A good review article titled Advances in Cancer Immunology and Cancer Immunotherapy was published on February 26, 2016 in Discovery Medicine. While not specific to bladder cancer, the article provides a good snapshot of the promise that immunotherapy is offering metastatic cancer patients. One of the charts in the article identify the current immunotherapy drugs that are being tested. None have yet been approved for bladder cancer, but many (including nivolumab) are being tested. I'm hopeful that in a few years there will be a lot more arrows in the quiver of oncologists to shoot at this savage disease.
Monday, April 4, 2016
Friday, April 1, 2016
Arthur Wellington Weart Brothers
The following obituary was published in the Salt Lake Deseret News on April 2, 2016:
Arthur Wellington Weart Brothers passed away March 30, 2016, after a very full life, very well lived.
Born in Salt Lake City on December 2, 1930, to Hilda Von Erxleben (nee Peacock) from Bath, England and Arthur Weart from Vancouver, Canada. His mother parted from his father in the middle of the Depression, when Art was an infant. In desperation at not being able to provide for him, his mother gave him up for adoption. He lived his early years in many foster families and multiple schools, but he was later adopted by Harrison S. and Dorothy Brothers.
He attended Granite High School until, at 17, he joined the Air Force in December of 1946 where he trained as a radio mechanic. Graduating at the top of his class, he declined an offer to stay at Scott Air Force Base as an instructor, and when the Korean War commenced, he was shipped to Nagoya, Japan where he was assigned as a radio mechanic to the 5th Air Force headquarters. He was later stationed in North Korea where he supported Marines coming ashore by repairing boilers, setting up electricity and salvaging, repairing and setting up field phones, control towers and switchboards. After nearly 5 years in the Air Force, and having been awarded a Bronze Star, he was released as a sergeant in 1952, in time to start school at the University of Utah in the fall where he studied business.
After college, he worked briefly in Manhattan and then in Los Angeles. He later built a radio telephone system for boaters on Lake Mead. He became increasingly aware of unmet needs for telephone communication in rural areas where there was no telephone access at all, just the postal service. Puzzling through the legalities and regulatory complexities of telecom law, he applied to the Nevada Public Utility Commission to serve Montello, Nevada and Grouse Creek, Utah as a company he called "Silver Beehive Telephone Company" - because Nevada was the Silver State, and Utah was the Beehive State. Later he shortened the name to Beehive Telephone Company. The Nevada Public Service Commission shot him down but later, the Utah Public Service Commission granted him a Certificate of Necessity. Art wrote in his diary, "God hath made me a telephone company." Art and his young wife, Tina Brothers, set off to rural Box Elder County to bring telephone service to Grouse Creek.
True to his nature, Art created it all out of nothing and sweat equity. He used wire he got from military surplus and switching equipment given him by another phone company. He hand-built the original long distance line, climbing every pole, hanging every cross arm, stringing every piece of wire on every insulator. When he was done, Grouse Creek residents had telephone communications, and Art has since replicated this in every unserved area he could find and anywhere that Ma Bell wouldn't serve. He was the CEO, the chief financial officer, and the lineman. He served his remote areas by piloting his own planes, sometimes landing on public highways when necessary. Today, Beehive Telephone - now known as Beehive Broadband -- employs 48 people and provides state-of-the- art service in telephone and broadband.
His life became legendary for its inventiveness and resourcefulness. He was twice featured in the Wall Street Journal and for years, he wrote a column in a national magazine for rural telephone companies, inspiring and entertaining his readers by recounting his many adventures all over the world. He often received letters from mothers whose children had been saved from illness because they could (finally) telephone a doctor or a hospital, and for years, he maintained a telephone number ("1-234-567-8910") where children could call and talk to "Santa Claus" - which caused Mountain Bell great consternation.
Arthur is survived by his sister, Bonnie Cavill, and his children, Arthur Jr., Ravonne and Kenneth, whose success in life made him extremely proud. He is also survived by Rita Brothers, his beautiful and much beloved wife whom he met in Russia, and their daughter, Z Brothers. He is predeceased by his young daughter, Anastasia, whom he adored. His many employees at Beehive Telephone will remember him and work hard to honor his work and grow his legacy.
Services will be held at Evans and Early Mortuary, 574 East 100 South, in Salt Lake City, Utah on Monday, April 4, 2016, at 11:00 a.m. A viewing will be held one hour prior to the funeral services at 10:00 a.m. A graveside service will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery, and a lunch will be served thereafter at the Alta Club.
The following column was published in the Salt Lake Tribute on April 4, 2016:
Published in Deseret News from Apr. 2 to Apr. 4, 2016 - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/deseretnews/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=179485483#sthash.YuvzKq2T.dpuf
Published in Deseret News from Apr. 2 to Apr. 4, 2016 - See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/deseretnews/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=179485483#sthash.YuvzKq2T.dpuf
Arthur Wellington Weart Brothers passed away March 30, 2016, after a very full life, very well lived.
Born in Salt Lake City on December 2, 1930, to Hilda Von Erxleben (nee Peacock) from Bath, England and Arthur Weart from Vancouver, Canada. His mother parted from his father in the middle of the Depression, when Art was an infant. In desperation at not being able to provide for him, his mother gave him up for adoption. He lived his early years in many foster families and multiple schools, but he was later adopted by Harrison S. and Dorothy Brothers.
He attended Granite High School until, at 17, he joined the Air Force in December of 1946 where he trained as a radio mechanic. Graduating at the top of his class, he declined an offer to stay at Scott Air Force Base as an instructor, and when the Korean War commenced, he was shipped to Nagoya, Japan where he was assigned as a radio mechanic to the 5th Air Force headquarters. He was later stationed in North Korea where he supported Marines coming ashore by repairing boilers, setting up electricity and salvaging, repairing and setting up field phones, control towers and switchboards. After nearly 5 years in the Air Force, and having been awarded a Bronze Star, he was released as a sergeant in 1952, in time to start school at the University of Utah in the fall where he studied business.
After college, he worked briefly in Manhattan and then in Los Angeles. He later built a radio telephone system for boaters on Lake Mead. He became increasingly aware of unmet needs for telephone communication in rural areas where there was no telephone access at all, just the postal service. Puzzling through the legalities and regulatory complexities of telecom law, he applied to the Nevada Public Utility Commission to serve Montello, Nevada and Grouse Creek, Utah as a company he called "Silver Beehive Telephone Company" - because Nevada was the Silver State, and Utah was the Beehive State. Later he shortened the name to Beehive Telephone Company. The Nevada Public Service Commission shot him down but later, the Utah Public Service Commission granted him a Certificate of Necessity. Art wrote in his diary, "God hath made me a telephone company." Art and his young wife, Tina Brothers, set off to rural Box Elder County to bring telephone service to Grouse Creek.
True to his nature, Art created it all out of nothing and sweat equity. He used wire he got from military surplus and switching equipment given him by another phone company. He hand-built the original long distance line, climbing every pole, hanging every cross arm, stringing every piece of wire on every insulator. When he was done, Grouse Creek residents had telephone communications, and Art has since replicated this in every unserved area he could find and anywhere that Ma Bell wouldn't serve. He was the CEO, the chief financial officer, and the lineman. He served his remote areas by piloting his own planes, sometimes landing on public highways when necessary. Today, Beehive Telephone - now known as Beehive Broadband -- employs 48 people and provides state-of-the- art service in telephone and broadband.
His life became legendary for its inventiveness and resourcefulness. He was twice featured in the Wall Street Journal and for years, he wrote a column in a national magazine for rural telephone companies, inspiring and entertaining his readers by recounting his many adventures all over the world. He often received letters from mothers whose children had been saved from illness because they could (finally) telephone a doctor or a hospital, and for years, he maintained a telephone number ("1-234-567-8910") where children could call and talk to "Santa Claus" - which caused Mountain Bell great consternation.
Arthur is survived by his sister, Bonnie Cavill, and his children, Arthur Jr., Ravonne and Kenneth, whose success in life made him extremely proud. He is also survived by Rita Brothers, his beautiful and much beloved wife whom he met in Russia, and their daughter, Z Brothers. He is predeceased by his young daughter, Anastasia, whom he adored. His many employees at Beehive Telephone will remember him and work hard to honor his work and grow his legacy.
Services will be held at Evans and Early Mortuary, 574 East 100 South, in Salt Lake City, Utah on Monday, April 4, 2016, at 11:00 a.m. A viewing will be held one hour prior to the funeral services at 10:00 a.m. A graveside service will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery, and a lunch will be served thereafter at the Alta Club.
The following column was published in the Salt Lake Tribute on April 4, 2016:
Rolly: Remembering Art Brothers, the bane of Ma Bell, the FCC and rural sheriffs
By PAUL ROLLY | The Salt Lake Tribune
One of Utah's more colorful characters was a gregarious entrepreneur named Art Brothers, who drove local, state and federal regulators crazy.
He died in Salt Lake City last week at age 85 of causes incident to age.
Brothers owned Beehive Telephone Co., which
served some remote areas in Utah and other spots in the West that
otherwise would not have telephones.
One area he served until his license was
revoked by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) was to a brothel
in Nevada. He used radio telecommunications — authorized for emergencies
only —from a boat on Lake Mead.
During the revocation hearing, an FCC commissioner
noted that most of the calls from the brothel were to the closest
liquor store. He asked how that was an emergency.
Brothers shot back: "If you've never seen a cathouse out of booze, you don't know what an emergency is."
He was able to operate in out-of-the-way places
with sparse populations because he did much of the line work himself,
tapping parts and gadgets he personally crafted. He even owned a small
plane he flew to reach his customers.
That landed him in trouble with some sheriffs
because he insisted on touching down on rural highways. He even hit a
couple of cars during his landings, one causing serious injuries to a
truck driver in Millard County.
His plane was confiscated one time in Millard
County for landing on a highway and then taxiing into a nearby town,
where he filled up his tank at a gas station.
"I kind of sympathize with the small-business
man to a degree. He needs his airplane to get around," Millard County
Sheriff Ed Phillips told United Press International (UPI) Salt Lake City
Bureau Chief Peter Gillins, who wrote a profile of Brothers in 1980.
"But we couldn't let him continue landing on the road."
Brothers, however, sneaked into the impound lot, taxied the plane around some barricades and flew away.
Beehive served about 150 customers spread throughout an area about 10 times the size of Delaware, according to the UPI profile.
"They live on remote ranches and in towns like Grouse Creek, Park Valley, Garrison, Eskdale and Ticaboo," Gillins wrote.
Brothers frequently battled then-telephone giant Mountain Bell,
which had to pay Beehive Telephone thousands of dollars in
long-distance interconnect fees from the customers he was licensed to
serve.
David Irvine, a former PSC commissioner who later became Brothers' attorney, said Mountain Bell's lawyers "went nuts" over a moneymaking scheme Brothers concocted involving Santa Claus.
"Art was able to secure the number 12345678,"
Irvine said. "That was before you had to punch in the area code, so
hitting 1 would automatically make it a long-distance call. He then put a
recording on that line from Santa Claus to all the little boys and
girls.
"Kids often punched numbers in sequence while
playing on the phone and then get Santa Claus," Irvine said. "So they
would call the number over and over again. And each time, it was money
in Art's pocket because Mountain Bell had to pay him the long-distance fees. And Mountain Bell would get all the complaints because the long-distance charges would show up on their bill."
Hey, at least he never landed his plane in Ma Bell's parking lot.
Arthur Wellington Weart Brothers, passed away March 30, 2016, after a very full life, very well lived.
Born in Salt Lake City on December 2, 1930, to Hilda Von Erxleben (nee Peacock) from Bath, England and Arthur Weart from Vancouver, Canada. His mother parted from his father in the middle of the Depression, when Art was an infant. In desperation at not being able to provide for him, his mother gave him up for adoption. He lived his early years in many foster families and multiple schools, but he was later adopted by Harrison S. and Dorothy Brothers. He attended Granite High School until, at 17, he joined the Air Force in December of 1946 where he trained as a radio mechanic. Graduating at the top of his class, he declined an offer to stay at Scott Air Force Base as an instructor, and when the Korean War commenced, he was shipped to Nagoya, Japan where he was assigned as a radio mechanic to the 5th Air Force headquarters. He was later stationed in North Korea where he supported Marines coming ashore by repairing boilers, setting up electricity and salvaging, repairing and setting up field phones, control towers and switchboards. After nearly 5 years in the Air Force, and having been awarded a Bronze Star, he was released as a sergeant in 1952, in time to start school at the University of Utah in the fall where he studied business.
After college, he worked briefly in Manhattan and then in Los Angeles. He later built a radio telephone system for boaters on Lake Mead. He became increasingly aware of unmet needs for telephone communication in rural areas where there was no telephone access at all, just the postal service. Puzzling through the legalities and regulatory complexities of telecom law, he applied to the Nevada Public Utility Commission to serve Montello, Nevada and Grouse Creek, Utah as a company he called "Silver Beehive Telephone Company" - because Nevada was the Silver State, and Utah was the Beehive State. Later he shortened the name to Beehive Telephone Company. The Nevada Public Service Commission shot him down but later, the Utah Public Service Commission granted him a Certificate of Necessity. Art wrote in his diary, "God hath made me a telephone company." Art and his young wife, Tina Brothers, set off to rural Box Elder County to bring telephone service to Grouse Creek. True to his nature, Art created it all out of nothing and sweat equity. He used wire he got from military surplus and switching equipment given him by another phone company. He hand-built the original long distance line, climbing every pole, hanging every cross arm, stringing every piece of wire on every insulator. When he was done, Grouse Creek residents had telephone communications, and Art has since replicated this in every unserved area he could find and anywhere that Ma Bell wouldn't serve. He was the CEO, the chief financial officer, and the lineman. He served his remote areas by piloting his own planes, sometimes landing on public highways when necessary. Today, Beehive Telephone - now known as Beehive Broadband -- employs 48 people and provides state-of-the- art service in telephone and broadband. His life became legendary for its inventiveness and resourcefulness. He was twice featured in the Wall Street Journal and for years, he wrote a column in a national magazine for rural telephone companies, inspiring and entertaining his readers by recounting his many adventures all over the world. He often received letters from mothers whose children had been saved from illness because they could (finally) telephone a doctor or a hospital, and for years, he maintained a telephone number ("1-234-567-8910") where children could call and talk to "Santa Claus" - which caused Mountain Bell great consternation.
Arthur is survived by his sister, Bonnie Cavill, and his children, Arthur Jr., Ravonne and Kenneth, whose success in life made him extremely proud. He is also survived by Rita Brothers, his beautiful and much beloved wife whom he met in Russia, and their daughter, Z Brothers. He is predeceased by his young daughter, Anastasia, whom he adored. His many employees at Beehive Telephone will remember him and work hard to honor his work and grow his legacy.
Services will be held at Evans and Early Mortuary, 574 East 100 South, in Salt Lake City, Utah on Monday, April 4, 2016, at 11:00 a.m. A viewing will be held one hour prior to the funeral services at 10:00 a.m. A graveside service will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery, and a lunch will be served thereafter at the Alta Club.
Born in Salt Lake City on December 2, 1930, to Hilda Von Erxleben (nee Peacock) from Bath, England and Arthur Weart from Vancouver, Canada. His mother parted from his father in the middle of the Depression, when Art was an infant. In desperation at not being able to provide for him, his mother gave him up for adoption. He lived his early years in many foster families and multiple schools, but he was later adopted by Harrison S. and Dorothy Brothers. He attended Granite High School until, at 17, he joined the Air Force in December of 1946 where he trained as a radio mechanic. Graduating at the top of his class, he declined an offer to stay at Scott Air Force Base as an instructor, and when the Korean War commenced, he was shipped to Nagoya, Japan where he was assigned as a radio mechanic to the 5th Air Force headquarters. He was later stationed in North Korea where he supported Marines coming ashore by repairing boilers, setting up electricity and salvaging, repairing and setting up field phones, control towers and switchboards. After nearly 5 years in the Air Force, and having been awarded a Bronze Star, he was released as a sergeant in 1952, in time to start school at the University of Utah in the fall where he studied business.
After college, he worked briefly in Manhattan and then in Los Angeles. He later built a radio telephone system for boaters on Lake Mead. He became increasingly aware of unmet needs for telephone communication in rural areas where there was no telephone access at all, just the postal service. Puzzling through the legalities and regulatory complexities of telecom law, he applied to the Nevada Public Utility Commission to serve Montello, Nevada and Grouse Creek, Utah as a company he called "Silver Beehive Telephone Company" - because Nevada was the Silver State, and Utah was the Beehive State. Later he shortened the name to Beehive Telephone Company. The Nevada Public Service Commission shot him down but later, the Utah Public Service Commission granted him a Certificate of Necessity. Art wrote in his diary, "God hath made me a telephone company." Art and his young wife, Tina Brothers, set off to rural Box Elder County to bring telephone service to Grouse Creek. True to his nature, Art created it all out of nothing and sweat equity. He used wire he got from military surplus and switching equipment given him by another phone company. He hand-built the original long distance line, climbing every pole, hanging every cross arm, stringing every piece of wire on every insulator. When he was done, Grouse Creek residents had telephone communications, and Art has since replicated this in every unserved area he could find and anywhere that Ma Bell wouldn't serve. He was the CEO, the chief financial officer, and the lineman. He served his remote areas by piloting his own planes, sometimes landing on public highways when necessary. Today, Beehive Telephone - now known as Beehive Broadband -- employs 48 people and provides state-of-the- art service in telephone and broadband. His life became legendary for its inventiveness and resourcefulness. He was twice featured in the Wall Street Journal and for years, he wrote a column in a national magazine for rural telephone companies, inspiring and entertaining his readers by recounting his many adventures all over the world. He often received letters from mothers whose children had been saved from illness because they could (finally) telephone a doctor or a hospital, and for years, he maintained a telephone number ("1-234-567-8910") where children could call and talk to "Santa Claus" - which caused Mountain Bell great consternation.
Arthur is survived by his sister, Bonnie Cavill, and his children, Arthur Jr., Ravonne and Kenneth, whose success in life made him extremely proud. He is also survived by Rita Brothers, his beautiful and much beloved wife whom he met in Russia, and their daughter, Z Brothers. He is predeceased by his young daughter, Anastasia, whom he adored. His many employees at Beehive Telephone will remember him and work hard to honor his work and grow his legacy.
Services will be held at Evans and Early Mortuary, 574 East 100 South, in Salt Lake City, Utah on Monday, April 4, 2016, at 11:00 a.m. A viewing will be held one hour prior to the funeral services at 10:00 a.m. A graveside service will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery, and a lunch will be served thereafter at the Alta Club.
Arthur Wellington Weart Brothers, passed away March 30, 2016, after a very full life, very well lived.
Born in Salt Lake City on December 2, 1930, to Hilda Von Erxleben (nee Peacock) from Bath, England and Arthur Weart from Vancouver, Canada. His mother parted from his father in the middle of the Depression, when Art was an infant. In desperation at not being able to provide for him, his mother gave him up for adoption. He lived his early years in many foster families and multiple schools, but he was later adopted by Harrison S. and Dorothy Brothers. He attended Granite High School until, at 17, he joined the Air Force in December of 1946 where he trained as a radio mechanic. Graduating at the top of his class, he declined an offer to stay at Scott Air Force Base as an instructor, and when the Korean War commenced, he was shipped to Nagoya, Japan where he was assigned as a radio mechanic to the 5th Air Force headquarters. He was later stationed in North Korea where he supported Marines coming ashore by repairing boilers, setting up electricity and salvaging, repairing and setting up field phones, control towers and switchboards. After nearly 5 years in the Air Force, and having been awarded a Bronze Star, he was released as a sergeant in 1952, in time to start school at the University of Utah in the fall where he studied business.
After college, he worked briefly in Manhattan and then in Los Angeles. He later built a radio telephone system for boaters on Lake Mead. He became increasingly aware of unmet needs for telephone communication in rural areas where there was no telephone access at all, just the postal service. Puzzling through the legalities and regulatory complexities of telecom law, he applied to the Nevada Public Utility Commission to serve Montello, Nevada and Grouse Creek, Utah as a company he called "Silver Beehive Telephone Company" - because Nevada was the Silver State, and Utah was the Beehive State. Later he shortened the name to Beehive Telephone Company. The Nevada Public Service Commission shot him down but later, the Utah Public Service Commission granted him a Certificate of Necessity. Art wrote in his diary, "God hath made me a telephone company." Art and his young wife, Tina Brothers, set off to rural Box Elder County to bring telephone service to Grouse Creek. True to his nature, Art created it all out of nothing and sweat equity. He used wire he got from military surplus and switching equipment given him by another phone company. He hand-built the original long distance line, climbing every pole, hanging every cross arm, stringing every piece of wire on every insulator. When he was done, Grouse Creek residents had telephone communications, and Art has since replicated this in every unserved area he could find and anywhere that Ma Bell wouldn't serve. He was the CEO, the chief financial officer, and the lineman. He served his remote areas by piloting his own planes, sometimes landing on public highways when necessary. Today, Beehive Telephone - now known as Beehive Broadband -- employs 48 people and provides state-of-the- art service in telephone and broadband. His life became legendary for its inventiveness and resourcefulness. He was twice featured in the Wall Street Journal and for years, he wrote a column in a national magazine for rural telephone companies, inspiring and entertaining his readers by recounting his many adventures all over the world. He often received letters from mothers whose children had been saved from illness because they could (finally) telephone a doctor or a hospital, and for years, he maintained a telephone number ("1-234-567-8910") where children could call and talk to "Santa Claus" - which caused Mountain Bell great consternation.
Arthur is survived by his sister, Bonnie Cavill, and his children, Arthur Jr., Ravonne and Kenneth, whose success in life made him extremely proud. He is also survived by Rita Brothers, his beautiful and much beloved wife whom he met in Russia, and their daughter, Z Brothers. He is predeceased by his young daughter, Anastasia, whom he adored. His many employees at Beehive Telephone will remember him and work hard to honor his work and grow his legacy.
Services will be held at Evans and Early Mortuary, 574 East 100 South, in Salt Lake City, Utah on Monday, April 4, 2016, at 11:00 a.m. A viewing will be held one hour prior to the funeral services at 10:00 a.m. A graveside service will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery, and a lunch will be served thereafter at the Alta Club.
Born in Salt Lake City on December 2, 1930, to Hilda Von Erxleben (nee Peacock) from Bath, England and Arthur Weart from Vancouver, Canada. His mother parted from his father in the middle of the Depression, when Art was an infant. In desperation at not being able to provide for him, his mother gave him up for adoption. He lived his early years in many foster families and multiple schools, but he was later adopted by Harrison S. and Dorothy Brothers. He attended Granite High School until, at 17, he joined the Air Force in December of 1946 where he trained as a radio mechanic. Graduating at the top of his class, he declined an offer to stay at Scott Air Force Base as an instructor, and when the Korean War commenced, he was shipped to Nagoya, Japan where he was assigned as a radio mechanic to the 5th Air Force headquarters. He was later stationed in North Korea where he supported Marines coming ashore by repairing boilers, setting up electricity and salvaging, repairing and setting up field phones, control towers and switchboards. After nearly 5 years in the Air Force, and having been awarded a Bronze Star, he was released as a sergeant in 1952, in time to start school at the University of Utah in the fall where he studied business.
After college, he worked briefly in Manhattan and then in Los Angeles. He later built a radio telephone system for boaters on Lake Mead. He became increasingly aware of unmet needs for telephone communication in rural areas where there was no telephone access at all, just the postal service. Puzzling through the legalities and regulatory complexities of telecom law, he applied to the Nevada Public Utility Commission to serve Montello, Nevada and Grouse Creek, Utah as a company he called "Silver Beehive Telephone Company" - because Nevada was the Silver State, and Utah was the Beehive State. Later he shortened the name to Beehive Telephone Company. The Nevada Public Service Commission shot him down but later, the Utah Public Service Commission granted him a Certificate of Necessity. Art wrote in his diary, "God hath made me a telephone company." Art and his young wife, Tina Brothers, set off to rural Box Elder County to bring telephone service to Grouse Creek. True to his nature, Art created it all out of nothing and sweat equity. He used wire he got from military surplus and switching equipment given him by another phone company. He hand-built the original long distance line, climbing every pole, hanging every cross arm, stringing every piece of wire on every insulator. When he was done, Grouse Creek residents had telephone communications, and Art has since replicated this in every unserved area he could find and anywhere that Ma Bell wouldn't serve. He was the CEO, the chief financial officer, and the lineman. He served his remote areas by piloting his own planes, sometimes landing on public highways when necessary. Today, Beehive Telephone - now known as Beehive Broadband -- employs 48 people and provides state-of-the- art service in telephone and broadband. His life became legendary for its inventiveness and resourcefulness. He was twice featured in the Wall Street Journal and for years, he wrote a column in a national magazine for rural telephone companies, inspiring and entertaining his readers by recounting his many adventures all over the world. He often received letters from mothers whose children had been saved from illness because they could (finally) telephone a doctor or a hospital, and for years, he maintained a telephone number ("1-234-567-8910") where children could call and talk to "Santa Claus" - which caused Mountain Bell great consternation.
Arthur is survived by his sister, Bonnie Cavill, and his children, Arthur Jr., Ravonne and Kenneth, whose success in life made him extremely proud. He is also survived by Rita Brothers, his beautiful and much beloved wife whom he met in Russia, and their daughter, Z Brothers. He is predeceased by his young daughter, Anastasia, whom he adored. His many employees at Beehive Telephone will remember him and work hard to honor his work and grow his legacy.
Services will be held at Evans and Early Mortuary, 574 East 100 South, in Salt Lake City, Utah on Monday, April 4, 2016, at 11:00 a.m. A viewing will be held one hour prior to the funeral services at 10:00 a.m. A graveside service will follow at Mount Olivet Cemetery, and a lunch will be served thereafter at the Alta Club.
Thursday, March 24, 2016
CR 276: 28th Opdivo infusion: drum, drum
Today's infusion was uneventful. Hopkins and Kaiser got all their ducks in a row, and my labs that Kaiser did on Tuesday expedited the release of my drug today. To my pleasant surprise, I did not develop a rash after my 27th infusion two weeks ago. I kept waiting for those itchy nodules to appear. I didn't feel sad that the angel of rash passed me by. Or maybe I got a placebo infusion instead. Like most things in life, I'll wait and see what happens next.
During my meeting with Dr. Hahn, he told me to expect publication of the interim results from this trial in connection with the ASCO meeting. Dr. Hahn could not promise whether that data would provide much guidance to me, however, since I am in the leading edge group of people getting nivolumab for mets bladder cancer. But he said that we could look at data from other nivolumab studies with other cancers, as well as data from other immunotherapy drugs, and extrapolate from that. He'll be there to help me along. Since there will be a lot more information available in the next few months, I'll be patiently drumming my fingers until then.
<drum, drum>
Meanwhile, spring is springing in the mid-Atlantic, and I'm enjoying the warmer weather. I've been busy coordinating the finishing of our lake house, and collecting furnishings both so we can use it and to help it sell. In case it does not sell quickly, we're going to make as much use of it as we can.
<drum, drum>
Jennifer and I continue to noodle over future plans. The whole idea of making long term plans still feels a bit strange to me, kind of like we're tempting fate. But like Simba, I walk on the wild side. I laugh in the face of danger. So I have started to plan, and God laughs. Nevertheless, Jennifer and I have decided in principle to simplify and downsize as our nest empties. We have not yet settled on how we'll do that, or when, or where we'd go. There's no rush, however: As long as I'm in this clinical trial, it makes little sense to move. I expect we'll be here for at least the next year or so.
For the next few months, we have enough on our plate: getting the lake house on the market; a family gathering in Florida in April; Jennifer's graduation from her MSW program in May; Garrett's graduation from high school in June and his likely departure on a mission in July; and Chelsea giving birth to our first grandson in August. That should keep us occupied for a while.
<drum, drum>
During my meeting with Dr. Hahn, he told me to expect publication of the interim results from this trial in connection with the ASCO meeting. Dr. Hahn could not promise whether that data would provide much guidance to me, however, since I am in the leading edge group of people getting nivolumab for mets bladder cancer. But he said that we could look at data from other nivolumab studies with other cancers, as well as data from other immunotherapy drugs, and extrapolate from that. He'll be there to help me along. Since there will be a lot more information available in the next few months, I'll be patiently drumming my fingers until then.
<drum, drum>
Meanwhile, spring is springing in the mid-Atlantic, and I'm enjoying the warmer weather. I've been busy coordinating the finishing of our lake house, and collecting furnishings both so we can use it and to help it sell. In case it does not sell quickly, we're going to make as much use of it as we can.
<drum, drum>
Jennifer and I continue to noodle over future plans. The whole idea of making long term plans still feels a bit strange to me, kind of like we're tempting fate. But like Simba, I walk on the wild side. I laugh in the face of danger. So I have started to plan, and God laughs. Nevertheless, Jennifer and I have decided in principle to simplify and downsize as our nest empties. We have not yet settled on how we'll do that, or when, or where we'd go. There's no rush, however: As long as I'm in this clinical trial, it makes little sense to move. I expect we'll be here for at least the next year or so.
For the next few months, we have enough on our plate: getting the lake house on the market; a family gathering in Florida in April; Jennifer's graduation from her MSW program in May; Garrett's graduation from high school in June and his likely departure on a mission in July; and Chelsea giving birth to our first grandson in August. That should keep us occupied for a while.
<drum, drum>
Thursday, March 10, 2016
CR 262: 27th infusion, rash decisions
After my 26th infusion two weeks ago, I had a new rash develop around my neck and upper chest. It was not as dense as the rash around my calves that developed after infusion #25, but it still itched. It was like I had 50 mosquito bites around my neck. I applied a topical corticosteroid and took Benadryl every 4-6 hours and muddled through. I think it's strange how my immune system is reacting in different ways to the same doses of nivolumab. Dr. Hahn said that I should continue to do what I had been doing, and if the next rash advanced to a grade 2, he'd probably add a steroid into my next infusion.
Effective March 1, I joined Kaiser Permanente's Medicare Advantage plan and met with three doctors in three days, all of whom promised to coordinate with Hopkins and ease the logistical burden. On Tuesday I had my lab work done at Kaiser's Tyson's Corner facility, and it was faster than Labcorp. I found out today, however, that Kaiser did not report the lymphocyte percentages, which is a required data point before the pharmacy will compound my nivolumab. That caused a delay in getting my infusion. Another delay was caused by my port not giving a consistent blood return, so I ended up having an IV while my port was flushed with drano or whatever they use to dissolve blood clots. I expected some transitional hiccups so I'm just rolling with it.
Dr. Hahn and I discussed the newer data regarding nivolumab durability. In his position as chair of the ASCO immunotherapy review committeee, he's starting to see some of the recent reports. He couldn't give me any details yet since he does not have all the data and what he does have has not been cleared for publication, but he said that it shows that nivolumab is working in a significant number of patients. He said that other immunotherapy drugs were also showing great promise. The data should be released in a month or so.
Dr. Hahn said that some of the future considerations for immunotherapy include what options there are if one type of immunotherapy fails: can patients try a different drug? Should they consider combination therapy, and if so, with what drugs? Many different combination therapies are bring evaluated in trials, but it will be some time before there are good phase III trials comparing different combination therapies. That discussion reminded me of how oncologists are not expecting immunotherapies to be curative, but are instead being used to prolong the lives of mets cancer patients.
I asked Dr. Hahn if there was anything I could hang my hat on regarding my own expectations. I noted that, prior to last summer's announcement of my complete response, I had been planning my life in no more than 3 months chunks, living day to day and planning from scan to scan. Could I now begin to think that I might have a more normal life, I asked? Dr. Hahn shrugged and said there was no way to know. The data simply was not available to form a basis for any predictions. He could not say if I might have years of life with no evidence of disease, or if my mets might come rushing back without warning. Likewise, there was insufficient data to say whether any disease progression might be slow, or as sudden as falling off a cliff.
I noted how I was now retired, that my nest might be empty by the end of this year, and that Jennifer and I have been talking about our options. That discussion was made difficult by not having any basis to assume how long I might live. Dr. Hahn apologized for the lack of data and empathized with the difficulty in making decisions with an uncertain horizon. As of now, there's not a whole lot of insight he could add. At least he didn't say that I shouldn't buy green bananas.
For now, Jennifer and I have set the following goals for the next few months: a family gathering in Florida next month; Jennifer's MSW graduation in May; Garrett's graduation from high school in June and his likely departure in July on a two year mission for our church; a trip to Utah in August for the birth of our third grandchild. In all the spare time I'll be doing my long-ignored honey-do list We only have vague ideas of what we'll do in the fall. Maybe a few trips here and there, but nothing too long since I want to continue with my clinical trial through February of 2017, assuming all continues to go well.
This spring we also intend to put our lake house on the market. It was badly damaged last spring due to a broken pipe, and the entire interior was gutted and rebuilt. We bought it near the top of the market in 2005, and I'm just hoping to break even on it. We want down there on Tuesday to check it out and also get our boat out of the shop. I blew the engine last fall and after some dithering decided to have a new motor installed. It was a beautiful spring day in the 80s and we spent the afternoon on the water. It was a relaxing day, and reminded me of how grateful I am for each day.
Effective March 1, I joined Kaiser Permanente's Medicare Advantage plan and met with three doctors in three days, all of whom promised to coordinate with Hopkins and ease the logistical burden. On Tuesday I had my lab work done at Kaiser's Tyson's Corner facility, and it was faster than Labcorp. I found out today, however, that Kaiser did not report the lymphocyte percentages, which is a required data point before the pharmacy will compound my nivolumab. That caused a delay in getting my infusion. Another delay was caused by my port not giving a consistent blood return, so I ended up having an IV while my port was flushed with drano or whatever they use to dissolve blood clots. I expected some transitional hiccups so I'm just rolling with it.
Dr. Hahn and I discussed the newer data regarding nivolumab durability. In his position as chair of the ASCO immunotherapy review committeee, he's starting to see some of the recent reports. He couldn't give me any details yet since he does not have all the data and what he does have has not been cleared for publication, but he said that it shows that nivolumab is working in a significant number of patients. He said that other immunotherapy drugs were also showing great promise. The data should be released in a month or so.
Dr. Hahn said that some of the future considerations for immunotherapy include what options there are if one type of immunotherapy fails: can patients try a different drug? Should they consider combination therapy, and if so, with what drugs? Many different combination therapies are bring evaluated in trials, but it will be some time before there are good phase III trials comparing different combination therapies. That discussion reminded me of how oncologists are not expecting immunotherapies to be curative, but are instead being used to prolong the lives of mets cancer patients.
I asked Dr. Hahn if there was anything I could hang my hat on regarding my own expectations. I noted that, prior to last summer's announcement of my complete response, I had been planning my life in no more than 3 months chunks, living day to day and planning from scan to scan. Could I now begin to think that I might have a more normal life, I asked? Dr. Hahn shrugged and said there was no way to know. The data simply was not available to form a basis for any predictions. He could not say if I might have years of life with no evidence of disease, or if my mets might come rushing back without warning. Likewise, there was insufficient data to say whether any disease progression might be slow, or as sudden as falling off a cliff.
I noted how I was now retired, that my nest might be empty by the end of this year, and that Jennifer and I have been talking about our options. That discussion was made difficult by not having any basis to assume how long I might live. Dr. Hahn apologized for the lack of data and empathized with the difficulty in making decisions with an uncertain horizon. As of now, there's not a whole lot of insight he could add. At least he didn't say that I shouldn't buy green bananas.
For now, Jennifer and I have set the following goals for the next few months: a family gathering in Florida next month; Jennifer's MSW graduation in May; Garrett's graduation from high school in June and his likely departure in July on a two year mission for our church; a trip to Utah in August for the birth of our third grandchild. In all the spare time I'll be doing my long-ignored honey-do list We only have vague ideas of what we'll do in the fall. Maybe a few trips here and there, but nothing too long since I want to continue with my clinical trial through February of 2017, assuming all continues to go well.
This spring we also intend to put our lake house on the market. It was badly damaged last spring due to a broken pipe, and the entire interior was gutted and rebuilt. We bought it near the top of the market in 2005, and I'm just hoping to break even on it. We want down there on Tuesday to check it out and also get our boat out of the shop. I blew the engine last fall and after some dithering decided to have a new motor installed. It was a beautiful spring day in the 80s and we spent the afternoon on the water. It was a relaxing day, and reminded me of how grateful I am for each day.
Thursday, February 25, 2016
CR 248: 26th infusion
I officially am halfway through my two-year clinical trial with nivolumab. During my meeting with Dr. Hahn, his fellow, and two clinical trial nurses, they gave me a cupcake and sang "happy clinical trial birthday to you.' Just kidding. But I did ask them about dermatologic toxicity. They noted how my rash had subsided, although the nodules on my legs were still visible. Dr. Hahn said that he was unable to predict whether I would see a recurrence of the rash after today's and future infusions. based upon the limited experience of other patients who had taken Opdivo (including those with other types of cancer), he said that rashes did not follow any set pattern. Most commonly, patients whose immune systems reacted to nivolumab with a rash did so early on, within the first few cycles. Cases like mine -- a significant rash after more than 20 infusions -- were less common. And once a rash presented, there was little pattern to what happened next. Sometimes the rash did not recur. Other times it recurred in different locations. Other times it recurred in the same locations, but not as strong. Other times it repeated just as strongly. And in a minority of patients - less than 5% -- the rash increased in size and itchiness. The difference in reactions, Dr. Hahn explained, was due to the individual makeup of patients' immune systems. Frequently the T cells would figure out that it should not continue reacting to Opdivo with rashes. Only by waiting and seeing would we know. Dr. Hahn said that if the rash recurred in the same degree or worse, I could take an oral dose of over-the-counter Benadryl as well as continue using the corticosteroid. If the rash grew to grade 2 (less than 50% of the body surface area, or BSA), he might consider adding a steroid to the next infusion. If it got to grade 3, then he would discontinue the Opdivo until the rash resolved. I said I'd keep him informed if there was a (ahem) rash of problems.
I also was told by the clinical trial nurse that Bristol Myers Squibb was in the process of closing this specific trial, and is in the process of accruing data for an interim report that it will present at the Spring ASCO meeting. The hope is that the data will be broken down by cancer type and current status. The nurse told me that Hopkins had enrolled eight mets bladder cancer patients in this specific trial, and that there were between 60-80 mets BC patients in this trial at all locations. About half of those patients received combination therapies of nivolumab and ipilumumab, and the other half (including me) were monotherapy patients of nivolumab only. Dr Hahn is on the ASCO review committee for immunology, so he will get a sneak peek at the data. I'm eager to read the report and see the chart reflecting the durability of responses.
Earlier this week I signed up for Kaiser Permanente's Medicare Advantage plan for Fairfax County Virginia. It took several weeks of back-and-forth for me to find out whether Kaiser would be ok with my continued participation in my clinical trial at Hopkins. I was given at least four different answers before I found the definitive answer in Kaiser's 263 page long "Annual Notice of Changes for 2016." Sections 5.1 and 5.2 detail the conditions in which Kaiser will permit its members to participate in clinical trials outside of its coverage area. The short answer is yes, Kaiser is ok with my continuing in my trial, and might even agree to bear some of the standard of care expenses that accompany the trial. Before that happens, I need to get enrolled, meet with a GP, who will refer me to an oncologist, who will review the facts and (probably) will agree to work with Hopkins. And even if they don't, I'll have somewhere to go for any non-cancer health issues that may pop up, as well as a cheaper place to fill my prescriptions. In anticipation of a March 1 enrollment, I brought home three paper scrips. Hopefully this will all work out, but I won't be surprised if I hit some bumps.
In other news, a couple of days ago my youngest son Garrett learned he had been accepted to BYU. Yay! He's still waiting to hear from Carnegie Mellon and MIT. (He must have got the math gene from Jennifer, because it certainly did not come from me.) If he's accepted to more than one, we'll be looking at the financial aid packages offered by each before he makes his decision. I'm playing financial aid hardball: unemployed, totally disabled, receiving SSDI, fighting metastatic cancer with a 90%+ mortality rate. There are few silver linings to my cancer cloud, but getting college financial aid for one of my kids might be one of them.
I also was told by the clinical trial nurse that Bristol Myers Squibb was in the process of closing this specific trial, and is in the process of accruing data for an interim report that it will present at the Spring ASCO meeting. The hope is that the data will be broken down by cancer type and current status. The nurse told me that Hopkins had enrolled eight mets bladder cancer patients in this specific trial, and that there were between 60-80 mets BC patients in this trial at all locations. About half of those patients received combination therapies of nivolumab and ipilumumab, and the other half (including me) were monotherapy patients of nivolumab only. Dr Hahn is on the ASCO review committee for immunology, so he will get a sneak peek at the data. I'm eager to read the report and see the chart reflecting the durability of responses.
Earlier this week I signed up for Kaiser Permanente's Medicare Advantage plan for Fairfax County Virginia. It took several weeks of back-and-forth for me to find out whether Kaiser would be ok with my continued participation in my clinical trial at Hopkins. I was given at least four different answers before I found the definitive answer in Kaiser's 263 page long "Annual Notice of Changes for 2016." Sections 5.1 and 5.2 detail the conditions in which Kaiser will permit its members to participate in clinical trials outside of its coverage area. The short answer is yes, Kaiser is ok with my continuing in my trial, and might even agree to bear some of the standard of care expenses that accompany the trial. Before that happens, I need to get enrolled, meet with a GP, who will refer me to an oncologist, who will review the facts and (probably) will agree to work with Hopkins. And even if they don't, I'll have somewhere to go for any non-cancer health issues that may pop up, as well as a cheaper place to fill my prescriptions. In anticipation of a March 1 enrollment, I brought home three paper scrips. Hopefully this will all work out, but I won't be surprised if I hit some bumps.
In other news, a couple of days ago my youngest son Garrett learned he had been accepted to BYU. Yay! He's still waiting to hear from Carnegie Mellon and MIT. (He must have got the math gene from Jennifer, because it certainly did not come from me.) If he's accepted to more than one, we'll be looking at the financial aid packages offered by each before he makes his decision. I'm playing financial aid hardball: unemployed, totally disabled, receiving SSDI, fighting metastatic cancer with a 90%+ mortality rate. There are few silver linings to my cancer cloud, but getting college financial aid for one of my kids might be one of them.
Thursday, February 18, 2016
CR 241: Itching for Opdivo
I've been taking nivolumab (Opdivo) for almost exactly a year. From time to time I've noticed that a rash forms a day or two after my infusion. I am aware that a rash is one of the most common side effects from Opdivo. The FDA safety information for Opdivo advises, "Immune-mediated rash can occur with Opdivo treatment. Monitor patients for rash." FDA's detailed prescribing information for Opdivo states on page 8 that a rash occurs in greater than 20% of patients. According to UpToDate,
The next morning, Dr. Hahn responded:
Dermatologic toxicity is the most common immune-related adverse event (irAE) associated with checkpoint inhibitors (table 1). Approximately 50 percent of patients treated with ipilimumab will experience rash and/or pruritus, and approximately 30 to 40 percent of those treated with nivolumab or pembrolizumab will have dermatologic complications.For me, the most common location of rash was on my calves, the back of my scalp, and around the base of my neck. In the past it has come and gone and not been much of an irritant. After my last infusion last week, however, I had a much more significant rash develop on my calves. It circled both lower legs from just above the ankle to a few inches below the knee, and comprised of hundreds of tiny red prickles that itched like crazy. After trying to control it with a Benadryl gel, on Tuesday I sent a midnight email to Dr. Hahn:
Since my last infusion on Feb. 11, I have developed a localized rash on both calves. I would categorize it as a grade 1 rash, being a localized maculopapular faintly erythematous rash with pruritis. I have been applying a Benadryl gel as a topical analgesic, but am wondering if I should apply a corticosteroid. Looking in my medicine cabinet, I see 3 different creams: lidocaine and prilocaine cream, 2.5/2.5%; clidamycin phosphate benzoyl peroxide gel, 1.2/5%; and fluticasone propianate cream, .05%. Are any of those suitable? Or should I get a scrip for something else? Please advise on whether I should be seen before my next a scheduled infusion on Feb. 25. Many thanks for your ongoing excellent care.
Normally, I would usually start with simple over the counter hydrocortisone 1% or 2% cream. The fluticasone is stronger than the hydrocortisone and dermatologists usually reserve that for more severe cases.I promptly went out and got some hydrocortisone, and it seems to be helping manage the rash. I also started researching why Opdivo can cause dermatologic toxicity, and what should be done about it. A post on Cure Today from July 2015 describes how to manage rashes caused by immunotherapy drugs such as Opdivo. A 2014 article entitled "Managing the Side Effects of Novel Cancer Immunotheraputics" described the function of Opdivo as sometimes contributing to dermatologic toxicity:
PD-1 is expressed by T lymphocytes and, upon interaction with its ligands (PD-L1 or PD-L2), functions as a co-inhibitory receptor that dampens T-cell activation, thereby negatively regulating the immune response. Treatment with monoclonal antibodies that disrupt the interaction between PD-1 and PD-L1 results in significant antitumor activity.A 2015 article published by ASCO entitled "Toxicities of Immunotherapy for the Practitioner" explained:
The basis for the majority of these adverse events is a hyperactivated T-cell response with reactivity directed against normal tissue, resulting in the generation of high levels of CD4 T-helper cell cytokines or increased migration of cytolytic CD8 T cells within normal tissues. The T-cell immune response is not tissue specific and may reflect a diffuse expansion of the T-cell repertoire that induces cross-reactivity with normal tissue, effectively breaking tolerance that is active with cytokines, vaccines, and checkpoint protein inhibitors and passive in the case of adoptive cell therapy.The question for Dr. Hahn next week is what if anything we should do now that my skin has started protesting a little louder about Opdivo. I suspect that we'll continue on with the doses, dealing with the rash as long as it does not rise to grade 3 or 4. If this is the most significant side effect of Opdivo, then it's full speed ahead. It's a hundred times better than either of my chemotherapy regimens. If it gets to the point where all my hair falls out (again) and I feel like I'm climbing out of a hole each time I get an infusion, then maybe I'll start reconsidering it. But so far, so good.
Thursday, February 11, 2016
CR 234: 25th infusion and more
It took a week for my flu symptoms to clear up. Had I not taken Tamiflu and Augmentin, I'm sure it would have taken at least seven days. After three weeks of coughing up my lungs, it's nice to be back to normal.
Two days ago I was eating a cheesesteak with Garrett, and I bit into something very had. I spit it out and was amazed to discover part of a tooth in my sandwich. I took it to the proprietor and said look what I found in my sandwich. He was befuddled, then said is it yours? I should have checked first - sure enough, a 30 year old crown had decided to escape. So on my way to Hopkins I stopped by my dentist in Silver Spring who slapped it back into place in about 5 minutes.
I spent the rest of the day at Hopkins. I had my labs drawn, then had to wait for nearly two hours while my bloodwork was done. Dr. Hahn was pleased to see that I was over the flu. We spoke about the lack of published data of nivolumab and bladder cancer. He said that he was the chair of an ASCO immunotherapy review panel and that in the next month or two he expected that he would see a lot of data about nivolumab, hopefully including some that was specific to bladder cancer, as well as overall durability data for patients who have had a complete response. I look forward to seeing those data.
Meanwhile, as I approached the one year mark for participation in this trial, I was asked to sign an updated clinical trial protocol. Bristol-Myers Squibb had amended it to include ovarian cancers, but otherwise it was unchanged from the previous protocols: up to two years of drug dosing, then ongoing monitoring. My plan is to continue to ride this horse as long as it will carry me.
The Hopkins pharmacy was backed up, and it took another couple of hours for the compounded Opdivo to be released. I passed the time by reading Jo Marchant's “Cure: A Journey Into the Science of Mind Over Body.” It's a well-researched exploration of the sometimes unexpected relationship between the brain and healing. Marchant's book is in some ways a counterpoint to Paul Offit's "Do You Believe In Magic? The Sense and Nonsense of Alternative Medicine"which I blogged about in January 2014. I'm still mulling over some of Marchant's assertions, and likely will blog about it in the future.
The last drops of my infusion dribbled through the pump just before 4 pm. I was famished and jonesing for Popeye's, which fortunately is just across the street from the Weinberg Cancer Center. Two pieces of chicken and a large serving of red beans and rice kept me fortified for the two hour slog home in wreck hour traffic. I do not miss commuting.
This evening I saw that the more than 100 lawyers from my former law firm had been acquired by another firm in an asset acquisition. An announcement on my old firm's web site said that it "was no longer engaged in the practice of law." Although I had already retired, I nonetheless felt a moment of sadness upon learning of the death of a once-venerated 63 year old firm. The ending came not with a bang, but with a whimper. The firm died before it paid back all of the equity partnership capital that I had contributed. I hope I'll get it back, but I'm not holding my breath. C'est la vie.
Two days ago I was eating a cheesesteak with Garrett, and I bit into something very had. I spit it out and was amazed to discover part of a tooth in my sandwich. I took it to the proprietor and said look what I found in my sandwich. He was befuddled, then said is it yours? I should have checked first - sure enough, a 30 year old crown had decided to escape. So on my way to Hopkins I stopped by my dentist in Silver Spring who slapped it back into place in about 5 minutes.
I spent the rest of the day at Hopkins. I had my labs drawn, then had to wait for nearly two hours while my bloodwork was done. Dr. Hahn was pleased to see that I was over the flu. We spoke about the lack of published data of nivolumab and bladder cancer. He said that he was the chair of an ASCO immunotherapy review panel and that in the next month or two he expected that he would see a lot of data about nivolumab, hopefully including some that was specific to bladder cancer, as well as overall durability data for patients who have had a complete response. I look forward to seeing those data.
Meanwhile, as I approached the one year mark for participation in this trial, I was asked to sign an updated clinical trial protocol. Bristol-Myers Squibb had amended it to include ovarian cancers, but otherwise it was unchanged from the previous protocols: up to two years of drug dosing, then ongoing monitoring. My plan is to continue to ride this horse as long as it will carry me.
The Hopkins pharmacy was backed up, and it took another couple of hours for the compounded Opdivo to be released. I passed the time by reading Jo Marchant's “Cure: A Journey Into the Science of Mind Over Body.” It's a well-researched exploration of the sometimes unexpected relationship between the brain and healing. Marchant's book is in some ways a counterpoint to Paul Offit's "Do You Believe In Magic? The Sense and Nonsense of Alternative Medicine"which I blogged about in January 2014. I'm still mulling over some of Marchant's assertions, and likely will blog about it in the future.
The last drops of my infusion dribbled through the pump just before 4 pm. I was famished and jonesing for Popeye's, which fortunately is just across the street from the Weinberg Cancer Center. Two pieces of chicken and a large serving of red beans and rice kept me fortified for the two hour slog home in wreck hour traffic. I do not miss commuting.
This evening I saw that the more than 100 lawyers from my former law firm had been acquired by another firm in an asset acquisition. An announcement on my old firm's web site said that it "was no longer engaged in the practice of law." Although I had already retired, I nonetheless felt a moment of sadness upon learning of the death of a once-venerated 63 year old firm. The ending came not with a bang, but with a whimper. The firm died before it paid back all of the equity partnership capital that I had contributed. I hope I'll get it back, but I'm not holding my breath. C'est la vie.
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