The Bachelor -- The Cancer Edition?

I thought I would provide you with a quick update about all that is going on. I have been so busy, I have not had the time to make my daily contributions to this blog.

As you know by now, Wednesday morning the proverbial cat was out of the bag and I was receiving phone calls from friends who had found out how sick I am. Of course, they all promised to keep it under wraps, but it is just a matter of time before my cancer diagnosis becomes a open secret, if it is not already.

Wednesday evening I made this blog site a by invitation only. I have provided an invitation to family members and a few friends that may have an interest in reading it. If I gave forgotten someone and they want to be invited to read it, there is a mechanism on the login page for requesting an invitation. Interestingly, I received a request to be invited from a political science professor in The Netherlands, who apparently has been reading the blog all along. (Why on earth anyone outside of family and friends would have an interest is beyond me, but it was nice to know there are some "fans" who are hooked! (I guess this blog is a little like a real life soap.)

Someone else found my profile on the web. I got an e-mail at work from some guy who claims to be a producer for the TV show "The Bachelor," He said he found my profile on the web and wanted to know if I would be interested in applying to becoming the next Bachelor. To quote: " I came across your online profile and thought you might be a good fit. I'm looking for a great guy who is successful, good-looking, has an out-going personality, is ready to settle down, is around 6 ft tall and,usually, is between 27 to 36 years of age. We are interested in all races, religions, etc."

I don't think he read my profile too closely...or he is doing a show called "The Bachelor -- Cancer Edition." In this show, they introduce men with terminal cancer to good looking Filipinos and Russian girls hoping to find a temporary husbands in the US. I still would not qualify...damn.

Wednesday at noon we had the ribbon cutting ceremony for the St Vincent de Paul Free Clinic. There were about 200 people at the dedication, including the local newspapers and TV press, etc. It was a very big deal locally and got a lot of play in the media. The Charlotte Sun has two inch headlines on the front page reporting that the clinic was open. This was unfortunate because the dedication and ribbon cutting was done PRIOR to the clinic being ready to take its first patients (which will be in January). Apparently, there was a long line of people cued at the clinic on Thursday morning! Anyway, the good news is that we will be ready to start taking patients in January.

At the dedication we were also able to report that Virginia Andes, a long time resident of Charlotte County, was providing our organization with a $1 million gift to be used to build an 8,000 square foot permanent facility. Merry Christmas! What a great gift! Anyway, that was the big new on Wednesday. As I am treasurer of this organization, people naturally think I had something to do with all this. In reality, the credit has to go to our executive director and others for making it all happen. It has been nice to be along for the ride. My big contribution was introducing my friend Brian Brunderman to St Vincent De Paul earlier this year. Brian has volunteered his time to do all the permitting and construct the foundation and modular units for us. (Brian is a friend of mine from Rotary who was there the day after Hurricane Charley helping me to rebuild.)

I am still having trouble eating. I have not felt all that well for the past few days. Aside from the trouble I have eating, I have developed a cough which I understand may be caused by the radiation irritating my lungs. I feel some heaviness in my chest (like when you have a heavy cold) and worry that I may have caught a cold or that I am developing plurea effusion, which I understand is common after radiation. I still feel a bit run down and the heaviness in my chest makes me think that there is yet something else going on. I've learned my lesson and will be contacting my doctor on Monday if this does not improve. Actually, I am having a chest x-ray on Monday, so if there is a problem, this should help discover what it is.

There was nothing exciting to report to you about what went on Thursday. I did meet with three different clients that day, none of whom had seen me in months. All three commented on how I looked like I had lost weight. They asked me if I was OK and, of course I said I was fine. I got a call on Thursday from Jim Morello, who, of course, found out about my disease from Rotary friends. Jim just recently became a client. He called to say how he considered me (and my daughters) to like his own family and how he was there to help if we need anything. It was a nice call to receive. I have gotten a few e-mails from friends as well offering prayers and words of encouragement. I have been busy trying to reply to each.

On Thursday night Yoko and I went to the store to try and get some Christmas shopping done. Suffice it to say, I was not feeling great. We spent a long time looking at different items and finally made the decision to buy. That is when I found out that the price indicated on the display was only about 80% of the real price. (i.e. We had to buy some essential "accessories" that amounted to adding another 20% to the total price.) I felt like I was being sucked in and that the indicated price was deceptive. The more I thought about it, the more angry I became. At the checkout, I called the store manager to complain. I told him selling this particular item without the "accessories" was tantamount to selling a car without the engine or wheels. What upsets me is I know this is a purposeful deception aimed at getting people to part with more money than they might otherwise. But I think it is a lousy business practice.

After Christmas I'll have more to say about this. Dishonesty in business bothers me....and there is a LOT of it. The Rotary four way test states:....is it the truth? Is it fair to all concerned? Will it build goodwill and better friendships. Will it be beneficial to all? I try to apply the four-way test in my dealings, which is why having lie to people about my condition bothers me so much. It bothers me that SO many people in business are dishonest or unethical. My goal has always been to put the interest of my clients FIRST and be known as an honest and ethical advior.

Jessie came home from school yesterday (Friday). She will now be home for a couple of weeks. It sounds like she did well on her final exams and expects to keep her GPA above where it needs to be in order to keep her Bright Futures scholarship. (75% of her tuition is paid by the State as long as she maintains a 3.0 GPA). Nice, eh?

Today we have to finish our Christmas shopping. Yoko, Jessie and I are all going down to Ft Myers to see what we can find. Let's hope the merchants there are honest. In my condition, there is no telling what I might do if I loose it!