TOPIC OF CANCER 1. Multiple myeloma, a form of cancer. 2. A deepening of my diabetes – (I was already “borderline” and/ or 3. Kidney collapse
None of this was very encouraging. I was already trying to do something, mostly by eating less and exercising more, physically driven by a demanding and dynamic young personal trainer/dynamo. I was happy to be losing weight, and feeling stronger. But after all the probing, needles and nephrological advice and the spinning of countless scenarios of doom, both superdocs admitted they weren’t able to confirm their worst fears, and that, for now, at least, I would have to live with the bubble machine. I was told that I should “keep on doing what you are doing” – e.g., exercising. “See you in six months.” But then, this happened, just five months down the line. Where could I find answers? Who, now, to turn to? In my experience, there are always at least two networks of gurus to consult – the “know-how” specialists and the “knowwho” connectors, who have been around the block, as we used to say, and close to the real street knowledge. In my case, I reached out to Vicki Gordon, an old friend and TV power presence with an unrivalled global girls network that included a friend in LA whose former husband was afflicted by and survived the pancreatic cancer that I still didn’t know I had. That friend, as it turned out, was now working in the field of pancreatic research and had a friend in the medical management business at a high level. She would speak with him about me. (We knew each other from Boston half a lifetime ago.) She sent her article from the Wall Street Journal: 23