getavision Prayer

Praying for the people who can be touched by the getavisionPROJECT.

Facing the Day

Just can't seem to get enough sleep. Still seem to need 12 hours every night.


Stressing out about the enlarged breast and sensitive bump under my right nipple. Have a CT scan slated for next week. If it comes back negative, will get a mammogram...ugh. Still have a scar there on my chest from the catheter implanted for the bone marrow stem cell transplant.

A gorgeous morning really makes me thankful to be alive!

With mounting bills since early 2007 and less energy and time for each day, it seems overwhelming to face the day sometimes. But I know that such miraculous things have happened to keep me alive so far, I just put my life in God's hands to take me to the next thing. I pray that the getavisionPROJECT can take root and impact alot of lives!

Minnesota Weekend

Went to Minneapolis for a long weekend to enjoy the long-awaited wedding reception of Steve & Jamie Harty from Atlanta!

Here are some shots from the "Harty Party" and After Hours!



Saw lots of friends, had awesome arid warm temps & clear skies and got some great inspiration and refreshment in the Twin Cities!

Napless in Minneapolis

Back in Minnesota. At least this time I can handle the weather! In fact, the weather was spectacular!

The last time we were here in spring 2007, I was so sick I could barely walk around, with anemia and the cancer rapidly spreading. They say that Burkitt's Lymphoma doubles in size every 72 hours. It was just before finding out I had Burkitt's and had to immediately jump into chemo when we returned to LA.

Thanks to the recent blood transfusion, I feel great! But, am sort of worried about my bone marrow problems and possibly needing a mammogram on my left breast. Seems like my esophagus ulcers are healing, but still having a hard time eating. Have surgery scheduled soon.

Tried to nap when we got here, but was tossing and turning with those new health issues. God gave me a peace knowing I could trust in Him. Didn't think about it too much more during the trip.

Energizing in the Desert

Heading out of Hollywood and thinking about the local Hollywood community focus for the getavisionPROJECT. My friends at the Hollywood Chamber have been such a great support for me. I'm really excited to build a dynamic local community project with Hollywood and West Hollywood.

Feels great to hop on the freeway and head for the desert!

Decided to hop off the freeway before hitting Palm Springs to catch a late afternoon walk in the desert -- my favorite place to be! I'm really a desert rat at heart....

The dry desert heat, sun and wind is so therapeutic and healing.

The windmills energizing the desert are a great reminder that we can join together to create solutions to our problems. We're all interconnected and need to collaborate and innovate for life to go on, to live and move forward!

The quiet of the desert and the warm wind helps to release the mind and just BE.

After being in chemo and being photosensitive for so long, I yearn to be in the warm sunshine. The late afternoon sunlight on the desert mountains and the warm blowing breeze is exhilarating.

It's like washing away the heavy stuff and just letting it float away.

This morning, getting some words of wisdom from Ghiyath Nashbendi really got me moving.

Then this afternoon a friend offered to be a monthly blood donor since we're both A+ and she has really great blood, so they say. How awesome to have a friend willing to donate her blood every month, if necessary, for my transfusions, to be sure that I'm getting pure blood to compensate for my suppressed bone marrow condition! Amazing!

As Nakshbendi shared with me this morning, we need to live for today and thank God for every breath we take along the way!

Each moment alive is really amazing and miraculous!

Let's just go for it and LOVE THE RIDE!

Nakshbendi Wisdom

With my dear friend Ghiyath Nakshbendi, American Univeristy professor and international business pro, at the Biltmore in downtown LA. Haven't seen him for more than 10 years. But, during one of the worst times of my chemo last year, Ghiyath gave me one of the most inspirational pep talks over the phone that gave me great encouragement and built my strength.

Today, he shared his wisdom and reminded me to focus just on today and not be concerned about the future. Just make this day God's bless us with be the best and most productive possible! There's no need to be discouraged, as one's mission in life is being fulfilled by the minute and day.

His Syrian roots and fight to survive as an immigrant student in the USA, really has deepened his vision for his own life and his passion for instilling a strong spirit for his university students.

Ghiyath's son is now living and working in Kuwait for the past couple of years. He sent me an email today which said "we are very lucky to have access to his wisdom and counsel, which has proven time and time again to be extremely accurate."

We need to treasure all of the "Nakshbendis" out there who can propel us forward and take away the fear of what tomorrow may bring.

Summer in the Park

With my dear friend Kaylee Kiecker, VP at the Hollywood Chamber of Commerce at a special "Summer in the Park" event this evening at Barnsdall Park next to Kaiser LA Medical Center.

Got to meet up wtih Mark Costa, the head of the Medical Center and lots of wonderful and loving Hollywood Chamber friends. Kaylee has been one of my greatest supporters through my Burkitt's battle and continues to cheer me on! What a gorgeous cheerleader!! I feel like the Hollywood Chamber's like my family!

HIV Doc Checkup

Waiting for my HIV doctor here. She gave me a thorough rundown. Looks like we'll do another Endoscopy surgery in a couple of weeks for my esophogitis or whatever the problem is that's causing my esophagus to close and not allow me to eat properly.

Seems that the BMT (bone marrow stem cell transplant) was pretty rough on my bone marrow production. It's a dilemma whether to get transfusions every month, which is risky since I could get some infected blood along the way, or to get weekly injections of Procrit, which speeds up the cell production, but in so doing may produce corrupted (cancerous) cells. We'll wait a couple of weeks to see.

Got the CT scan scheduled in a couple of weeks to see if there's anything to the lump under my arm. Hopefully it's just scar tissue or something. My left nipple seems to be super sensitive, which started around 6 weeks ago. We'll wait to see if the tissue changes. If necessary, we'll need to schedule a mamogram, which doesn't sound like much fun when you don't have hardly any breasts.

Kaiser LA

Kaiser building where Infectious Diseases are treated. They have a fantastic facility and people here are amazing and LOVE us patients!! We love them, too!

getavision Studios

In the office with the ubiquitous Starbucks cup...
The getavisionPROJECT has great new studios and offices in Hollywood through the generosity of 41inc. The screening room, conference room and all of the facilities are great and located next to the Hollywood Center Studios lot.

Fresh Vision

I feel like I'm getting a fresh vision and direction for the future.

California Endowment

At the Community Partners workshop at The California Endowment in downtown LA/Chinatown. The workshop gave some valuable insight and pointers for preparing the proposal for the getavisionPROJECT to be accepted as one of the Community Partners' official projects. Need to attend a couple more workshops and submit the proposal by the end of September.

Community Partners

Community Partners workshop... I feel like I'm pretty well prepared to put the getavisionPROJECT into motion!

OneLifeWater

OneLifeWater is a new product to help build the getavisionPROJECT. Ready to launch next week!

Non-Profit research day

Going to a Community Partners workshop today to learn more for setting up the getavisionPROJECT as a 501(c)3. Anissa Ayala at the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society recommended applying with Community Partners so that they could handle all of the administrative aspects of running the non-profit. And I can just spend my time kicking back at Starbucks....hehe!

Oncologist Checkup

Heading back to LA from Palm Springs


Meeting with my oncologist today to discuss the bone marrow issue. I am glad that we went ahead and had the transplant done in December, because it was a part of the overall solution for saving my life.

But after the chemo treatments of the prior months, my body could not produce a really adequate supply of stem cells for the transplant to be fully successful. In a long three week period of daily harvesting, my body could only produce the bare minimum required for the transplant and the quality of the stem cells wasn't all that great. But we had to use what we had and it's resulted in my bone marrow being able to produce a solid supply of blood cells.

So, I've been dropping down in hemoglobin levels (red blood cells) and have been getting the transfusions. But, evidently we can't continue doing that too frequently since there's a danger that even with excellent screening, there could be infected blood that I would be receiving.

The other option is to have weekly injections of the drug Procrit to stimulate blood cell production. But, that has it's own drawbacks since, in stimulating production, the fast production can produce corrupted (cancerous) cells.

We're going to try to drop one of my medications for the next three weeks and see if the cell count increases, then go from there.

Looks like there is some sort of new lump under my arm where the first one was located last year. My doctor scheduled another CT scan for three weeks from now, but I've asked him if maybe we should try to do it sooner. He said it's sort of "mobile," which isn't like a normal tumor would behave. So, we'll see what it might be...

getavision Launch

This week the first elements of the getavisionPROJECT are being launched at www.getavision.org.

Why the getavisionPROJECT?

1. People facing life-thretening illnesses need a vision and purpose to survive and live on.
2. Each person needs to know he/she is making a contribution to the world.
3. Each person needs the tools and capabilities to share and live their vision and purpose.
4. Each person needs collaborators and supporters to bring their vision to reality.

Launching the getavisionPROJECT is a direct outgrowth of my personal battle with cancer and HIV.

My ultimate goal is to uplift others with life-threatening illnesses, to encourage and give hope in the face of overwhelming circumstances.

********************************* **
getavision.org is established to reach out to people living with life-threatening illnesses to help to instill vision and purpose in life, provide tools and support to share their vision and bring it to fruition.

********************************* **

Bone Marrow issues

Here I am during my transfusion on August 14, 2008...


I'm really grateful that I was able to have a BMT (bone marrow stem cell transplant) at the City of Hope in Duarte, California in December 2007, along with my oncologists at Kaiser Permanente.

I was first rejected from the BMT since I was so sick from the Burkitt's Lymphoma and the intensive chemotherapy treatment. But, fortunately, my oncologists were able to get my BMT approved.

It was a challenging treatment and it was an autologous transplant, meaning that the City of Hope harvested my own stem cells for processing and replacing in my body. It took a very long time for the harvesting -- three full weeks, and my body was barely able to produce the minimum number of stem cells required.

Fortunately, we met that minimum number! But some of the stem cells were not the highest quality, but the transplant was performed anyway, which I am glad about.

Consequently, my bone marrow today is not producing enough blood cells, so I've been having to have transfusions recently. It's being recommended that I also now start to take procrit by injection to increase production, but by stimulating production could also cause my body to produce cancerous cells, so I don't know that I want to do that.

I'm meeting with my main oncologist today to discuss and make some decisions.

Gil's NOTES & QUOTES

Notes from Gil have kept me going!

My SUPPORTERS!

THANK YOU TO MY LOVING SUPPORTERS!!

Michael Addenbrooke / Los Angeles, CA
Anonymous / Oxnard, CA
Anonymous / Palm Spring, CA
Maureen Amaya / Los Angeles, CA
Christina & Timm Andrews / Los Angeles/Palm Springs, CA
Rensei Baba / Tokyo, Japan
Rand Baker / Palm Springs, CA
Budd Barmeyer / San Diego, CA
Julie Barmeyer / Los Angeles, CA
Rita Barmeyer-Tor / San Diego, CA
Robert Barmeyer / San Diego, CA
Thomas Barmeyer / San Diego, CA
Kym Bashford / Long Beach, CA
Jerry Bauer / Mission Viejo, CA
Jim Berg / Palm Springs, CA
Dr. & Mrs. John R. Boswell / Shelbyville, IL
Jim Brown / Palm Desert, CA
Julie, Mimi & Robbie Brown / Antrim, NH
Devin Buckner / Palm Springs, CA
Dr. Ji-Lian Cai / Los Angeles, CA
Claudia Casillas / Culver City, CA
Sally-Albert Casillas / Los Angeles, CA
Lynn Chorn / Houston, TX
Luc, Corinne & Antoine Bourgarde / Paris, France
Dominique Cavelier / Woodland Hills, CA
Alfred Cheung / San Francisco, CA
Frank Chindamo / Los Angeles, CA
James Coley / Palm Springs, CA
Donald Conrad / Atlanta, GA
Jack Cromer / Palm Springs, CA
Matt Cunningham & Patricio Camacho / Long Beach, CA
Abby David / Los Angeles, CA
Rey Allan David / Los Angeles, CA
Rey & Ofelia David / Los Angeles, CA
Jeffrey Davidson / San Diego, CA
Margaret Dawson / Alexandria, VA
Bryan Denegal / Studio City, CA
Gil Diaz / Palm Springs, CA
Steve Doherty / Walnut Creek, CA
Julie Dolan / Santa Monica, CA
Craig Ewing / Palm Springs, CA
Dr. Leonaro Farol / Los Angeles, CA
Matt Feeney / San Diego, CA
Sean Feeney / San Marcos, CA
Tim Feeney / Oceanside, CA
Betty Jean French / Hollywood, CA
Rae French / Crookston, MN
John Forrester / Los Angeles, CA
David Gajda Los Angeles, CA
Leigh Gernert / Palm Springs, CA
Tracy Glass / Atlanta, GA
Daniel Glenn / Palm Springs, CA
Richard Grain / Los Angeles, CA
Cindy Kerker Isaf / Atlanta, GA
Norman Hawker / Cathedral City, CA
Michael Haibach / West Hollywood, CA
Sheila Haitchi / Atlanta, GA
Dennis Herzog & Ernie Torres / Studio City, CA
Mary Hurst, RN / Duarte, CA
Mark Jernigan / Miami Beach, FL
Betty Jurus / San Diego, CA
James Kampas / Austin, TX
Kaylee Kiecker / Hollywood, CA
Patrick Kibbie / Salt Lake City, UT
Bob & Mindy Kushner / Atlanta, GA
Mark Lee / Palm Springs, CA
Stephen LoCascio / Manhattan Beach, CA
Ken Lyon & Rick Vila / Palm Springs, CA
Phil & Tama Lung / Tokyo, Japan
Sarah MacPherson / Hollywood, CA
Deborah Magaldi / Boulder, CO
Anne Makovec / Monterey, CA
Tony Marques & Joyce / Los Angeles, CA
Noel Martinez / North Hollywood, CA
Robert McAdams / Sacramento, CA
Joanie McClellan / Woodland Hills, CA
Matt McKim / Santa Clarita, CA
Kevin Miller / Minneapolis, MN
Frank Mills / Beverly Hills, CA
Foong Ming / Orchard Park, NY
Dottie Morris / Lynchburg, VA
Norton Morris / Los Angeles, CA
Lyman Scott Morris / Atlanta, GA
Hoa Nguyen / Minneapolis, MN
Huy and Michelle Nguyen / Orange, CA
Shane Nguyen / Hollywood, CA
Rev. Michael Nikolaus / North Hollywood, CA
David Oakes / Palm Springs, CA
Olubunmi Oladapo / Las Vegas, CA
Mike Onufer / West Los Angeles, CAr
Terry Ortega & Gaston / Los Feliz, CA
Susan Overstreet / San Diego, CA
Tim Perez / Palm Springs, CA
Chuck Phelan & Steve McIntyre / Los Angeles, CA
Dan Popelka / Minneapolis, MN
Ann Premazon / Seal Beach, CA
Drena Pryor and Nancy / Northridge, CA
Errol Rappaport / Los Angeles, CA
Laurie Ritt / Scottsdale, AZ
Dr. Roberto Rodriguez / Los Angeles, CA
Richard Roscher / Atlanta, GA
George Rowland & Gilbert Mendoza / New York, NY
Michael Russell / Manhattan Beach, CA
Bruce Sanborn / Oceanside, CA
Ana Sanchez / Fontana, CA
Jane Sandmeier / Los Angeles, CA
Simone Santi / Hollywood, CA
JD Sebastian & Giovani / Hollywood, CA
Hillary Selvin / Los Angeles, CA
Lauren Schlau / Los Angeles, CA
Robin Schleimer / Los Angeles, CA
D`Andre Schwab / Laguna Niguel, CA
Kristy Siegfried / Imperial Beach, CA
Joseph Silverman & Taj / Beverly Hills, CA
Patrick Srail / Los Angeles, CA
Gary & Linda Starr / Chatsworth, CA
Todd Steadman / Pacific Palisades, CA
Eddie Swaim / Palm Spring, CA
Jennifer Tang / Camarillo, CA
Rev. Neil Thomas / Los Feliz, CA
Tram Tran / Riverside, CA
Travel and Tourism Marketing Association / Los Angeles, CA
Linda Turner / San Diego, CA
Juliette Vara / San Diego, CA
Brian Vines / NYC, NY
David Walbright / Shelbyville, IL
Peter Wagner / San Francisco, CA
Nick Warner & Ian Harris / Newport Beach, CA
Lance Webster / Los Angeles, CA
Rick Weller / Hollywood, CA
Nelson & Jane Wiley / Shelbyville, IL
Ron & Joyce Williams / Atlanta, GA
Frank Winsor / Palm Springs, CA
David C. Witt & Phil Ogelsky / Van Nuys, CA
Gabriel Yeung / Pasadena, CA

One of the greatest lessons I’ve learned through my brief cancer journey is the amazing gift of GIVING and RECEIVING, regardless of how large or small. There’s a powerful and mysterious blessing for both the giver and receiver I’ve never experienced before. It seems to go way beyond what we can humanly perceive.

Thank you to each of you and to the miracle workers at
Kaiser Permanente and the City of Hope!

Recovery Party (Mar 08)

In late March, Kaylee Kiecker organized a "Thank YOU Party" for my SUPPORTERS at Universal Studios CityWalk. It was really encouraging. A week before the event I wasn't even sure I'd have the energy to be able to attend.

Vision & Hope (Oct 07)

I wrote this in October 2007

Vision and Hope

Facing the overwhelming challenges that have come along this year has clouded my vision for the future. At times it has seemed futile, and that the world was passing by while I`ve been incapacitated.

But I believe that God has a special plan and purpose for pulling me through these months of challenges. I`ve had some of the best medical care possible and now have the opportunity for a full Bone Marrow Stem Cell Transplant at City of Hope, which is one of the best cancer centers in the USA.

God`s brought friends and others to my side to help and to encourage me to fight and live! As that vision manifests itself, I`ll write more here and I`ll be assured that life is wonderful and getting this new chance to live life at the fullest is very exciting!

Beat it! (Oct 07)

I wrote this in October 2007

Beat Burkitt's!

Wow, I thought 2007 was going to be a killer year. I had cleaned up a lot of business issues for NeTV, was all set with great offices and partnerships, and was revamping the NeTV website with new services and expansion.

2007 was to be the year to really go for it!

THE INVASIONS

As soon as January hit, so did foreign online hackers on some of our NeTV servers and at the same time I suddenly spotted a huge lump under my right armpit. I started the battle to clear up the invasion of hackers on some of our servers, and also immediately notified my primary care physician about the lump under my arm.

As the next few months wore on, we fought the hacker battles and expanded our technical infrastructure and further protective safeguards. Meanwhile, I waited and waited on some action with my doctors to get a biopsy scheduled. I was becoming so anemic I was unable to complete many of the projects we had underway. This was already impacting cash flow and business in general.

INTENSIFYING BATTLES

The first part of the year was seeming to be a battle on several fronts, just as we were launching into our second year with NATPE (National Association of Television Production Executives) working with them on the Next Gen TV Fest and the 2007 Los Angeles Television Festival. I could barely function as the weeks and months wore on, exhausted and facing growing health issues.

Finally, we had surgery scheduled for a biopsy to find out what possible issues we were facing, which revealed that my lymph nodes under the arm were already affected by a virus that had caused Lymphoma.

The first doctor we had didn’t seem to be concerned, but we finally had an oncologist look at the condition and he was alarming in his assessment. He called us in and let us know that it was a rare and aggressive cancer called Burkitt`s Lymphoma, which requires a special aggressive chemotherapy regimen requiring extensive hospitalization every month for some 6-8 months.

IMMEDIATE MOBILIZATION

My main oncologist stated with no uncertain terms that I had to immediately enter the hospital for the first two weeks of treatment. I said it was impossible to drop everything. But, that wasn’t an option. There were no other options.

Bottom line was, in a matter of days, I had to face a complete restructuring of my life in order to fight this disease. Everyone I talked to, from professionals, to the medical team, to friends, to former cancer survivors, all said I had to give up the NeTV business and only focus on my health. I really didn’t know how I could do that. This was a massive challenge that I could not fathom, but it had to be done.

The following months involved moving all of the NeTV business to another company, Santinet, so NeTV currently has no current core revenue. This would be a huge impact on financial survival.

BIG TIME CARETAKING

Gil and I quickly decided I would stay with him in Palm Springs and we would receive the treatments in Fontana, CA at the Kaiser Permanente Medical Center there, where they have an outstanding cancer team headed by Dr. Len Ferol. Neither of us could have imagined the huge amount of commitment this would require for Gil to become my primary caregiver. It’s been a massive daily effort I would not have predicted.

For a long time, several friends kept reminding me that I didn’t really understand that I AM sick. I don’t think it was until after the first chemo treatment and having Gil shave my head when the hair was falling out, that I started to get a handle on the fact that I really am sick and have to change more things in my life immediately.

I didn’t have a full appreciation of how debilitating battling cancer can be, especially with the regimen prescribed for Burkitt’s Lymphoma. It’s required multiple ER and extra hospital admissions over the months and so many challenges.

Without Gil, I could never have survived the past few months. I simply couldn’t have done it. I owe my survival and ability to battle all of the challenges that have come my way to Gil and an awesome medical team at Kaiser Permanente and Dr. Len Ferol and Dr. Robert Rodriguez at Kaiser Sunset in Hollywood. Now, with Dr. Chai and the City of Hope team, I am sure I have the best treatment possible for the Stem Cell Transplant and the final high-dose chemotherpy regimen and final recovery.

VICTORY IN THE BATTLES!

Together, we are battling the diseases, as well as financial challenges. God has brought great inspiration despite what I see in the mirror and what I can’t see in the months ahead.

During the second stay in the hospital, I thought I wouldn’t survive this and was resigned to letting this be the end of my life here on earth. But, things turned around and it was clear that my time`s not up just yet. There must be more ahead in the future.

We`re fighting the good fight against the cancer and financial survival.

And we’re going to make it! I don’t know what God would have for me in 2008, but I’m excited to find out.

Has 2007 been a disasterous year?

It might seem like it, from the technical challenges, health issues and rising financial impact. But, I don’t think so. I’m still looking for that Silver Lining. It’s there someplace and I’m looking forward to it being more clearly revealed for all of us to see.

What's Burkitts (Sept 07)

Posted in Sept 07

What is Burkitt's Lymphoma?

Burkitt`s Lymphoma is a very rare form of cancer with about only 300 new cases a year in the United States. Burkitt`s Lymphoma, rare in most of the world, is the most common childhood cancer in Central Africa, and is one of the most aggressive of all human cancers.

This malignancy grows very rapidly and a person who appeared in good health a month or 6 weeks ago may now be critically ill.

Burkitt`s lymphoma is one type of a group of malignant diseases know as the Non-Hodgkin`s Lymphomas (NHL). These lymphomas are very similar to the leukemias. The type of malignant cell present is called a B-cell and Burkitt`s is often referred to as a B-cell lymphoma or leukemia.

As with other cancers, the exact cause is not known. Burkitt`s is the most common in children in Africa and there is some evidence linking its cause there to a virus known as the Epstein-Barr virus. Outside of Africa, chromosomal defects in some of the patient`s cells may be the cause. Children still seem to be the most affected, but there are cases of adults with Burkitt`s.

The diagnosis of Burkitt`s is usually made by a biopsy from a suspected disease site such as the bone marrow or a lymph node. The staging of the disease is done quickly to spare the patient any life threatening complications from the rapid tumor growth. Common tests done include a complete blood count (CBC), a platelet count, a bone marrow aspiration and biopsy and a lumbar puncture. Further tests may include radiographic exams such as CT scan to look for occult masses but usually extensive x-ray procedures are not required.

Burkitt`s lymphoma grows and spreads quickly, often to the bone marrow, blood, and central nervous system. When it spreads, weakness and fatigue often develop. Large numbers of lymphoma cells may accumulate in the lymph nodes and organs of the abdomen, causing swelling. Lymphoma cells may invade the small intestine, resulting in blockage or bleeding. The neck and jaw may swell, sometimes painfully. To make the diagnosis, a doctor performs a biopsy of the abnormal tissue and orders procedures to stage the disease.

Without treatment, Burkitt`s lymphoma is fatal. Surgery may be needed to remove affected parts of the intestine, which otherwise may bleed, become blocked, or rupture. Intensive chemotherapy can cure 70 to 80% of people if the disease has not spread widely. If the lymphoma has spread to the bone marrow, blood, or central nervous system at the time of diagnosis, the prognosis is much worse.

Symptoms

The first symptom is often painless enlargement of lymph nodes in the neck, under the arms, or in the groin. Enlarged lymph nodes within the chest may press against airways, causing cough and difficulty in breathing. Deep lymph nodes within the abdomen may press against various organs, causing loss of appetite, constipation, abdominal pain, or progressive swelling of the legs.

Since some lymphomas can appear in the bloodstream and bone marrow, people can develop symptoms related to too few red blood cells, white blood cells, or platelets. Too few red blood cells can cause anemia; and the person may have fatigue, shortness of breath, and pale skin. Too few white blood cells can lead to infections. Too few platelets may lead to increased bruising or bleeding. Non-Hodgkin`s Lymphomas also commonly invade the bone marrow, digestive tract, skin, and occasionally the nervous system, causing a variety of symptoms. Some people have persistent fever without an evident cause, the so-called fever of unknown origin. This commonly reflects an advanced stage of disease.

Hollywood (Nov 07)

This was written by Kaylee Kiecker in Nov 07


THE GREAT HOLLYWOOD COMEBACK

From Kaylee Kiecker,
Vice President, Hollywood Chamber of Commerce

Hollywood shows like Surreal Life, Dancing with the Stars, and countless reality shows, prove that a great Hollywood Comeback is often just around the corner! Although John`s reality show of life may not be exactly what he hoped for, we know John will be the next Comeback Kid!

I first met John when he was a volunteer Board member with TTMA, the Travel and Tourism Marketing Association, and very active in the community. I actually wanted to date him - not only is he gorgeous, but very kind hearted, easy to laugh, and ready to help. These type of men are not always easy to find in Hollywood! After getting to know each other, I realized that John was type cast to play a different role in my LA Story.

So John invovled himself in the Hollywood community as a volunteer at West Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, as a website developer for West Hollywood Convention and Visitors Bureau (CVB), the Beverly Hills CVB, Beverly Hills Chamber, Hollywood Chamber, and Hollywood Business Improvement District (BID), just to name a few. Without demanding a higher salary or new contract negotitaions, he consistenly gave more of himself and never, never said no. He was fast becoming a Hollywood legend. True talent can be difficult hard to find, so we are all very committed to getting him back onto center stage through prayer, support, and donation. Instead of making a date, I made a friend for life.

John spent this Halloween not on Santa Monica Boulevard having drinks with the rest of us, but in the hospital trying to contract enough stem cells to reach his goal for bone marrow transplant. These are exhausting sessions that should have only taken a few days but took John 3 full weeks. Yet even in extreme adversity, exhausted from the treatments, appetite vacant, hair gone, and pounds shed, John talks about how lucky HE was.

Truly, this is what a Hollywood leading man is all about.

Kaylee Kiecker

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WHY JohnBozLIFE.com???

After a lifetime of fantastic health, It's likely that my life will continue to be filled with health-related challenges.

Maybe some of my forthcoming experiences will help you or someone you know in your life journey!

After spending the past year+ dealing with HIV and Stage 4 Burkitt's Lymphoma it's exhilarating to be free from tubes, chemo and constant medical supervision. It's like starting life all over again. Burkitt's is a rare and aggressive cancer which required extensive hosptialization, intensive chemotherapy treatments and a bone marrow stem cell transplant at City of Hope near Pasadena, CA.

In October 2005, I was diagnosed with HIV and tried to reduce some stress in my life, but didn't need to go on any meds to control the virus. In mid- to late- 2006, I as starting to feel sort of rundown sometimes. In early January 2007, I discovered a large lump under my arm which suddenly appeared. After several months of waiting and finally getting a biopsy, my HIV specialist referred me to an oncologist, as the diagnosis was some sort of Lymphoma. I was immediately started on HIV meds to build up my immune system so that it could handle chemotherapy.

When I finally met with the oncologists, I was told that it was Stage 4 Burkitt's Lymphoma, and the virus had already spread into the lymphnodes in the groin area and had also moved into the liver. They said I had to act immediately and get into the hospital. The regimen was to require 7-10 days of hospitalization every 3 weeks with intensive chemotherapy for approximately 6 months, along with a possible bone marrow stem cell transplant.

At that point I had to completely surrender to the fact that I could not work for at least a year or so, to get through the treatment and recover. As all of the doctors and my friends told me, I would only be able to focus on my health and should not even think about business or anything else -- just getting better. After a long struggle with this prospect, I finally put my business, NeTV Networks, on indefinite hiatus.

Through the course of the battle with Burkitt's, I really came to release the burden of business and many concerns of the world. At times, I wasn't so sure I would ever have my health restored, nor be able to work and function as I had in the past.

Thankfully, since being released from the City of Hope in mid-January 2008 following the bone marrow stem cell transplant, I've been in recovery mode and progressing well, and have the Burkitt's in remission.

I'm just now moving forward re-entering the world. It feels awesome and I'm so grateful to all of my friends and my partner Gil who literally made my survival and recovery possible!