Maximizing Your Time

Editor's note: I did very little work here. All writing and pictures are Vy's.

Time

Seeing my younger cousin get married stirred up a lot of feelings for me. It was a reminder that time doesn't stop, and everyone will continue to move on with their lives. Thinking about it sometimes makes me sad because I want to be cancer free and live a normal life too. However, I don't think I'll live long enough to get married or have children.

Have you ever watched Final Destination? It's about a group of people who initially cheat death, but Death later takes the lives of those who were meant to die. That's how I feel sometimes. Since my cancer diagnosis and surviving septic shock, I'm just living on borrowed time. Andrew thinks I'm ridiculous to even think that, and to base my life after a B-movie. In all fairness, he may have a point considering it only got 34% on Rotten Tomatoes.

Aside from good health, the next most important thing that I wish I could have more of is time. I don't need fame, fortune, or power because without time, you can't live to enjoy any of that. Time is an interesting concept. For the most part, it seems to go faster as I get older. The only time that it slows down is when I'm in the hospital. The seconds, minutes, and hours seem to drag on for eternity. 

When I was initially diagnosed five years ago, the first thing I wanted to know was how long I had to live. My oncologist couldn't give me an answer since each case was so different, and the best she could do was refer me to a synovial sarcoma survival nomogram used by Memorial Sloan Kettering . Essentially, this was a statistical tool which predicted the chance of a person surviving three years and five years after being diagnosed with synovial sarcoma. Below were my results:

I had a 67% of dying in the first three years, and a 79% of dying in the next five years.

I was completely floored with the results, and had to recheck it a few times to make sure I had entered the numbers correctly. I knew having cancer was bad, but in all honesty, I didn't expect it to be that bad. I felt like the odds were stacked against me, and that I didn't stand a chance at beating this monster. 
It's been five years now, and I'm still here. What I've learned is that nothing is guaranteed. From a statistical standpoint, I do have a lower mean survival in comparison to someone who doesn't have cancer, but that's all it is, just numbers. Whenever we step out of the house, we put ourselves at risk. We can't control other people's actions, or know the impact they'll have on our fragile lives. Life is unpredictable like that.  

The only thing we can do is to live a life without regret. I do this by reexamining and simplifying what's truly important to me. What I've discovered is that the materialistic items I thought made me happy really don't. While it's always fun to go shopping, it turns out that what I value above all are my experiences with the people I love. These experiences can range from lounging on the couch watching TV, or traveling to new places. That's all I really need; being surrounded by my loved ones. 

Sometimes it's hard to remember this because I do compare myself to the next person. What we need to understand is that what we see, especially through social media, is not necessarily the truth. The majority tend to discuss and post the highlights of their lives, and not their low points. We don't know what the other person is going through, so we shouldn't automatically assume that their lives are better than ours. Everyone is different, and we should be happy with who we are and what we've accomplished. 

LA Round 2

By this time, I had been flying to Los Angeles for treatment by myself a few times already. This is normally how it went.

Day 1

• After a normal workday, I'd catch a flight out from Oakland/San Francisco to Los Angeles. 
• Jamie would pick me up from LAX, and we'd drive to her house in Santa Monica where I'd spend the night. 

Day 2

• The next morning, I'd go to HemaCare to get my blood work done. 
• Afterwards, I'd head to the Sarcoma Oncology Clinic. From Van Nuys to Santa Monica, it would take about 45 minutes, and by this time, the clinic would have my blood test results. If everything came back good, I could begin treatment. 
• Treatment would take approximately 4 hours. If I finished early and was feeling well, I'd try to do something fun. Otherwise, I'd rest back at Jamie's place. 
• After Jamie was finished with work, we'd have dinner together and then she'd drive me to LAX. 

Overall, I'd only miss 1 day of work for treatment. I was really able to maximize my time by arranging my flights in the evening, utilizing riding sharing services (Lyft/Uber) versus car rentals, and most importantly, scheduling and arriving early to appointments.

Scheduling appointments in the morning means doctors haven't seen many patients and haven't fallen behind yet. They're more likely on-time, and so I often wait less. If I happen to arrive early, I still check in, and ask nicely if I'm able to been seen earlier. Sometimes I get lucky, and sometimes I don't. Most of the time though, it works!

While flying to Los Angeles every other week for immunotherapy treatment wasn't ideal, it was far and away better than having to be hospitalized for a week of chemotherapy. I got a chance to spend more time with my bestie, and be an LA tourist. Enjoy!

The Broad

The Broad is a contemporary art museum founded by philanthropists Eli and Edythe Broad. It's home to more than 2,000 works, and offers free general admission!

Up we go!

Christoper Wool. Untitled, 1990.

Untitled features the words "Run" and "Dog" across a series of nine aluminum panels. The arrangement of the panels changes as the words are reordered such as "Run Dog Run, " and "Dog Run Run."

Andy Warhol. Two Marilyns, 1962.

The image captures the tragic headline of Marilyn Monroe's death. The silkscreen deteriorates with each printing, acting as a physical metaphor for the waning of fame and the fading of memory.

Jasper Johns. Flag, 1967.

Jasper Johns had a dream he painted a flag, and so he made his dream come true! The first flag was painted in 1954 towards the beginning of the Cold War, and this version of the flag painted during the Vietnam War. Does the meaning of the flag change when the flag is on canvas? 

Robert Rauschenberg. Untitled, 1954.

Untitled was an important step in Rauschenberg's development as an artist. His use of everyday objects continued to evolved, resulting in a hybrid of painting and sculpture known as Combine paintings.

John Baldessari. Tips for Artists Who Want to Sell, 1966-68.

In 1966, art meant painting, sculpture, or drawing, and with wry humor, Baldessari challenges this expectation by having the painting completed by sign painters.

Cy Twombly. By the Ionian Sea, 1988. Untitled (Rome), 1987.

Many of Twombly's inspirations come from the ancient world: the plays, poems, and histories that constitute both western and eastern traditions.

Cy Twombly. The Rose (V), 2008.

In the last decades of his life, Twombly incorporated washes of color in his paintings, adding a sense of gravity and luxuriousness to the work.

Roy Lichtenstein. I...I'm Sorry!, 1965-66.

Eve is depicted as a modern-day woman. Lichtenstein renders her apology unclear. Is she apologizing for eating the forbidden fruit from the tree? Is she breaking our hearts?

Roy Lichtenstein. Coup de Chapeau II, 1996.

Jeff Koons. Michael Jackson and Bubbles, 1988. The culmination of Koons' Banality sculpture series, this sculpture is a reinterpretation of the style of the classical masters of Italy. 

Jeff Koons. Balloon Dog (Blue), 1994-2000.

As part of Jeff Koons' Celebration, Balloon Dog (Blue) is his most imposing work. When standing close to it, one's own distorted reflected bends around smooth pert curves.

Lari Pittman. Like You, 1995.

The work depicts an event in full swing, and upheaval of order. The overflowing canvas presents nuanced complexities, perhaps a riot or a parade with androgynous thong wearing reveler.

Barbra Kruger. Untitled (Your Body is a Battle Ground), 1989.

Simultaneously art and protest, this piece is striking and timeless. This was created in reaction to increasingly restrictive abortion laws, but it makes me think about the battle in my body with the cancer.

Jenny Holzer. Inflammatory Essays, 1979-82.

This work is the amalgam of posters the artist created and displayed around New York. 

Robert Therrien. Under the Table, 1994.

Therrien fuses Alice's Adventures in Wonderland with the Duchampian tradition of the readymade. The table stands at 10 ft. tall and conjures up the memory of what it felt like to be under the table as a small children.

Keith Haring. Untitled, 1984.

Untitled presents a critique of the excesses of capitalism. The overtired pig is suckled by little men born out of the creature's own vomit. The cyclical image leaves no one in control and no way out.

Kara Walker. African't, 1996

Walker's work examines the horrors of slavery before, during, and after the Civil War. She explores a twisted landscape of subjugation, depravity, and desire. 

El Anatsui. Red Block, 2010.

The elaborate work hangs like tapestries referencing kente cloth, all-purpose pieces of fabric used in Nigerian and sub-Saharan African culture. It's crafted from bottle caps, reused aluminum commercial packaging, copper wire, and other materials. 

The art dungeon.

Waiting in line to get into the Infinity Mirrored Room. After the door closes, the viewer is immersed in the work for 30 seconds. 

Yayoi Kusama. Infinity Mirrored Room - The Souls of Millions of Light Years Away, 2013.

Introducing Nitro & Tank

Our very first pet was a dog. My Dad had a co-worker giving away free puppies, and one day, unbeknownst to my Mom, my Dad brought one home. It was truly love at first sight. We decided to name the dog after its brown fur, Brownie. 

Brownie was a no nonsense dog, and always did her own thing. We craved her love and attention more than she craved ours. In her early years, she was a cranky dog; she chased us on our bicycles, and growled, barked, and bit us. As she got older, she mellowed out and enjoyed walks around the neighborhood, and being outside. She wasn't the perfect dog, but she we loved her unconditionally.

2004. 

After Brownie passed away, my sister got another dog from the ASPCA, a pix bull mix named Annie. While I was sick, and living at home with my parents, Annie played an important role in my recovery. She had lots of energy, and constantly wanted to play ball and loved to go on walks. That in turn motivated me to get out and exercise.

Best buds. 

After I moved in with Andrew, and things had settled down, we decided that it would be nice to have a pet together. We thought about taking Annie, but both of us were working full-time, and keeping any dog in our tiny one-bedroom home for the entire day was unfair.

Annie clearly happier running around in my parents' backyard.

The biggest challenge was finding something that would require little maintenance and space, and after lots of research, we narrowed it down to hamster, rat, or guinea pig. My only preference was that we get a rescue animal. Every year in the United States, too many pets come into shelters and few people consider adoption, so many millions of animals are euthanized. As luck would have it, there was a guinea pig rescue close to our home, the Cavy House Guinea Pig Rescue.

The Cavy House is run by Sue DuHamel, a retired software engineer. She rescues guinea pigs from local shelters and provides the necessary veterinary care and socializing so that they become adoptable and placed into loving, forever homes. It was started in October 2005, and she has rescued over 1,400 guinea pigs!

After submitting our application, and being approved for adoption, we finally set up an appointment to visit the rescue and meet the piggies. We drove to La Honda (about 1 hour south of San Francisco), with a few piggies in mind. Mainly, I really wanted a long-haired guinea pig breed.

Aren't they beautiful?

After spending time and playing with all the adoptable guinea pigs, we ended up selecting a pair of short-haired males (American and Abyssinian hybrid). It turned out personality was more important than appearance, and "the not afraid of peeing and pooping on you, food loving piggies" were the perfect match for us.

The challenge with having two males is that sometimes they fight because they don't get along or need to establish dominance. Oftentimes, people overlook males for this reason, but it was already too late for us; we had fallen in guinea pig love! 😍  🐹  🐹  The rescue had given them names Bart and Monroe, but Andrew and I wanted to give them machismo names to offset their extreme cuteness. There's nothing more manly than the TV show, American Gladiators, so please welcome Nitro and Tank!

The Transporter. 

YAY!

Rally pigs for Super Bowl 50

Carolina Panthers (10) vs. Denver Broncos (24)

Welcome to the family, Nitro and Tank!

Immuno Treatment 1 - Angeles National Forest

Good news!

I passed the first big step in qualifying for the trial. The results from the sponsor were positive; my cancer cells highly expressed (95%) the NY-ESO-1 gene. The next steps would be to meet the additional inclusion criteria, and then sign the consent form.

This time around, I flew to Los Angeles by myself. As much as I love having my Mom with me, getting time off from work was hard for her, and we both knew that it would be a long road ahead. Besides, I was in good hands because my bestie Jamie lives there.

Double Trouble.

Good Old Days.

Jamie's Mom babysat me, my sister, and my brother when we were young, and we all basically grew up together. We lived in the same small town, and went to the same elementary, middle, and high school. Our friendship strengthen during college, and fortified after we both experienced great loss and illness. She's one of the most generous and compassionate people I know, and anyone would be lucky to have her in their life.

Los Angeles is a big city. It's over 500 square miles. As fate would have it, Jamie's house was located close to the imaging centers, blood research facilities, and the Sarcoma Oncology Center. If I was really ambitious, I could even walk there. Most of the people in Los Angeles have to drive to get anywhere.

No one told me how much I needed to get done before enrolling into a clinical trial. I ended up having to stay in Los Angeles for a week for scans, blood draws, and doctor appointments. 

Additionally, remember how I had severe gallbladder issues a few months back, and scheduled elective surgery to remove it? Well, if I proceeded with the surgery, it would delay my treatment by four weeks.

I was very stressed and overwhelmed with everything already going on, and making the last minute decision to cancel my surgery in order to address the cancer first did not help.

Not your time yet. 

After a whirlwind of a week, and meeting all the additional inclusion criteria, I finally signed the 21-page consent form. On the day of treatment, I was randomized to the Atezolizumab and CMB305 (LV305, G305) protocol. I had prayed to receive the treatment that would hit the cancer with both drugs, and as luck would have it, somebody up there was listening.

The immunotherapy itself ended up being a piece of cake. The injections and IV only took a few hours, and the side effects were minimal that I actually flew home the same day!

Easy peasy lemon squeezy. 

Thank you Jamie for introducing me to your friends, and for taking such wonderful care of me. Enjoy my mini adventure with my new LA buddies, Eugene and Kristina!

Angeles National Forest - Switzer Falls

(4.5 miles; 650 feet elevation; 2-3 hours)

Switzer Falls is one of the best known and easily accessible waterfall hikes in Los Angeles County.  The waterfall is a series of several drops, and consists of an upper waterfall (10 feet), a main drop (50 feet), and a lower waterfall (25-30 feet). 

Getting up close and personal with the Arroyo Seco.

The trail follows the creek down into a wooded canyon.

Trying my best to not get my feet wet. 

Heading up those switchbacks. 

We're getting close. 

Enjoying the small pools and cascades of the Lower Switzer Falls. 

In order to reach the main waterfall, you had to scramble alongside a very steep and narrow use trail along the canyon wall to the right side of Arroyo Seco. 

We decided to turn around at this point for safety reasons, but if you continue down the stream scramble, you'll reach the 50 feet drop of the main tier of Switzer Falls. 

Monkeying around. 

Views of the surrounding peaks and canyons below.

Goodnight LA!