Everett was able to walk onto the stage to accept the award, and it brought tears to everyone’s ears during a standing ovation. What an awesome moment and testimony to the mantra, “Don’t Give Up.”

My cancer treatments were completely debilitating. I could barely function at all for four months while I underwent intensive radiation therapy. There was no way I could work at all, or even take care of my family. It was horrible to be so sick, helpless, and dependent on others with no real timeline or even hopeful prognosis for a recovery. Thanks to my parents and my grandmother, and the best doctors in the world, I was able to get through those terrible months, but the bills pilled up and that was probably the worst financial situation I’ve ever been in and recovering from a serious illness plus recovering from extreme financial distress took a very long time.

For some people in similar or sadly worse situations, all they can do is run up the bills for as long as they can and then try to file for Bankruptcy. I know there have been recent changes to the bankruptcy laws that make it more difficult to file, but I surely hope that honest people who have to face a serious or life threatening illness still have some hope of help with their finances.

I know that if anyone in my family or circle of close friends has to go through what I did, that I will be there at their side to help them through it as much as I possibly can. That’s what family and real friendship is for.

He’s been acting normal and eating regular food and doing everything like he was before he got sick, so that’s good news. Look at him sitting so pretty for me:

I haven’t left him alone all weekend and have watched him like a hawk. So far, so good, thank goodness.

Now I play backgammon online when I need a mental health break from the busy days around here. I love the way you can go online and jump into a game with a worthy opponent with almost no wait time to find another player. I’ve had the same screen name for years, and now there are dozens of other players who recognize my name and will search me out for a game or two.

Interesting how the only way I ever would have met these wonderful people is over the internet. All those terrible days and nights of waiting in the hospital emergency rooms have evolved into friendships with people from all over the world who share the same interest and passion for a game of online backgammon.

Some of us play in online backgammon tournaments, too. Those are great fun and a better test of skill and staying power than just a casual game or two. If you can win 8 or 9 games in a row, then you are a deserving champion or very very very lucky.

At home he usually falls asleep watching TV and his mom moves him to his bed and leaves his clothes on him, then in the morning he gets a bath in a big hurry because he has to leave for school.

At my house (my rules!) he takes a bath after dinner and puts on pajamas, then he is allowed to watch TV or a movie and then he puts himself to bed. I tuck in the covers and say, “Sleep tight – don’t let the bedbugs bite!”

Well, I’ve always said that because my parents always said that and their parents always said that. We’ve never had to worry about bedbugs – it was just a cute rhyme that we said out of love. But what do you do if you really do have to worry about letting the bedbugs bite? Well, there is a web site that can help people with that: bedbugsguide.com and I found it while surfing the internet with my grandson, because he asked what bedbugs look like.

So if you have a problem with bedbugs where you live, check out this site for how to kill bedbugs and soon you will be able to “sleep tight” again.

I checked a couple medical sites and then I found a website that is an online pharmacy that sells the top three most popular treatments for ED, called edrugstore.md and read through their pages on the three prescription drugs:

• Cialis
• Viagra
• Levitra

The page on Cialis talked about how this medication works for up to 36 hours, can be taken with or without food, and begins to work as quickly as 30 minutes after taking it.

The website has good information about their policies and how they work – all medications are brand names – no generics or counterfeits. They only dispense FDA-approved prescription medications and guarantee the lowest prices on the internet.

There is also a section on their home page that links to articles, such as “What Exactly is Cialis and Is It Right For You? ” and other helpful articles. I find reading these in the privacy in my own home is a lot easier to absorb rather than sitting in a doctor’s office and listening to him quickly go over the main points before handing us over to a medical assistant or, worse, their billing department.

The website also has a forum for discussions and a pharmacy blog. I like the way this company is really up to date on technology and writes in plain English so I can understand all the information on what can be a difficult subject for a lot of people to talk about.

I was at the vet with one of the puppies for his routine exam and shots, and ended up sharing the waiting room with Leon Russell. He was there with his dog, and we had the chance to chat for a few minutes before he was ushered to one of the treatment rooms. What a nice man!

Leon was born and raised in Oklahoma but he’s been living here for years and keeping a low profile, not doing a lot of shows any more but doing a lot of behind the scenes things, like producing for other artists and some charity concerts. Until chatting with him at the vet’s, I didn’t realize that he has 16 albums out – I just know that one of his songs has been a classic in the DJ gigs I used to do, years ago. He does have an album out now, called “Angel in Disguise,” and I’m going to hunt for that at the store next time I’m buying music.

I still hear from quite a few of the people involved with that organization, and last night received a call from the new Executive Director asking for my input on some of the issues with pharmaceutical companies. Well, I always have an opinion and I’m using quite willing to share my thoughts on any issue.

He asked if I would be willing to participate in a pharmaceutical marketing research group that was being formed. I asked him for more details and agreed to think it over. I know that research groups play a big part in the marketing strategies for drug therapies, and that the outcome might well affect thousands of people and their health. So it is something I don’t take lightly.

The research company, Decision Resources, is well know in the medical industry. They research and prepare in depth reports and many well known diseases, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, diabetes 2, multiple myeloma and many more. My family has been touched by all of those, so I want to read through their website and see what I can learn about their studies before making a decision.

There are a lot of different procedures and services available from a good plastic surgeon, and not all of them have to do with vanity. Sometimes people involved in serious car accidents or fire victims needs help reconstructing the damaged areas. Sometimes babies are born with disfiguring birth defects, like a cleft lip. Although some of things may not be pleasant to think about, we can take comfort in knowing that help is available from top plastic surgeons like Dr. Andrew Kleinman.

Dr. Andrew Kleinman has won numerous awards and has earned the greatest respect from his peers with over 20 years experience in plastic surgery. He performs these procedures and more from his Westchester, NY surgery center:

• blepharoplasty (eyelid surgery)
• rhytidectomy (facelift)
• browlift/forehead lift
• rhinoplasty (nose surgery)
• otoplasty (ear surgery)

Dr. Kleinman’s philosophy of plastic surgery is that what he does for you should result in a natural look. If this is important to you, click on over to his website and read more about Dr. Kleinman, for cosmetic surgery Westchester.

It is a documentary of the way prison officials in Arkansas and other states allowed the collection of blood from inmates that were infected with contagious diseases, such as HIV and Hepatitis. This contaminated blood was then introduced into the nation’s blood supply and thousands of people were infested with HIV and Hepatitis.

The film is by Kelly Duda and well worth watching, because people are still dying as a result of their actions.

Genentech developed the first synthetic Human Growth Hormone (HGH) known as recombinant human growth hormone (rhGH) using a biosynthetic process called Inclusion Body technology.

The rhGH produced by Inclusion Body technology became known as somatrem. Then, using an improved process called Protein Secretion technology, they developed what is now known as Somatropin. This promising drug is used to treat:

• AIDS Wasting and Cachexia
• Short Stature caused by several conditions
• Growth Problems Caused by Short Bowel Syndrome
• Improper Growth in Children with Renal Disease
• Body Building
• Weight Loss
• Anti-Aging
• Children with Rheumatoid Arthritis
• Osteoporosis

The Nutropin brand and the Genotropin brand of HGH were developed by Genentech and are available for sale worldwide.