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Eyes Wide Open

By Richard | Published January 22, 2012

I have a few quirks. About 15 years ago, I pulverized a bone in my hand in a testosterone-rich karate accident, and it could only be repaired through plastic surgery. Since anesthetic and I aren’t natural dancing partners, I convinced the anesthesiologist to administer a local that would only deaden my arm. A side benefit [...]

Also posted in Life, Pity Party, Wall-E—The Neuroendocrine Tumor | 10 Comments

Acceleration

By Richard | Published January 14, 2012

So, it turns out that I am not above fear after all. In any event, I hope you will find this little story amusing. I’ve become so blasé about my pituitary adenoma that I went to Wednesday’s doctor’s appointment to get a hormone injection and a few refills and completely forgot about the main event. [...]

Also posted in Life, Wall-E—The Neuroendocrine Tumor | 11 Comments

True Confessions

By Richard | Published November 12, 2011

Pain is a great leveler. I write that to explain why I had an unexpected reaction last year when I learned that doctors had misdiagnosed my neuro-endocrine tumor, and that I was likely headed for surgery. I didn’t want to tell my family, but not for the reasons you might expect. Over the last two [...]

Also posted in Family, Life, Pity Party, Wall-E—The Neuroendocrine Tumor | 2 Comments

Gray Anatomy

By Richard | Published October 15, 2011

Sometimes a few tears can wring the sadness from a soul. The times when I’ve been able to cry for myself are rare, but I can still be touched by beauty and the pain that others must bear, so I sought out this song by a favorite artist. And as I listened and the tears [...]

Also posted in Life, Pity Party, Wall-E—The Neuroendocrine Tumor | 5 Comments

Full Circle

By Richard | Published September 26, 2011

All good things must come to an end. That title made for a killer final episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, and it neatly encapsulates my next installment in the Levangie chronicles. The first phase of my experimental drug trial finished today and, if it began with cautious optimism, it died with a sharp [...]

Also posted in Life, Pity Party, Wall-E—The Neuroendocrine Tumor | 19 Comments

May You Live in Interesting Times

By Richard | Published August 26, 2011

I’m living in interesting times and the Chinese are right: it is both a blessing and a curse.* Over the next month, I need to determine what comes next. Do I follow a conservative line—Cripes! I cringe every time I define myself with that word, no matter what context—or do I throw caution to the [...]

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Breathing Space

By Richard | Published August 7, 2011

The hardest thing about this year hasn’t been learning that I was misdiagnosed, and that I lost a more than a decade of my life to a lazy medical mistake. It’s been the financial pressures forced on us by being chronically underemployed. As with many illnesses, the timing couldn’t have been worse. Last November, Kristina [...]

Also posted in Life, Wall-E—The Neuroendocrine Tumor, Writing | 12 Comments

Dragons, Queries, and the Shards of Narsil

By Richard | Published July 31, 2011

If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans. None of my plans for this year have come to fruition, yet I still feel as if I’ve handled a difficult illness with a modicum of grace and good humor. And that, and a double-loonie, will get you a cup of coffee at [...]

Also posted in Author, Author, Books, Life, Wall-E—The Neuroendocrine Tumor, Writing | 4 Comments

Did the Clinic, Bought the T-Shirt

By Richard | Published July 12, 2011

I’m going to design a t-shirt, just as my friend Kate Inglis suggested: I’m moderately-famous in neuro-endocrine circles. And that’s because I am. Not by name, mind you, but by condition and treatment. My rare type of neuro-endocrine tumor can only be vanquished in one way: neurosurgery. So far, nothing else has been proven to [...]

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I Would Like Some Cheese With My Whine

By Richard | Published July 10, 2011

Funny what excites some men. A few weeks ago, when Kristina noticed that I have a modest two-pack, I felt flush with potential. Perhaps it wasn’t too late to become what I might have been. I’ve always been one of the fittest people I know. I was training for my sandan (third-degree black belt) in [...]

Also posted in Life, Pity Party, Wall-E—The Neuroendocrine Tumor, Writing | 4 Comments