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Hello Friends and Family,

If you received this link, it’s because I wanted you you have some way to know what is happening recently in my day-to-day life.

On Sunday, August 4th, 2024 I ended up in the ER after a few days of coughing up blood, following many months of intense shoulder, chest, and neck pain. The doctors ran a barrage of chest scans, blood panels, and other tests and ultimately told me that I had an 8cm “mass” in my chest next to my heart. They took a biopsy of the mass while I was under anesthesia to confirm that it was cancer. From there they admitted me to the hospital and my life quickly became that of a full time patient. Mandi has been my personal nurse, advocate, and all around hero as well as just being my best friend through it all, as usual.

Mandi and I have received so many messages from concerned friends, family, and colleagues and I feel blessed by every single one. Many of you wanted to know the latest information, but it became impossible to keep up with responses of any decent quality. Here is a place that I will post the latest about my medical updates and a bit of a peek into the journey from my own perspective.

Love you all. – John

My Latest Posts

  • Celebration of Life for the Love of My Life – John. ❤ Mandi
  • Tuesday: October 1, 2024 Update
    Scheduled Appointments Last Infusion Treatment: September 19th Blood Labs Checkup @UCLA: September 26th Consultation with Cardiologist: October 2nd Next Infusion Treatment: October 9th Well, here we are several weeks into treatment, and so far I am learning a lot. I think the biggest lesson has been to stay flexible. There will be good days thatContinue reading “Tuesday: October 1, 2024 Update”
  • Aftermath
    I thought a lot about how I could describe the days that followed my first chemo infusion. I was torn between a part of me that wanted to chronicle the pain and suffering in agonizing detail, to really give it its “due”, and another part of me that wanted to deny that most pitiable ofContinue reading “Aftermath”
  • Thursday-First Infusion
    A restless night of sleep made me long for bedtime to be done. As soon as I felt I could get away with it, I left bed for good. It was about 5:00am. Mandi woke as well, setting about her daily routine. Brush teeth, change into workout clothes, count out my pills remembering to accountContinue reading “Thursday-First Infusion”
  • State of Mind
    For at least the last two weeks I have struggled to find a good time to post a blog update. Or at least I felt like I was struggling to find time. In reality, the time was not the biggest problem that I was having. See I have lots of time, and I spend aContinue reading “State of Mind”
  • Oncology: Local Opinion
    Following our initial visit with the doctor down at UCLA, we had a second visit scheduled with a more local oncologist here in Oxnard, on Wednesday afternoon at 4pm. We had heard a mixed bag of reviews regarding this office, but feedback was mostly positive, indicating a very competent doctor, with a less than stellarContinue reading “Oncology: Local Opinion”
  • From Mandi
    Good morning everyone. This is Mandi.  Just wanted to post something here since I know the lack of posts is concerning to many. John wants to update everyone as soon as he feels up to it. For now, just know that he’s in good hands and we’re thankful for all the support and prayers. WeContinue reading “From Mandi”
  • 4am
    It’s the time you wake up to get ready for a doctor’s appointment in Santa Monica. Well, maybe not for a normal person, but by the time you add an hour for pills to take effect, an hour for your now slow-moving self to shower and dress, and two hours to allow enough buffer forContinue reading “4am”
  • Eleven Years
    It’s Friday today, and the start of a three day holiday weekend. In normal times, I would be preoccupied by a weekend sales plan, establishing sales goals, and preparing stores and sales teams for a potential busy retail weekend. No need to plan a Labor Day BBQ, a trip out of town, or a weekendContinue reading “Eleven Years”
  • Meal Train
    For those of you who have asked about ways to help, my sister in-law Jen asked that I post this contact info on her behalf: “Meal Train Contacts A meal train for John and his family is in the works and will be initiated as soon as we know more about his treatment plan andContinue reading “Meal Train”