are no longer here. It’s a tough pill to swallow. So fortunately, even though I still feel the presence of that proverbial “Rock” hanging over my head, I will continue to be supportive, annoying, overbearing etc. Whatever possible for my family to thrive for as long as I am present and able. Whether they like it …or not. Lol.

Next Up: Just Rolling…Again

Fully stocked with Halls Cough Drops and donning our new masks, Lori and I boarded our flight to Tampa, Florida. I guess you would say that we felt pretty guilty about getting on a plane having full blown Covid. I tried to rationalize that we probably caught covid by someone who on a prior flight that we had been on this past week had done the same thing. Oh well, as soon as we would land, it would be a beeline effort to the rental car area and directly to Bradenton. Being in our own home would be heaven compared to the last few days. We stopped at a WAWA on the way to grab some drinks and food to get us by as well as a stop at CVS for some more meds and Covid tests. We were both still very sick and needed more rest. Our fevers were consistent and chests hurting from the constant coughing and hacking. Being sick though was better in Bradenton.

The Florida weather in July was very hot and humid. Lori actually despised coming down here because of the relentless heat and daily rain showers. This last leg of our vacation was supposed to be twelve days of relaxation at the pool, beach and evenings out and about for dinner and visiting friends. The Country Club at Tara in our development was beautifully appointed and had a great restaurant and bar. Until Lori and I tested negative for the virus, we wouldn’t be able to take advantage of the luxuries afforded us. After all, after ten years of owning it, we barely were able to enjoy our home. We rented it most of the time. Purchased as an investment property and future retirement home for the winter, I only got down to Florida maybe once a year. This two weeks were the longest we had ever planned together in Bradenton and like Nashville, it was supposed to be special. We were fortunate that the club would deliver our meals to us and we could rehabilitate in familiar territory.

Negative, finally! Four days before we would be heading home, our covid tests showed the single line of freedom. Hallelujah! We donned our bathing suits and headed to the pool ! It felt so good to be out and about. Feeling the warm sun and fresh air was beautiful. The next few days we spent dining out and headed to the beach to experience the white sands along the south Florida Gulf. I loved swimming in the Gulf of Mexico. Sometimes, a gentle Manatee would swim by like a small submarine. Very cool. The few days of freedom we had were a tease and set the stage for the future and hopefully Covid free return to paradise.

Back in PA, Lor took off for the shore to begin her usual summer vacation on LBI. I headed back to work at the store. Our experiences were distinctly different. She felt great and went on to enjoy the beach and spending quality time with my parents and sisters, both teachers as well. I was still sick though. I spent the next month visiting the local Urgent care twice in two weeks and then the Doylestown hospital emergency room soon after. The emergency room visit was essential because I literally could not breathe. My blood pressure was 200/100 and had I not gotten there soon, it could have been a really bad situation. I was diagnosed with Covid Bronchitis/Pneumonia and given large doses of steroids interveneously as well as a breathing treatment. The ER doctor noted before I was released that my blood pressure had returned to normal. A clear sign that I was in great distress when I arrived there. I was prescribed steroids for a week and an Albuterol inhaler to help with my breathing. It took another two to three weeks to feel myself again. This Covid was no joke. I could genuinely feel for those people that were affected so horribly and was blessed not to have any repercussions from my encounter. Time to get moving with the rest of this summer.

Next Up: Meyer Lucas and 2 Six

So yes, I had never taken an Uber ride before our trip to Nashville. I really wasn’t thrilled to ever get in a car with some average person behind the wheel. Our driver was very interesting. An African gentleman, from a small country where his wife and family remained while he worked a factory job and drove for Uber here in the US. I could barely understand him most of the time but the drive was mostly uneventful. The Marriott hotel was central to the city and had enough attractions going on nearby that we were winging it for our five day trip. I wasn’t feeling very well after the two plane flights and our layover in Chicago. I grabbed a bag of Halls cough drops in the Des Moines Airport to try not to be thrown off the plane because of my ever increasing cough. I was eating them like candy. Lori and I checked into our room at the hotel, a handicap room on the first floor. I really needed to lay down and get myself some type of medicine. And maybe a Covid test.

We ordered some food from Uber Eats since I didn’t feel well enough to hit the Nashville scene that Lor and I had planned for. Unfortunately, the hotel had no restaurant or room service. Uber Eats was another first for me! Boy was I behind the times! This Uber Eats was great and expensive! I not only ordered dinner, I also was able to order cough medicine, Advil, a thermometer and a Covid test from CVS. It was June 28th, 2022 and for over two years Lori and I had escaped the dreaded two red line boogeyman. After all of my customers who got covid, my employees, my family, you name it. We were free and clear. Not this time. That extra red line literally took about three seconds to blow up our vacation. What did I expect? Two big weddings and four plane flights did the trick. I opened up the thermometer. That blew up too… 103.5 and climbing. I was pretty sick. Lor called room service for a day bed so she could sleep on the other side of the room. Lucky that we had that handicap room after all. We went to bed after a long, long day. Hopefully, Lori would remain healthy but I was pretty skeptical.

I thought that my cough was bad! I woke up around 4 am after hearing a cough on the other side of the room. I turned the bedside light on and Lor didn’t look so great either. She was sweating and looked like she had the chills. I woke her up and had her take her temperature…102.8 and climbing. We were done. Thank God for Uber Eats. I only left the room for the next three days to meet the Uber drivers delivering the food, drink and sustenance needed to get us through our Nashville nightmare. Also, an extra Covid test to confirm what was pretty obvious. Lor had Covid too. We were both very sick. We watched, no binged, Netflix shows all of our awake hours and slept the rest of our stay. And again, we never left the room. So much for our Nashville experience. The next leg of our trip was the flight to Tampa where we had planned to stay for an additional twelve days after driving to our Bradenton home. We masked up, arranged another Uber ride back to the airport, and headed out unfortunately knowing that we had no other choice than to board our flight. Covid and all.

Next Up: The Last Leg

While all of the family plans were taking root, Lor and I had arranged some plans of our own. In addition to our February anniversary celebration, we had decided to extend the 30 year milestone party to travel to Nashville and then to our home in Bradenton in conjunction with the Iowa wedding we were attending in the end of June. First, we would attend the wedding of my sister Lisa on the 24th of June. The affair was held in a barn setting in Bucks County on a very warm evening. The dress code was casual as was the atmosphere. It was both Lisa and Jim’s second time around. I think that there were about eighty plus people there to join in the festivities. Nick and my niece, Chelsey, danced down the grassy aisle throwing rose petals along the route as Lisa followed accompanied by her six year old son James. My Dad had the opportunity to deliver a rousing yet pretentious speech during the reception that had the guests quite amused. It was perfect.

The next leg of our journey led us that evening to South Philadelphia where we spent the night at Nicks newly renovated home. It was beautifully remodeled from top to bottom. Crazy that he would be putting it up for sale shortly. We went right to bed as we would need to leave at 8 am on Sunday, the next morning, to be at the airport for our flights to Des Moines, Iowa. First, a flight to Charlotte, NC. The packed airplane would depart at 10 am and take us to Chicago where we had a 45 minute layover. A quick lunch and we would take off again, another packed plane, landing in Des Moines, IA at 2:30 pm. With no time to spare and our second wedding in two days starting at 4:30, Lor and I bolted across the airport to the rental car pickup and then right to the hotel to get ready for the formal event. Our destination was about forty five minutes south to another barn style wedding where we would watch Kevin and Liz tie the knot. Joey was a groomsman for Kev and had the pleasure of walking down the aisle with a beautiful blond… Golden Doodle! OMG! Kevin and Liz wanted their ‘Kid’ to be in the wedding and Joe accepted the challenge. It was cute. The day was beautiful and the affair equally exquisite. With about 125 people in attendance, the event lasted late into the night. We had a wonderful time, especially because all of Joe’s buddies were in the wedding. All hockey players, the boys all grew up playing together until they split up in their different directions across the country, following their dream. All excellent players and athletes in their own right, they were a great group of young men. It was a blast.

The next day, we had planned a down day to relax and spent the day hanging out with Joe and Kara. We explored downtown Des Moines and traversed through masses of cornfields that made the rural roads feel like paths in a Halloween corn maze. We had a nice time and afterwards headed back to the hotel to get ready for our trip to Nashville. It was time to get this celebration in gear. We had never been to Nashville before and were very excited to see the southern city that never sleeps. The honky tonk bars and Country music capital of the US. Another packed plane to Chicago, a 2 hour layover, a full flight to our new destination and my very first Uber ride from the airport to the Nashville Marriott! Five days to explore the city, celebrate our 30 years of marriage, indulge in a well earned vacation, and just relax. It was Our Turn right now…. to get Covid.

Next Up: Thank God For Uber Eats

Whoa! It’s Wednesday and I’m in work! The start of my first four day work week in almost two years! This was crazy! What was I thinking? Lol. Would anyone even come into the store? Actually, we were busy! Our customers took to this additional day open with gratitude. Sorry, I wasn’t going to go for five days. It took some getting used to, but this would be the new norm going forward. The year was going well with an unusually busy January and a strong Valentines week too. No complaints here.

There was really nothing going on that was exciting or extraordinary at this time. Our winter was pretty mild and other than a few really cold weeks, hardly any snow. Lori and I would celebrate 30 years of marriage on the 29th of February. Our Leap Day anniversary falls on every fourth calendar year. Milestones like this are of course, very special to me. I planned a great surprise weekend in New Hope, Pa. A sweet hotel along the Delaware river, roses in the room and dinner downstairs at Stella. Lor loved it. We had such a nice time. Meanwhile, Nick was waiting patiently for our renters in Florida to be heading home at the end of April. May 1st plane tickets were in hand and he was staying there for at least a month. Something was up, little did we know. Nick had purchased a beautiful home in South Philadelphia about a year ago and had just finished a total renovation. A very costly endeavor that turned out great. Lori and I finally got to see the place before he took off for Bradenton. Very nice. At the end of May, before he left Florida, we got the call. Nick had a big offer to consider. The whole month stay in Florida wasn’t just a long getaway after a fabulous year of business. He was considering a move to Fort Lauderdale with an offer of a new position as a Senior Agent in the same company, Compass Realty, that he represented in Philly. This would be a big decision. We were very happy for him and very sad too. After moving to Los Angeles a few years earlier and then back home, it was great having Nick close by. His decision to take the offer turned out to be easier than he thought. I got a text one evening in the beginning of June after Nick had returned home. It began, ” I’ve made up my mind…I’m moving to Florida.” This, after lying on his floor with gunshots and bullets whizzing down his block. He was so scared. Philadelphia is a mess. The violence anywhere and everywhere. It didn’t matter where you lived in the city, the chances of being a victim of crime were ridiculous. I was glad that he was moving to Florida. I worried about his safety every day in Philly. Nicks beautiful newly remodeled home went up for sale and sold in two weeks. By the end of September, Nick would be on his way.

Meanwhile, number two son had plans of his own too! That call was also enlightening. Joe wanted to come home. After spending the last eight years living and playing hockey all over the world, he wanted to be close to his family and friends again. He missed us. Totally understood. He was running the new detail business with his partner in Ohio and basically decided that he had enough. Lori was so happy! These were big changes happening! We were so happy and excited for our boys and while Nick was making plans for his big move, we started making plans for Joe’s return. These were good times.

Lori and I would be seeing Joe and Kara soon. It had been over six months since the last time they had been back to Pennsylvania. My sister Lisa was getting remarried in the end of June on Saturday the 24th. The next day, the 25th, Joe’s great friend Kevin was getting married in Iowa. Lori and I would fly out that Sunday morning after Lisa’s wedding to Des Moines and celebrate with Kevin and his bride Elizabeth. Joe was in the bridal party. After this long crazy weekend, Lor and I would travel to Nashville for five days and then jet over to Bradenton for two more weeks in Florida. A nice vacation planned as an additional celebration of our 30th anniversary… So we thought.

Next Up: Our Turn

My, how our world has changed. Needless to say, the aftermath of our world with Covid is markedly different from what was… to what is. Huge changes in the workplace are those that are most noticeable to me. Empty offices across our cities are the norm. Employees forced to work from home have taken to this trend and prefer to continue on like this. Many workers have just left their jobs altogether. Now, I am not one to pass judgement either way but I too became somewhat spoiled. Being closed for four months during the lockdown and then deciding to only open three days a week for the remainder of 2020 and throughout 2021 really turned out to be a game changer for me. My business numbers were excellent! My customers got used to our new hours and Thursday, Friday and Saturdays were constantly busy. Every normal full five day business week condensed into three days. Sure, some people found the hours inconvenient, but we made it work.

I started working in the retail industry when I was 18 years old. I graduated from several labor jobs and a decent stint as a grill cook at Roy Rogers(I made fabulous Roast Beef sandwiches) to a counter position at the Pep Boys Auto store across the street. How great was that! I loved cars and got discounts on parts for my 1975 Pontiac Firebird. Bottom line, I’ve worked retail hours for forty two years and for the first time in my life, my healthy life, I had four whole days a week to just chill. It was fabulous! No…Glorious! Christmas time was different. It was always seven days a week from Thanksgiving through Christmas Eve. Usually, twenty seven days in a row. Longer days, hard work, super stressful. It was very tough going straight from a three day to a seven day work week. This 2021 Christmas was another extremely successful season. A very successful year. One month of crazy I can handle.

During this time, the boys were thriving too. Nick had a tremendous year that would land his handsome face on a full page bio in Philadelphia Magazine as one of the top 80 Real Estate Producers in Philly! An amazing feat for such a young guy, as he was noted to be one of the youngest of the top producers. Very proud! Joe was also moving forward. Covid proved to be a big factor in his decision to hang up his skates and pursue other ventures. For many years he worked summers detailing cars after his seasons around the hockey world. He became an expert in the detailing craft and often worked at shops in towns where he was playing hockey for extra cash. In 2021, Joe decided to move to Ohio full time and live there with his girlfriend Kara while she finished her Batchelors degree. He would take a management and hands on position at a new detail center there. Things were moving along well for him. Lor was back to her status quo as the Library Chair in her school district and working her butt off in a new world as the education game had changed in stride with everything else. I was feeling a bit guilty with all of this action going on. Starting in 2022, I would start opening four days a week!

Dr. Luger was happy to see me for my January appointment. It was officially three years, almost to the day, that we first met. My situation was a bit dire then. Now, we were riding a wave of success that only a Cancer survivor can appreciate. Especially me. I’ve ridden too many of those waves. My lab reports were again, consistent and completely normal. I told her that I was increasing my work week by twenty five percent to four days a week. Boy was she impressed! Lol! I have to say, I have had the best collection of Oncologists over the last twenty five years that anyone could ever ask for. I owe them my life. Dr. Luger is one of them. Let’s hope that my current situation lasts for a long time to come and she doesnt retire too soon. Now, I need to handle this four day work week. I am not complaining, but after twenty one years of taking Chemotherapy medication everyday…it has taken a toll on me. Having four days off a week was nice. Oh well…LFG.

Next up: Big Changes

The Christmas season flew by and anointed Belaggio Jewelers with a sustainable amount of capital, leaving my vendors flush as well. Always a pleasant situation to find yourself in at the end of the year. I would enter the new year, 2020, with renewed optimism for my business, my family, and my health. Coming up was my first extended in office visit at Penn. Dr. Luger would be requesting new composite bloodwork, running the gamut of tests to work up a complete picture to assess my current situation. As I waited for the new results, Dr. Luger felt that I was going to be able to remain on the lowest dose of Tasigna and remain in a long term remission. She was right on. My results came back fantastic! Fingers crossed, this next portion of my life would be cancer free. For how long…no one knows. Side effects, who cares. For now, I was somewhat at ease, my cancer at bay.

As the winter started to rear its ugly head, I worked and waited for the weekends to watch Joey’s hockey games on TV. We didn’t have to venture out, just order pizza and watch hockey. It was fun and sometimes scary seeing Joe fly around the ice frequently getting hammered while running his mouth. Oh well, that was his job! Lori and I were getting ready to watch one of his games where the team had traveled to Colombus, Georgia to play but he wasn’t in the lineup. We called him to see what happened and when he finally picked up the phone, he sounded awful. He was told to stay home by the team trainer after a trip to the Urgent Care. He was very sick! A high fever, bad headache, horrible cough and just felt all around awful. It was the middle of February and with what was about to transpire, he probably had Covid. No tests were available or thought about yet for his illness. We assumed that he had a bad Flu. Misdiagnosed at the beginning of this debacle, the tip of the spear. He took mucinex, drank hot tea, needed prescribed antibiotics and took over two weeks off from games and practice. Ohio, where Joe was living, would soon be found to be a hotbed for the beginning of covid in the US. Joe was infected in its infancy. Literally two weeks later, the FHL, along with most pro sports leagues, ceased operations due to this strange outbreak of what would come to be called Covid-19. Joe packed up his things and along with his girlfriend Kara, made his way back home to Pa.

We all know the story…the next four months were spent on lockdown. Our country in a state of horrible disarray. People were dying. Our population, prisoners in our own homes or wherever we were stuck. My business, like most, was completely shut down for those four months. No income and the bills didn’t stop. The boredom was terrible and the TV got a lot action all hours of the day and night. Joe and Kara decided to pull up their stakes in May, at the height of the shutdown, and take a trip across the country for four months! They visited 48 national parks in all, driving Joes red Jetta. A trip of a lifetime. Lori and I were both worried and jealous. Nicky was living in town and trying his best to sell homes under the auspices of the covid police. He was managing very well though and staying safe. We missed not being able to see him.

During this ordeal, I had to sacrifice getting my bloodwork repeated because it was deemed a non emergency situation. That being said, in the middle of it all, my Dad had been diagnosed with bladder cancer. A very scary situation thrown at him and our family. After a hospital stay and initial operation to remove some small tumors inside the bladder, Dad needed to remain diligent and complete several procedures involving chemotherapy after a few setbacks along the way. He did great though. Cancer wasn’t going to slow him down. I was very proud of how he handled it and had it beat after a some additional treatments. It wasn’t easy, but he handled it like a champ.

While the schools were all shut down, Lori was working from home and teaching through zoom. What a trip that was! I enjoyed listening to the interactions between her and the kids. Pretty funny! I myself would sometimes venture out to the Neshaminy creek, searching out the elusive rainbow trout. The parks were empty as were the banks of the creek. A peaceful respite in nature. Alone in the woods, perusing the running waters, casting my fly into the frothy water and dreaming of that big Rainbow Trout taking my line and racing down the rapids. It was surreal and a little dangerous. Anyway, we never got sick, luckily, and I went back to work in August when the quarantine was lifted. I only opened three days a week, full masking, hand sanitizing, and” Extreme Caution” being the modus operandi . Meanwhile, even with all the Covid bad news, sad stories and unfortunate circumstances I encountered concerning so many of my customers…. business exploded! Pent up buyers went crazy purchasing for their loved ones. Engagement ring sales were through the roof! Business the rest of the year and holiday season was fantastic! It was a pleasure, in my own small way, to help to make people happy again.

Beginning in 2021, I was finally allowed to go to U of P’s satellite offices in Newtown to get a blood draw and have a zoom visit afterwards with a PA to review my progress. It had been a year since my last testing and I was quite anxious. It was all good. The results came back excellent. Tasigna was holding its own…my remission sustained.

What a wild year. Unprecedented in most peoples lifetimes. The saga continued throughout 2021 while we trudged on with the drastic changes forced upon us. So many members of our populace dealing with what I refer to as Covid PTSD. Many scarred by the death and misery caused by this awful disease. Many living in constant fear, afraid to leave their homes and live their lives. My heart fully goes out to all affected by this maniacal anomaly of a virus, our lives forever changed.

Next Up: The Aftermath

It seems like pressure just follows me around like a lost puppy. Really. Everything I do has some type of pressure that never allows me to rest. Sleep…forget about it. Keeping up with customers, sales, and finances at the store. Trying to stay ahead of my health situations and those that continue to ail me. Following the constant travails of my boys and their careers and now navigating the purchase of this new home. Does anything ever go smoothly! Eric, our realtor, was negotiating on our behalf this crazy assessment that we had no idea about on our new home. It pushed back our settlement almost two weeks as the problem required coordination between the attorneys, the executor in New York and the parties down here. The seller would escrow the funds needed to repair and fund the assessment. Everyone agreed on the terms and the deal was done. It was ours.

Lori proceeded to live down at LBI and Joe and I in a Homewood Suite for two months until we finished the settlement and worked on the house, remodeling almost the whole place in two months. It turned out beautifully. After September, Joe took off for Mentor, Ohio for his FHL season leaving us as empty nesters ready to thrive in our 55 and over community. We were like babies in the development. Lol. It was quiet. At eight pm you could hear a pin drop. Heaven. This would begin a new chapter in our lives. A chapter that would begin with a clean bill of health for the time being. Sure the side effects of Tasigna reminded me of the daily dose of chemotherapy I needed to administer to myself. A minor inconvenience when it comes to living, loving, and continuing my life for as long as the treatment does its job. We’ll worry about the next time when the next time comes. Now, Lori and I will settle into the quiet hamlet we’ve chosen and keep working our way towards retirement. Hopefully, things go smoothly. Looks like clear sailing.

Next Up: Covid

Lori and I had attended an open house for the home we liked in a 55 and over community. It was on a Sunday afternoon one week after we signed the agreement of sale for our current home. The realtor that was representing the sellers, an estate situation, gave Lor the grand tour while I did my own thing. Essentially, a complete home inspection. I listened as other, older couples, wandered about discussing the amount of work the house needed while the renovation calculations ran through my head. I loved this place. I met back up with Lori at the front door, thanked the realtor, took her card, and exited for the car. When we closed the doors, I said to Lor…” We’re putting in an offer tomorrow morning.” I explained about how nice we could renovate the space and how I believed that this was our spot. Thankfully, she agreed. After some quick negotiations and a great price drop, the agreement of sale would be ready in a few days.

Meanwhile, my next appointment with Dr. Luger was this week. Another trip down to U of P hospital for what was to be a major assessment of the current situation at hand. I had been taking the new drug Tasigna now for eight months. Dr. Luger had reduced the heavy dosages in half by now. The side effects were lessening and we would review the recent PCR results to see if the current dosage was maintaining my remission. Dr. Luger was happy to announce that my PCR test showed a full remission! How wonderful is that! Her assessment was that Tasigna, a much stronger alternative to Gleevec, was making a huge impact against my Leukemia…. Reversing the relapse and allowing me to breathe again. Hallelujah! Maintaining the current protocol would be her position. Barring any issues or worsening side effects, we would meet again for a new round of bloodwork after the New year. Exciting news that I couldn’t wait to tell to Lor and my family.

Now, the word “Assessment” has potentially several meanings. You can “assess” a situation that arises to make a decision on how to handle it. You can “assess” a property or person with a monetary amount for a variety of reasons. A penalty may be “assessed” in a sporting event, etc, etc. Lori and I were having a great week. Wonderful news about my health, Nick had passed his PA Real Estate exam, Joe signed a contract with the Mentor Icebreakers in the FHL and our agreement of sale on the new house was ready for our signatures. Everything was falling into place. Finally! Nick’s friend Eric Fineberg was representing us on the purchase of our new home. We met him at the office of the sellers rep in Doylestown to sign our agreement and complete the first leg of our new journey. Quick and easy, everything went smooth as silk. We took a celebratory ride to the new place and sat for a few minutes in front of the house taking in the moment. It was quite emotional I have to say. We wouldn’t be able to reenter the property until settlement day since we waived an inspection. Then we met “Butch”.

Butch lived on the corner of our street and just happened to be walking his dog as we pulled up the block. He looked to be in his late seventies, greeting us with a big smile and wave. Butch congratulated us on our purchase and after we exchanged pleasantries, said “Did you know about the assessment?” What? Tell us more. Apparently, there were issues with every home. Water was infiltrating the stucco exteriors causing rot to destroy the wood sheathing and studs in the front of the homes. Each home would be assessed $28,000 that the homeowner would have to pay for the renovation and repair. We had no clue! The sellers disclosure or realtor made no mention of this predicament. We were screwed! My wife began to cry. I was infuriated! We thanked Butch for the heads up. He felt so bad. My next call was right to Eric. Buddy…you need to handle this shit. This was wrong!

Next Up: The Pressure

Sobering. A pretty good assessment of your state of mind after a relapse with cancer. This time, being my third and now passing the one year mark, the effect on my psyche was pretty profound. I was having success with my new drug therapy. My blood counts were again, slowly, returning to a manageable level. My PCR results were coming closer to that coveted “Zero” four log reduction I desperately yearned for. A serious discussion was needed with my boys and Lor. Nick had just returned from Los Angeles to begin his career in real estate and Joe home from Cleveland after his season. We sat down to have our talk about what had transpired in the past year, my relapse and the future. Of course, their response was “Why didn’t you tell us”? They were big boys. Maybe I should have let them know sooner but being away and doing their jobs, I didn’t want to worry or distract them. At least now, the situation was way better and there was a proverbial light at the end of this tunnel. They had lots of questions that deserved to be answered and were obviously worried about me very much. We reviewed the situation both from the beginning, through the tough times and the current state of affairs. I fielded the medical questions like a pro and after they were satisfied with my explanations, we moved on to the new direction that I was thinking of…Moving – Downsizing, from our Doylestown home. The reality now was that if something were to happen to me, I needed to make sure that Lori was comfortable and taken care of. That she could handle her expenses and be secure.

Nick was never moving back into our home and Joe was transient between teams and cities throughout the country most of the year wherever his skates hit the ice. I was very worried about my future. Psyche says… consolidate, reduce, contract and make life easier. Both financially and work wise around the house. Lose the snowblower, the shovels, the rakes, the trimmers and the wheelbarrow. Reduce my financial commitments, reduce the amount of work needed to keep up the big house. Plan for a future that could inevitably have me in a war. A war that finally takes me down. That leaves Lori all alone with big bills, a big house, chores galore, and a major debacle. Our beautiful home on Country Club Drive was going up for sale. A decision made mostly on my part as a massive knee jerk reaction to the trauma of relapse. Nick would, without having his RE license yet, list the home through a friend, and we would sell it together. A family project! We spent a few weeks painting cleaning and prepping for our first open house. How exciting! Nick put up the MLS listing and we scheduled our first open house…July 4th Weekend! A little more primping and touch up right before the morning of….and here we go! Nick handled it like a pro. About eight families came through and at the end of the day we had an agreement of sale. Wow!

Now, I had no idea about Real estate contracts and writing agreements of sale. Nick and I powered through it with our friend Roman and the buyers. The one issue was that they needed a contingency to be able to sell their mothers home. We accepted their offer with our own contingency that other offers without contingencies may supercede the original offer allowing them five days to close or lose the house. Fortunately for us, another full price offer with a three week closing and no contingencies, unfortunately for them , came in the next day. The house was sold. Two days on the market, highest price ever in our development. Nick would guide me through settlement. Lori and I immediatly went on the hunt for our new home. The prize was a beautiful townhouse style palace in an over 55 community. It needed a total makeover, my specialty, and we got the price down substantially. Nick had his own place and Joe was still with us. With a three week settlement for Country Club, and an end of August settlement on Lamplighter Village, plus renovations, Joe and I would need to bunk together in a Homewood Suites hotel for a month while Lor went down to the shore. It would all work out…I hope!

Next Up: The Assessment.