First of all, thank you so much to everyone for your support during this difficult time.  A few weeks ago I wrote about what we were going through as my Mom was recently diagnosed with Pancreatic Cancer.  Last week, she finally started chemo and radiation treatments.  We also received some great last-minute news. The doctors were able to work with the insurance company to get approval for her to be in a study which will shoot chemo directly into the tumor.  We got this approval  literally the day before she was scheduled to start chemo after 6 weeks of waiting. Phew!

She is now in the second week of Chemo and will have to endure about 4-5 weeks more in hopes of shrinking the tumor so that they can remove it by a Whipple procedure.  Because of all of the complex veins and organs in that area – it makes surgery rather difficult.  The good news is, my Mom’s cancer has not spread but they need to shrink the tumor in order to remove it because it is tangled up in some major veins.  This gives us a lot of hope that she can kick cancer in the ass.  It is also very painful  as the tumor often pushes on your organs causing the patient to be in constant pain.

Most people diagnosed with this cancer do not have symptoms until a much later stage and after it has spread.  This is one of the reasons, statistically,  it is a very dangerous cancer.  That said, I hope anyone with a history of cancer’s take this to heart: if you smoke, please stop.  This is one of the leading causes of all kinds of cancer. I can’t say enough how many horrible things smoking does to your body.

So, right now my Mom is enduring some pretty sucky side effects from the medicines, chemo and radiation.  For one, it changes the way things taste and smell, causing her to have constant nausea, making  it very difficult to enjoy food and can easily cause dehydration.

There’s some other crappy side effects that I won’t go into detail here, but one thing I have learned is that being diagnosed with cancer can be a really confusing process.  The communication in hospitals is really disorganized. And having to deal with many different doctors who are often in a hurry can make it difficult to get your questions answered. I can only hope that one day our health care system gets fixed.

I also have to give a huge shout out to Agencynet for being so supportive during this difficult time. Without their understanding and support, I wouldn’t be able to work from St. Louis and be with my family.  I’m cherishing every moment of every day and I’m blessed to work for such a great company who is not only very capable of producing award winning work, but also excels in being empathic and human.

That said,  thank you all  for your thoughts and prayers!

I want to thank everyone around me on twitter and Facebook for support and help during this difficult time.  I see now how truly powerful social networks can be in times of need. I am sharing this story in hopes of getting insight from others who have been through this before.

The Background

4 weeks ago my beautiful Mom was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. She is 57 years old, much younger than most with this type of cancer. She is the most amazing woman I know. She has been through so much and sacrificed a ton for me and my brother.  She was born and raised in Germany with 4 other siblings in a tiny 2 bedroom apartment.  Her parents only had one leg each due to World War II.

She slept on the couch with her sister and did not even have her own bedroom.  Despite all of that, she is the strongest woman I know.  She met my dad while he was in the U.S. army stationed in Germany.  She emits joy, laughter and calls things as they are.  She is stubborn, a neat freak, smart, funny, sweet and creative.

About 6 weeks ago she was hospitalized for jaundice and that’s when some further investigation revealed a mass in her pancreas.  The good news is it has not spread but the bad news is that it’s a very complicated cancer.

Her bile duct  collapsed as a result of the tumor pressing on it. So they had to put a stint in her bile duct to keep it open.  The tumor is also entangled among her veins that supply blood to some of her her major organs.

Our Healthcare System

We have been waiting for 6 weeks for treatments to start and it’s been a whirl wind of emotion and confusion.

The doctors wanted her to be in a study that would shoot radiation directly in the mass but we were just told by the doctors that they “forgot” to get clearance for all these tests from the insurance company.

Thus, my parents may be facing tens of thousands of dollars in charges that they assumed were cleared by the insurance company and to be covered.  At the fault of the doctors and hospital – we just found out they did not get clearance for all of these tests.

In the mean time, she’s been in constant pain and sickness – already loosing weight because she can’t eat.

Today, we just found out that the insurance company said they would not pay for any of the normal treatments if she decided to do the study because they considered it “experimental”.  I can’t fathom how they could do such a thing and say no to a treatment that could possibly save her life and others – even though the trial is paid for.  They said they would not pay for her chemo if she chose to be in the trial.  Thus, she won’t be in the trial.

Her doctor said it may take months to fight the insurance companies to get approval for the clinical trial. Unfortunately, time is not on our side.

She has not had any treatments for 6 weeks because of the confusion. She is supposed to finally start Chemo on this coming Monday.

I have so much anger towards our health care system and its stupid bureaucracy.  How is it an inmate will get better health care than my Mom who has worked hard her whole life?

Sorry for venting… but it just doesn’t seem fair.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to deal with insurance companies and clinical trials?

Last Saturday night I went to Seth MacFarlane’s private residence for a HUGE party hosted by 20th Century Fox. Seth is the creator of Family Guy and is insanely talented. He can draw, animate, sing AND write.

I hate him already.

The party promoted the upcoming 1 hour episode of “Something, Something, Something, Dark Side” -  a Star Wars parody. The event had a holiday theme with Family Guy and Star Wars imagery  integrated everywhere. This was  the most amazing and extravagant event I have ever been to in my entire life.

Trailer Below:

Seth Can Sing!

Seth is well known for loving show tunes and wowed the crowed with some memorable entertainment of him singing.

Here’s a few fun pix:

I have a more photos on Flickr.

Celeb Alert!

Overall, this shindig was just jaw-dropping!  I spotted Alyssa Milano, Zach Braff, Audrina Partridge (the Hills)  and  I even said hello to  Mark Salling – SQUEEEE!!! (”Puck” from Glee). I LOVE GLEE!

Finally, a little Hollywood gossip

Mark Sallings looked like he came with Audrina Partridge.  I don’t know 100%  if something was there -  but the pair were hanging out quite a bit and seemed to be a couple.  I’m pretty sure they are dating.

Also, Seth MacFarlane was dancing into the wee hours of the night with one of the sisters from Sister, Sister.  I don’t know which “sister”  but they were inseparable and totally in the moment with each other.

Phew! I’m still exhausted after such an amazing event! Tell me, what’s your favorite Family Guy episode?

Let’s just say that since we’ve been dating, I’ve learned way more about MMA than I ever thought I would — especially considering I’m not a sports person. I don’t watch football, baseball or basketball but I have been watching MMA events since gaining an appreciation for the strategy and athleticism.

Yes… I know how to do a rear naked choke which is actually a pretty safe way to disable an attacker, if you can manage to get behind them.

Oh, and now you know why I’ve been tweeting about MMA events.

It seems every time I started a new design, life got in the way and I was never able to finish. After too much time had passed, I would lose my train of thought and start all over on a new design.

Here are a few designs that I did over a year ago that  DID NOT make the final cut.  As you can see, they are all only half way  done. I tend to start off in black and white and add color as I go. These are merely wire-comps if you will…

Let’s just say that looking back I’m glad none of these directions made the cut, as now they seem a bit archaic with newer technology available — or maybe I just got wiser. :)  Anyhow, I’m excited about the direction I ended up going in.

Stay tuned for the new site!!!