When I started urinating
blood last September, I
went to my GP. He said it
sounded like a urinary tract infection,
took a urine sample, and sent it to the
lab. The day after Labor Day, he called
me and said that since there was no
bacteria growth I should see a urologist.
When I went to see Dr. C., I was bleeding
too much to be scoped. When he
was finally able to perform the procedure,
all I thought about was what I was
going to do if it was bad news, so I formulated
a game plan to help me cope.
When I got the report late on Friday,
October 2, my wife had left for
Vermont with a couple of her friends
for the weekend; so I didn’t tell her
until she got back. She was mad at
me for not telling her before (she does
not take the news of illness well), but
ultimately, she and our fourteen-yearold
daughter and my two married
daughters adjusted to our new reality.
The news was not good.
I learned that the blood came from a
broken papillary tumor and that there
was another one in my bladder that
had to come out. I also learned that
all papillary tumors in the bladder are
either invasive or noninvasive.
I called my brother, Dominick, a
twenty-year lung cancer survivor and
asked him to ask his doctor, Dr. K.
from MSKCC, for a referral. I learned
that the cancer was invasive and that
my bladder had to come out. Also it
was small cell cancer, and I had to get
treated within six weeks.
When I saw Dr. D. at MSKCC, he
explained the treatment would be first
chemotherapy, then surgery. He also
informed me that I was a candidate for
a neo-bladder. Dr. D. then called Dr. B.,
a research oncologist who would set up
my treatments. On November 10, 2009,
I had my first chemo treatment. I was
given six rounds of chemo, with the last
one on February 24, 2010. The treatments
were three days a week, every
three weeks.
On April 29, 2010, Dr. D. removed my
bladder and prostrate and constructed
a neo-bladder from my small intestine.
The entire process had to be scheduled,
coordinated, and performed by the best
doctors, nurses, and staff in their fields
at MSKCC. On my first follow-up visit
on May 11, 2010, Dr. D. told me that
my pathology report from the surgery
was clean. I was now cancer-free and
thankfully, the cancer had not extended
outside my bladder.
It has been a long journey since last
September and I have learned much.
Prayer helped. I’m Catholic, and the
church I attend would put my name
in the bulletin every week I was sick
and ask the parishioners to pray for
me. I strongly believe that it helped.
The prayers of my fellow parishioners
combined with early detection,
treatment, and the experienced and
knowledgeable doctors, nurses, and
staff at MSKCC completed the
bargain and helped me on my
unplanned journey.
I ran out to the car to get the bags.
Coming back in Mom sees me and
says, “Oh, when did you get here? What
the hell did you do to your hair?”
Dinner at Mom’s is a nice affair. They
have white tablecloths, and polite young
college kids serve the residents. We sat
down and Mom introduced me: “This
is my daughter Laurie, the one who
used to have the long, beautiful locks.
What the hell did she do to her hair?”
After dinner we grab some coffee
and chocolate. I set up the card table.
Scrabble is a must when two or more of
our clan ever happen to be together for
more than 45 minutes at a stretch.
Mom crushes me, her mind as sharp
and fluid as ever. She can’t see the
letters, but the words form almost
magically. Triple word scores seem to
line up for her. If she grabs a Q, a U
always follows.
“Nice game, Mom,” I say.
She looks up:, “Laurie? Are you here?
What the hell did you do to you hair?”
