Sunday, 10:35 PM
High-Level Journal Summary: A story worth reading that reveals people in drum corps who also care about brain cancer. This is a story made possible by the leadership of Doug Rutherford.
I should be able to talk to an inventor and business leader in medicine, Bill Cook, who also started a World Champion Drum Corps. In addition, Bill also helped when I was diagnosed with brain cancer. I want to thank Bill personally for that involvement in 2005, and I also want to pick his brain about his continued involvement with brain cancer, as demonstrated in an article (which is shared at the end).
When I see overlapping passion like this, it makes me wonder what opportunities may exist. I have met Bill several times, but Doug's relationship will make a conversation at the Drum Corps International World Championship pretty straightforward. It may end up being fascinating and productive.
Countdowns:
1.) Day 6 of 28 in Cycle 6 of Carboplatin + VP-16 chemotherapy. I can tell that I only took 1/3 of the Cycle 6 chemotherapy. Day 6 would normally have been a very tough day for me, but not today.
2.) On 8/4/08, meet with Dr. Dipti Patel at noon for an assessment of how I am doing. As well, adjust future plans for a potential Cycle 7 and 8.
2008 Seizure Activity:
1.) Last Simple Partial Seizure, or SPS, was 18 days ago.
2.) In 2008, I have had 75 SPS's in 216 days. This is an average of 1 SPS every 2.9 days.
Actual Journal: I am exhausted, but in a good way. I have never had more personal outreach than today on my birthday. I could not keep up with calls and e-mails. I have many phone calls to return, and I was on the phone for much of the uncommitted parts of the day. Crazy in great ways. I will sleep very deeply and with many thanks.
Drum corps and brain tumors collide
I only have one trip booked in the next 2 months, and that will be to the Drum Corps International (DCI) World Championships. Through a long story, the show will happen to take place in Bloomington, Indiana at Indiana University (IU). IU happens to be an excellent medical facility which came up when I was first diagnosed with brain cancer on 12/6/04.
Bloomington, IN is also the home of a famous drum corps named The Star of Indiana, established by Bill Cook. Bill is self-made, "having established 42 companies and making donations along the way totaling $180 million." He maintains deep loyalty -- and loves drum corps.
Bill Cook
Bill and my brain cancer
I considered working with The Star of Indiana back in 1995. I went to their offices and worked for a few days just to get a sense of what it was like. However, it was not the right situation for me. During that time, I had a chance to meet with Bill a few times and attend luncheons, but this was a long time ago. He would not physically recognize me, most likely.
However, good old Doug Rutherford knows Bill well and stays in contact with him on regular occasion. That is because Doug was a drum corps Director for the Phantom Regiment many years ago. At such a senior level, Doug is deservedly well known, and Doug maintains relationships he likes.
Here is a paragraph about how Doug got Bill's help when I was first diagnosed. This is from an introduction letter to Bill, and only this innocuous introductory section is shared:
A few years ago, you introduced me to Dr. Thornton at the IU Cyclotron, when my business partner and fellow former Cadet mellophone player David Welch was diagnosed with brain cancer. Dr. Thornton provided some key introductions and references for the docs that have worked with David over the past 3 years. He has since had 2 surgeries, many rounds of different chemo, and radiation. His cancer has gone from slow growing to a fast growing tumor and he has continued to work it like a mad man. He has also started a non-profit dedicated to creating awareness for brain cancer that has him connected with everyone from the executive directors (of brain tumor organizations) to the leaders in Congress. He has really made this into an amazingly positive thing.Where is all this leading?
I know that Bill Cook is going to be at DCI's this week, and I would love to talk with him about his involvement in brain cancer. Much of his success has been in the medical field, and he also worked hard when one of the most famous drill writers in DCI, Steve Brubaker, got GBM brain cancer.
Bill has some direct connections to brain cancer. Why not learn more by talking with him directly? Think this is a stretch? Not really. Here is another message from Doug to me last 10/22/2007:
David,MPRI article
I know you are following different treatment options and are counting on others to do some of the work. But the following link is to a brief article on the Cyclotron proton therapy center in Bloomington, IN. The man who runs this facility was recruited by Bill Cook and my close personal friend, Dr. Larry Rink. Dr. Allan Thornton was the first doctor I consulted after your diagnosis. I send you this link as much for the interpersonal relationships/connections of this as well as the potential treatment to watch. Dr. Thornton is way into your type of brain cancer and was willing to take my calls multiple times and even reviewed your initial MRIs after your Mom sent them over after you were diagnosed. He told me that his work in this area is driven by solving the challenges of treating tumors such as astrocytomas. So I thought you might be interested.
Here is the article referred to above, which is shared verbatim from the The Indiana University Cyclotron Facility website.
MPRI treats first patient using robotic gantry systemOverlapping passions
March 28, 2007
A team of medical professionals at the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute (MPRI) and Indiana University Cyclotron Facility (IUCF) have treated the first patient in the world using an industrial robotic patient positioning system with a rotating gantry.
The gantry is used to rotate the entire apparatus for beam delivery, so that protons aimed at the tumor can enter the patient’s body from multiple directions. The combination of the gantry and positioning system allows MPRI to utilize additional beam angles to treat spinal cord, head and neck, and brain tumor patients in such a way as to increase the sparing of healthy tissue.
The first patient underwent the treatment procedure for prostate cancer on March 21. Although the proton gantry system is only treating deep-seated tumors at this time, MPRI will be able to begin treating patients with tumors at shallower locations in the body in the next few months.
This rotating gantry Proton Therapy System (PTS) was designed, installed and tested by IUCF from 2003 to 2006, and has been cleared by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
The novel PTS builds on IUCF’s experience with the first MPRI treatment room, which has treated more than 240 patients in the last three years. The system in the first treatment room uses the robotic patient positioning system coupled with a fixed horizontal beam line. The robotic arm allows more flexibility in positioning the patient than traditional couch designs used in conventional X-ray therapy or other proton centers in the nation.
"Proton therapy has long been regarded as a preeminent form of delivery of irradiation for tumors, both benign and malignant. However, the traditional delivery methods have been laborious, allowing only a handful of patients per day to be treated with the 1mm exactitude, taking advantage of the significant savings from proton radiation to ‘normal’, non-targeted tissue," said MPRI Medical Director Allan Thornton, M.D.
Fundamental to the design of this new treatment delivery system is the electronic integration of full control of the system under a single-user interface. This software helps the radiation therapists check for errors and reduces the time needed to deliver the beam.
"With the opening of this new treatment room, and the help of additional physicians from Clarian Health Partners and the IU School of Medicine the institute expects to boost its patient treatment capacity, both in quantity and complexity," Thornton said.
"MPRI is a joint venture of Clarian and the IU Research and Technology Corporation and also works very closely with the School of Medicine," said Jim Buher, MPRI’s president and chief executive officer.
The proton beam delivered to MPRI by IUCF utilizes cyclotrons and other equipment that were previously used for a national program of basic research in nuclear forces.
Although many patients have been referred to MPRI from other physicians for the treatment of tumors and benign diseases best suited for proton therapy, many patients are self-referrals, having discovered the benefits of proton therapy at MPRI through the internet, presentations by MPRI physicians and friends.
More information about MPRI can be found at www.mpri.org.
I look at all this, and it would be stupid not to connect, especially since Doug took the leadership to establish a reunion tent for The Cadets...which is located right next to the Star of Indiana reunion tent...which is where Bill Cook will be visiting.
1 + 1 = 2. I look forward to what there is to learn. I never know where dots will connect, but this may be one of those places. I see much overlapping passion, both for drum corps and brain cancer. We shall see what may come of it this week.
