Greetings Fellow Explorers!

I am an aficionado of Leica, all kinds of Leicas. Presently I am shooting with an R7 and an R8, but not over the last few weeks. On December 19, 2006, I was diagnosed with cancer, cancer of the tonsil, a form, obviously, of throat cancer. I earmarked this for you just in case you're not aware that your tonsils are in your throat. Believe it or not, a friend of mine was convinced that they were up my ass.

After checking out all of my reasonable options, in La, I came to the conclusion that to stay in LA, for treatment, was not reasonable. Compared to the University of Texas' MD Anderson, Cedars, UCLA, and the rest of LA's cancer care is in the dark ages. I'll tell you the whole story of how I got here another time, but I'm at the right place, in Houston, Texas, at MD Anderson–arguably the best cancer facility in the world–and staying in the hotel that is owned by the institution, but operated by Marriott. It is very comfortable, and, geographically, since it is attached to the hospital, it makes it much easier to get to and from treatment.

People from all over the world come here to get well, many of them billionaire mid-easterners, with their burka clad wives and daughters; so many of them that I've temporarily renamed Houston: Baghdad On The Bayou.

Funny thing: when people get sick, real sick, politics and religious intolerance suddenly take a rumble seat to American medicine.

Without question, cigarettes and booze–the deadly combo–caused this interruption from my good life of disorder and debauchery, but I have a better then 50-50 shot of beating it, so they say, and when I do I’m afraid I shall have to replace the old deadly habits with something new, something less life threatening; I'm leaning towards volunteering to go into the Pakistani mountains to bring in Osama.

Throw the cigarettes away, chums; take it from me; it ain't worth the price.

RS

Ah, so you're Asher's chum, then. Decided to join, so you can keep your eye on him dishing the dirt. ;-)

Welcome. I guess you don't get too much time to use the cameras, or maybe you get too much time to use them.

It seems you are in a good place, no need to travel to see the world, the world is coming to see you.

re the medical, usa and foreiners, etc. Well, I guess a number of usa folk go elsewhere too, some to the Philipines for psychic healing, many to other eastern places looking for inner peace, and so on. Probably matched by the same numbers going looking for oil, or your friend Osama...

Best wishes,

Ray

Welcome and good luck with the health issues

Hi Rodney
Welcome to opf.
If you are indeed Asher’s friend, I like to thank you… after 27 years, your story made me give up the smokes. 31 days and counting.
As I’ve said to Asher in numerous occasions, I wish you a speedy and satisfactory recovery, so that you may once again, ride in to the sunset with your Leicas.

Hi Ivan,

That you have given up smoking is a great reward for reporting on Rodney's illness. The idea of turning a tragedy into a way of others benefiting! It is still important for you to now get a very careful check up. You need to see a good internist, a GP is probably not enough and get a chect Xray and CT scan at the least. Get yourself to an ENT (ear nose and throat) cancer specialist and of course while your at it a colonoscopy. That's the least in addition to a full physical exam and workup by the internal medicine physician.

This is like your CLA for a good Leica camera if you want it to work well for another 30-50 years!

Asher

Thank you for the advice Asher.
I will make an appointment with an internist, although I might pass on the colonoscopy, too invasive for my liking, I much prefer a virtual colonoscopy, which uses 2D and 3D imagery reconstructed from computed tomography (CT) scans or from nuclear magnetic resonance (MR) scans, and is a totally non-invasive alternative. Of course if a growth or polyp is detected, a standard colonoscopy would still need to be performed, but, if no growth is detected, it will save me the inconvenience of invasive exploration.

Hi Ivan,

A colonoscopy only seems invasive if you are awake and the correct procedures are not used to decrease friction. Actually, as long as no one pierces the wall of the lumen, the scope is actually outside of your body, in spite of the fact that your intuition and taste tells you otherwise.

A colonoscopy can save your life. The virtual colonoscopy migtht or might not find all the polyps. What the colonoscopy will find will be flatter lesions which the imaging might miss.

Virtual colonoscopy is a great idea and is being substantiated but there's nothing yet, IMHO, as good as the real thing and if a polyp or flat lesion needs biopsying, the guy is already there. I actually use a lady Gastroenterologist and I do not know it happens.

The invasive thing you imagine is not 1/100 as bad as the invasiveness of invasive cancer which was missed because it was below the resolution detected by virtual colonoscopy.

Anyway, that's my POV as, at the present, one cannot rid your body readilly of spread colon cancer!

Asher

Welcome on board Rodney, I'm happy that another Asher's friend have joined!

Asher did regularly spoke to us about your cancer. Some persons of my family (my Mum twice) had cancer (though different as yours) and won their fights against the beast.

If Leica can help to shoot cancer out, do not hesitate ;-)))


BTW I stopped smoking (30 cigarettes a day) 15 years ago. Not that difficult, just needed to be convinced that the pleasure of smoking is NOT worth the results...

In regards colonoscopy, I just wonder why smoking should be intrusive so low... maybe a curious smoking behavior - LOL!

After this stupid humor, please accept my apologize, fight and smile, life is worth it!

Good news!

Rodney is a great soldier, not quiet a stoic, but putting up with a hell of a lot of of regimentations and obsessional setup for his focused treatment. He's going through it, taking one day at a time.

We're glad to here he's eating well and that's so important. I tell him to think of beautiful ladies, but he thinks of how he can get a good night's sleep!

What a lot of trouble for a guy that shot with Avedon!

Asher

Hi Rodney Sheldon

It's good that you are better.

I have never smoked.
Not entirelly true ! I did smoke for a couple of weeks because of a woman, many years ago, back in 74.
But that is gone now.

My wife smokes mainly when she is tense for some reason.
I don't make her tense but her own mother does.

I wish you the best and as much Health as you can !

Hi Rodney!

Hi Rodney, I too am new to the non smoking thing, (19 days, 8 hours, 32 minutes smoke free.

581 cigarettes not smoked.), thankfully before mother nature took any extreme actions as in your case.

Hope you feel better. I'll be rooting for you.

Just to update you.

In January this year, at the start of this, Rodney and I spent a week together at M.D. Anderson in Houston Texas. At that time I was introduced to the finest doctors and the best Jazz since I destroyed Bourbon Street in New Orleans 20 years ago! I wanted to make sure he had the best care available in the world! I also had never visited this almost self-contained city devoted to treatment of cancer. We even met the two (skinny) royal sons of an oil sheikdom. I'd have pressed them for a loan but their dad was sick so I was reluctant to expose my exploitative side! They were so kind and gentle and showed immense respect for their well guarded father!

Rodney had Radiation Therapy for 7 weeks with the latest smart drug, Erbitux and the cancer vanished. He worked like a Trojan in his recovery, fed by a gastrostomy tube and gettingto use his voice again and swallow. Amonth later he was so much improved they removed the tube and there was no cancer to be found.

Unfortunately 6 months later, routine follow-up showed the cancer might have recurred and MRI and CT scans were done and showed the need for biopsies. Sunday he flew back and after two positive biopsies, he was scheduled for surgery.

Yesterday in a 12 hour brillian operation a team of cancer surgeons, maxillo facial reconstructive surgeons and plastic surgeons split open his jaw from the front, moved the half to the side and cut out the small cancer with surrounding tissue half the size of a man's fist! Then the area was replaced with good tissue from Rodneys forearm. The plastic surgeon connected it to the neck blood supply under the microscope!!

He now has a beautifully reconstructed left neck and is still knocked out like a resting zombie, doped to the max and alive!!

This is truly amazing thaat we have the capability to have an extra chance!

I thought I'd bring you guys up todate.

I am not sure of the address but a good luck, recovery card to

Rodney Sheldon

In Patient

MD Anderson Cancer Center

Houston, TEXAS

USA

would cheer him up when he recovers!

He's isolated, far away from the people he photographed, from the girl he discovered on a beach in St Tropez, France who became his model and then a movie star and far away from all the casts of movies he produced and the meetings with agents for his scripts and books! No more deals, just a lonely man lying in bed, relying totally on the skills and care of others he never knew.

For sure, just one card will make him delighted. Imagine what 2 or three might do to give him a great feeling that life is after all worthwhile and he has firends he's never met!

That is even better than chicken soup!

Asher

BTW, his Leicas or in New york. His son is an avid photographer, but TTBOMK doesnt He just got married in an estate in Tuscany at which Rodney was able to attend only weeks ago!

A card and maybe even a photograph of a flower is in order.

I will also make a tobacco offering for him.



gi-ga-ge go-hu-nv-hi
(RedWing)

Wow..what a story of courage and battle of the beast....cancer!
I wish your friend the best of luck in recovery and all the positive energy that he needs to mend quickly!!!

HUGS from Minnesota!! A recovering Houstonian myself....ROFL!

I googled the cancer center and I can add a zipcode: 77030.

Get well soon.

Hi Rodney,

I hope that you will recover fully soon. Just don't give up hope.

Here's thinking of you....

Best regards,

Cem

Rachel Foster said:

I googled the cancer center and I can add a zipcode: 77030.

Click to expand...

Hi RAchel

an even deeper dig into Google:

The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
1515 Holcombe Blvd, Houston, TX 77030

I put the Holcomb address on the card but was not clear if that was administrative or inpatient. We shall find out!