Staten Island Hospital experience

After spending just over 4 weeks in New York receiving specialist cancer treatment, which involved non invasive stereo-tactic body radio-surgery, in November & December 2003, it is now 9th Feb 2004, and I'm still here after being given 3 to 4 months to live in September 2003, the whole experience was an eye-opener from start to finish. Margaret and myself arrived on a Tuesday and booked into the Hospitals University Inn Apartments, where we were made very welcome the room consists of twin beds, fridge, microwave, sink unit, 100 channel TV, air conditioning, en-suite shower and bath, very well self contained, on the Wednesday morning I had an appointment with Dr. Gil Lederman, the head of department, I had met him a few weeks earlier on a visit he did in our area, he asked me why I had gone over there without finishing my chemotherapy in UK, I said the time scale of my life expectancy and not knowing if chemo would work had prompted me to act on any hope of help, he said you know it's in your blood so it's fatal and I can only try and prolong your life a bit longer, and looking at you now you won't be dead in 3 months, straight forward and honest that's how it should be. he examined me then I went and had a special body suit made to fit me, tattooed in 4 places and lined up on laser beams and measured in the body suit to make sure I would be in the exact position every treatment, I then went and had a CT scan, that was it until Friday when I went back for a full body bone scan. my first treatment was on Tuesday evening it took about 45 mins altogether you don't feel a thing, in all I had 10 treatments 5 on my spleen and 5 on my lymph nodes and other lung tumour, I have to send a CT scan over there in a couple of weeks to see how successful the treatment has been and if I need to return for further treatment, my chemo finishes here on 12th Feb. We met some very nice people at the Inn, Bob & Merle from Chicago, Paul & Dianne from Canada, Antonio & Maria from Italy who couldn't speak english but we managed to communicate, and also the staff. I have just heard my mate Kevin McBride who came over for treatment while we were there passed away at 5am  this morning 10th Feb, I'm devastated, all the pain and suffering he had to endure over the past year or so is unbelievable, but he never gave up hope, a true fighter to the end. His family can be very proud of the memories they have of him .

  NO MORE PAIN   NO MORE SUFFERING

             REST IN PEACE MY FRIEND

  BACK

Bob & Merle

Antonio & Maria

Memorial to victims of Sept. 11th