Before I left New York, Dr. Pearse had suggested that I might consider stopping my Lenalidomide (Revlimid) since I also had no real myeloma activity for over ten years (since my transplant, actually). Dr. Kwok confirmed this sentiment and suggested we do another bone-marrow biopsy to check on any low-level cancer activity. We did the biopsy a few weeks ago and... no myeloma activity detected! They're using several much more sensitive tests to check, and they are all negative! We're still awaiting one final test, but it's expected to be negative too.

It was wonderful to get the family together, too. We're not a large family, and it makes the times we can spend with each other all that more precious. Little Johnnie was there, Shai and Naomi, the cousins Lian/Daniel/Stefan/Bo, and me/Jill/Brenda/John. My sister did an incredible job of putting everything together. We billed it as a 'Celebration of Life', a description that I have found somewhat misplaced at past services for people I knew, especially when the death was sudden or unexpected. But seeing our friends and family, seeing the 'displays' showcasing various aspects of Dad's life, hearing what people said, this really was a celebration of my father. Thank you Sissy!

I have almost all the materials (eulogy texts, videos of the service, photos, etc.) together to build a memorial web page for Dad. I'll be posting it once it gets settled. I wrote a piece for the ceremony, too. My memories of Dad, in sound. I'll post a link to that here also.

Columbus has become a very pleasant town, sporting some new restaurants and even a few(!) microbreweries. Live music, too! The politics are semi-annoying, but there are good people there. Will I ever get back there again? Most likely -- for one thing, they are renovating a city plaza/park and it will be dedicated to Dad: The Robert D. Garton Plaza. There is one existing now, but this will be a major upgrade. They're starting construction this Fall, and I imagine I'll be back for the dedication.

Speaking of Fall, I really feel it here on Whidbey Island. The climate is somewhat cooler than the Midwest and East Coast where I have spent most of my life (although it doesn't get that cold here in the Winter). That coolness and the uncanny slant of the sun makes it feel more like late September or mid-October. Yikes! I need to get my syllabi together! Classes are... well, not. My academic life-schedule of more than six decades is now moot. More about this later.

And about "more later": back in my blog entry for July 10 this year, I talked about how I was feeling a little maudlin with "more on this later". What was happening was that a (new) preliminary colon cancer test had come back positive. I had to get a regular colonoscopy, and of course I was convinced that I had traded my myeloma for colon cancer. The colonoscopy was negative for cancer, but I did have a few 'pre-cancerous' polyps removed. I'll need to go back in 3-5 years to check again. The proctologist didn't seem too concerned -- "Colon cancer is very slow-growing, if it even appears again at all."

I do have an odd situation happening in my left eye. I noticed some strange artifacts in my left vision. Turns out that I have a slight swelling in my retina (not macular degeneration like I assumed I had!(. My ophthalmologist explained that it was probably relatively common, but most people didn't even notice it. It was also just recently that the technology was developed to spot this situation. So I have an appointment with a 'retinal specialist' in a few weeks, and hopefully this will be treated by eye-drops. We Shall See.

I think I'm doing ok, although I'm convinced my body is falling apart. Retirement, again! Karen Pekle (Weill-Cornell PA) used to admonish me, "don't consult with Dr. Google!", but it's hard not to. All hell breaks loose there.