Table of Contents | Me and Leuk

Chapter 80, June 2024

Working my way down (Bladder cancer) June 6, 2024

Chapter 79, May 2024

Luekemia seminar (Worth a look) May 5, 2024
Ouch! (Crushed finger) May 24, 2024
Road trip to Arizona (Ups and downs) May 5, 2024

Chapter 78, October 2023

Reconnect before the flowers bend (Back with friends) Oct 11, 2023
Disc Golf (Something new) Oct 9, 2023
Healthy folks need encouragement too (A friend picks me up) Oct 5, 2023

Chapter 77, May 2023

Time to get with it! (Starting over… again) May 2, 2023
GoodPods (We’ve made the big-time!) May 1, 2023

Chapter 76, September 2022

New Me and Leuk Podcast (Going “On-Air”) September 10, 2022

Chapter 75, April 2022

Boat of Fools (Missed the Big Climb) April 6, 2022

Chapter 74, March 2022

I’ve Stopped exercising (Missed the Big Climb) March 29, 2022
Video brings back memories (Looking back to younger days) March 9, 2022
He’s baaaaaack! (Back to M&L blog) March 4, 2022

Chapter 73, July 2021

Labs July 2021 (Now tracking hemoglobin) July 7, 2021

Chapter 72, August 2020

Blood test August 2020 (Not bad) August 28, 2020

Chapter 71, June 2020

Choosing a doctor (The hunt) June 6, 2020

Chapter 70, April 2020

Where is cancer coming from? (A little whining) April 21, 2020
The Virus (yeah, Covid) April 3, 2020

Chapter 69, March 2021

Peaceful state (Moving on) March 9, 2021

Chapter 68, October 2019

A tribute to cancer (A little song) October 10, 2019

Chapter 67, August 2019

Mediterranean diet (Eating healthy) August 27, 2019
Catching up (It’s been a while) August 13, 2019

Chapter 66, April 2019

My son receives award (Proud parent brags) April 2, 2019

Chapter 65, December 2018

The last rollercoaster ride (Of life and death) December 20, 2018
Time to exercise for Big Climb (Getting my act together) December 3, 2018

Chapter 64, November 2018

New writing gig (Blood-Cancer.com) November 18, 2018
Blood test not bad (Looking good) November 12, 2018

Chapter 63, October 2018

I’ve started a YouTube channel (Going live!) October 24, 2018

Chapter 62, September 2018

Choosing life over leukemia (The treehouse) September 30, 2018

Chapter 61, August 2018

The best kind of love (She makes me feel normal) August 17, 2018
New Doctor (I like him better) August 21, 2018

Chapter 60, July 2018

What was I thinking? (Duh!) July 20, 2018
Be a hero in the stirfe! (Wisdom from the bard) July 19, 2018

Chapter 59, June 2018

Stuart Island trip (Family at the island) June 9, 2018

Chapter 58, May 2018

How to be happy even with leukemia (Any day above ground…) May 14, 2018
My May blood test in (Poked again) May 12, 2018
Noisy library (Challenges writing at the library) May 11, 2018
Glorious sunset at Semiahmoo (Living by the sea) May 10, 2018
No CLL pity parties (Inspired by others) May 9, 2018

Chapter 57, April 2018

Round two (The damn pneumonia’s back) April 20, 2018

Chapter 56, March 2018

Conquered the Climb! (Wasn’t sure I would) March 27, 2018
A day at the coffee shop (Musings with my mocha) March 15, 2018
Blood test numbers are back up (Back up a bit) March 14, 2018

Chapter 55, February 2018

Beat the pneumonia! (I’m back, mostly) February 3, 2018

Chapter 54, January 2018

What condition my condition is in (Doing better) January 13, 2018
Pneumonia? What the hey?! (First the flu now pneumonia!) January 7, 2018

Chapter 53, December 2017

The Flu wake-up (Need to stop wasting time) December 21, 2017
Yawn… (Got to get off my butt) December 5, 2017

Chapter 52, November 2017

Tortilla chip graph (Creative explanation) November 15, 2017
Why I do the Big Climb (Raising money to fight Leuk) November 14, 2017
Trying to prepare for the Big Climb (Back in the gym) November 8, 2017
Baby Boomer still kick’n (Older is good) November 7, 2017
Thanks to caregivers (You’re the best) November 6, 2017
Blood test (taken back in August) November 5, 2017
Winter’s back. Me too (Writing is therapy) November 4, 2017

Chapter 51, August 2017

My firefighter son… (Medal of Commendation) August 29, 2017
Weird head thing (Dizzy but still writing) August 14, 2017
Vandals hit beach (Idiots vandalize historic beach) August 11, 2017
Glen Campbell is gone (Thank you, Glen) August 10, 2017
Old school saves money (A better way to shave) August 9, 2017
On family, boating, … (Nothing beats family) August 7, 2017

Chapter 50, July 2017

Some light reading (No time for dark thoughts) July 31, 2017
Short post (Sun calling) July 29, 2017
A bearded bummer (Back from downer) July 24, 2017
What exactly is me? (What makes us, us?) July 19, 2017
Release it all (Letting go) July 18, 2017
Found step-brother (Mystery solved) July 1, 2017

Chapter 49, June 2017

The Summer window (Strange bed fellow) June 29, 2017
I’m not Arnold but… (Working out) June 11, 2017

Chapter 48, May 2017

May 2017 blood tests (More good news) May 11, 2017

Chapter 47, April 2017

Nearly done with my book! (Been busy) April 28, 2017

Chapter 46, March 2017

Big Climb 2017 (We did it!) March 30, 2017
Feb 2017 blood tests (Update) March 14, 2017
Of life and death (Musings on such matters) March 13, 2017

Chapter 45, February 2017

Stuck in the snow (The snow swallowed my car) February 11, 2017
Keep busy (Don’t let Leuk take center stage) February 8, 2017
Dizzy writer (Not letting anything stop me from writing) February 6, 2017
Snowy thoughts (We choose our mood) February 4, 2017

Chapter 44, January 2017

Leukemia not bugging me today (Feeling great today) January 27, 2017
Still functioning within normal parameters (Living for each day) January 25, 2017
Climbing to beat Leuk (Climbing the tallest building in Seattle) January 24, 2017
Cougar what?! (They really do bottle this stuff) January 23, 2017
My wife (Tough Icelander) January 18, 2017
Why the Trump freakout? (Chill out already) January 17, 2017
My parents (Visited Mom & Dad’s grave) January 16, 2017
Whew! At the gym again (Back at it) January 13, 2017
Tears of love (My daughter) January 11, 2017
On closure (A lousy philosophy) January 10, 2017
Urgency (Feeling motivated) January 9, 2017
Pun-gasms (Just for a laugh) January 6, 2017
Arthritis? Really? (One more thing!) January 5, 2017
Hump Day (Day 4 of 2017) January 4, 2017
Guten Morgen! (Still working the plan) January 3, 2017
Welcome to 2017! (New year, new goals) January 2, 2017

Chapter 43, December 2016

Blood test delayed (Stopped my a Cold) December 27, 2016
Christmas and family (Leuk brings new appreciation) December 26, 2016
Leuk brings new perspective (What really matters) December 12, 2016
Snow (Crazy drivers) December 9, 2016
Live anticipating life (Don’t waste your time) December 1, 2016

Chapter 42, November 2016

Healing moment (Thanksgiving) November 30, 2016
A habit of gratefulness (The thank you coin) November 16, 2016
Back again (Back from the rabbit hole) November 15, 2016
Duh! (MRI fun) November 4, 2016
Going out with love (Leaving the right way) November 3, 2016

Chapter 41, September 2016

Life, not Leuk, is my focus (Focus on the now) September 30, 2016
Vision Christian Band CD’s (Our band’s cd’s for sale) September 14, 2016
Never again (OD’ed on meds) September 12, 2016

Chapter 40, August 2016

Normal (So what’s normal?) August 30, 2016
Painting the house (Turning our little house red) August 29, 2016
Occult fracture (MRI fun) August 26, 2016
Blood test results for August (More of the same) August 25, 2016
Oh joy (Something new) August 23, 2016
A good flik (Something worth watching) August 10, 2016
Tired of being tired (Just whinning) August 5, 2016
Still chuggin’ (Keep on keeping on) August 4, 2016

Chapter 39, July 2016

Putting family over politics (Standing up for family) July 21, 2016
Compulsive writer (The compulsion to write) July 19, 2016
The unspoken temptation (Your secret challenge) July 14, 2016
Too tired to sleep (Accepting but not giving in) July 13, 2016
Dogs vs. Cats (Which is best) July 8, 2016
June 2016 blood test results (Holding steady) July 8, 2016
Leuk and stress (Does stress cause leukemia?) July 5, 2016

Chapter 38, June 2016

Don’t toss your jewel away (Don’t do Leuk’s work for him) June 28, 2016
Of mice and T-cels (New cancer treatment being tested) June 10, 2016
The Waltons (A bit crammed but not uptight) June 2, 2016
Me and Leuk voted One of the Best Leukemia Blogs! (We made the list!) June 1, 2016

Chapter 37, May 2016

Staying out of the rabbit hole (Holding back depression) May 31, 2016
Treating nausea (Fighting the yuckies) May 26, 2016
Scenes from the Scott Firefighter Climb (Photos) May 25, 2016
Firefighters fight the good fight (The Scott Firefighter Stair Climb) May 24, 2016

Chapter 36, April 2016

Blood test results Feb 23, 2016 (Slow rise) April 25, 2016
They hauled her away (Bye my love) April 20, 2016
Fargone is no more (The tree did it!) April 4, 2016
Big Climb 2016 (We did it again!) April 2, 2016
Nasty cold bug (Don’t let Leuk define you) April 1, 2016

Chapter 35, July 2015

Protect who you are (Be yourself) July 16, 2015
Ahhhhh, I love the water (Saltwater in my veins) July 9, 2015

Chapter 34, June 2015

Conquering the Columbia Tower (We did it!) June 8, 2015
Updated blood tests for May 2015 (Numbers a bit highter) June 8, 2015

Chapter 33, March 2015

Yikes! The Climb is this Sunday (Am I ready?) March 20, 2015
The Big Climb: raising funds for the fight against leukemia (Climbing for a cure) March 12, 2015

Chapter 32, December 2014

Lots of plans for the day (Short post) December 12, 2014
Writing two blogs now (Nonlinear Brain) December 11, 2014
A stick for Show & Tell (Afi and Joshua) December 9, 2014
Summer 2014: Roche Harbor (More photos) December 5, 2014
Summer 2014: Sailing home (Some photos) December 4, 2014

Chapter 31, November 2014

Have a thankful Thanksgiving (Giving thanks) November 27, 2014
Climbing high (My first Big Climb) November 26, 2014

Chapter 30, September 2014

Is it ISIS, ISIL, or just plain IS? (Name the bad guys) September 29, 2014
Damn bees (Ouch!) September 22, 2014
Anchored together again (Wife back aboard) September 14, 2014
I’d rather die living than live dying (Reclaiming me) September 5, 2014
Good trip and a bit of a pain (EMTs’ at the dock) September 4, 2014

Chapter 29, August 2014

My son’s family sails away (Sharing the boat) August 14, 2014

Chapter 28, July 2014

Yawn (Tired) July 18), 2014
Find the blessings (Life is worth it) July 16, 2014
Friends (Time apart doesn’t matter) July 2, 2014
Time at the docks (Good life) July 1, 2014
Happy Dance (No more vertigo) July 1, 2014

Chapter 27, June 2014

Getting more serious about drumming (hitting the skins again) June 16, 2014
June 2014 lab tests (More results) June 15, 2014
On the water at last (Sailing again) June 12, 2014

Chapter 26, May 2014

Pleasure can be a lot of work (Lots to get done) May 30, 2014
Coming along (Getting close to launch day) May 26, 2014
Feeling productive at last (Getting more done) May 16, 2014
June launch? (Preparing the boat) May 13, 2014
Legacy (What are you going to pass on?) May 9, 2014
Killer whales belong in the wild, not in tanks (an important cause) May 8, 2014
My daughter gave me Mother back to me (Remembering Mom) May 6, 2014
Back from a dry spell (Catching up) May 5, 2014

Chapter 25, April 2014

Love cares (The things of love) April 28, 2014
Doing battle with the beavers (Twisted reasoning) April 24, 2014
Define racism (Twisted reasoning) April 22, 2014
Dad (To my Dad, Guy Smith) April 16, 2014
Leuk and young people (Too young) April 15, 2014
Lowered meds seem to be helping (Overdose cause of vertigo?) April 14, 2014
Pun-gasms (Fun puns) April10, 2014
The zebra excuse (On overdosing, dizzy spells, and zebras) April 8, 2014

Chapter 24, March 2014

Captain Guy Smith (My son makes captain) March 4, 2014
My firefighter son climbs for leukemia (He climbs Seattle’s tallest building) March 3, 2014

Chapter 23, February 2014

Very good news (Good test results) February 23, 2014
Daily life requires a bit more planning now (Of dizzies, doubts, and drums) February 12, 2014
Back on the drums (Hoping for some normal) February 10, 2014
More fun (Digging deeper into my blood) February 7, 2014
Letting go to enjoy more (Finding more with less) February 5, 2014
My wife (Reassurance) February 4, 2014

Chapter 22, January 2014

My daughter (A day with Jaimi) January 30, 2014
Lab results (January lab results) January 29, 2014
Feeling empty (Not feeling well) January 27, 2014
Tired or lazy? (Quitting my photography business) January 23, 2014
Finally (The dish is up!) January 20, 2014
I can finally go online in my pajamas(Finally on-line) January 17, 2012
Tired but still kicking (Keep the hope) January 10, 2014
Wonders (a poem) January 9, 2014
When the battle is won (Truly winning) January 8, 2014
Vitamin D3 (Possible help) January 7, 2014
Escape at the movies (Get away for awhile) January 3, 2014

Chapter 21, December 2013

2014 is upon us! (New Year’s wishes) December 31, 2013
A Refuge (Find you special place) December 30, 2013
Family home for Christmas (A great Christmas) December 27, 2013
New drug on the scene (Ibrutinib) December 19, 2013
’till Spring (The boat and I wait) December 16, 2013
The Animal Poem (A children’s story) December 15, 2013
A note to our caregivers (What we should tell them) December 11, 2013
My brave Dad (Another year older) December 9, 2013)
Birthday (Another year older) December 5, 2013
The tests are in for November (Recent blood test results) December 4, 2013
What we consume (Guard your mind) December 3, 2013

Chapter 20, November 2013

Good News (a good doctor visit) November 20, 2013
The Disease Identity (Who are we?) November 19, 2013
Frankly Speaking (Best laid plans) November 17, 2013

Chapter 19, October 2013

Alma (Someone special) October October 29, 2013
The Gang (Leuk and his friends) October 26, 2013

Chapter 18, September 2013

Scuba Diving (A wet day with my son) September 24, 2013
A Young Wee Lad (Just a silly song) September 12, 2013
On Stepping Out (The big ‘D’) September 11, 2013
How do you feel? (Oh, just fine!) September 5, 2013

Chapter 17, August 2013

It only took me 61 years to figure it out (Hmmm… rest and food. Who’a thunk it?!) August 28, 2013
Family (The importance of family and friends) August 27,2013
A father and son sailing trip (A great memory maker) August 25, 2013
Finding a balance (Taking care of yourself) August 8, 2013
I’m baaaack! (Left the pity party behind) August 7, 2013
Caution: Down day. You might want to ignore this entry (a pity party) August 6, 2013
Push through it (quite or push?) August 2, 2013
My oncologist the comedian (a doctor visit) August 1, 2013

Chapter 16, July 2013

On the High Seas – Part II (Murphy goes sailing (continued) July 26, 2013
On the High Seas – Part I (Murphy goes sailing) July 24, 2013
Fight the good fight (we have a choice) July 18, 2013
New Score Card (new blood test results) July 9, 2013
An old friend passes (goodbye Shelly) July 1, 2013

Chapter 15, June 2013

Fumbling at Sea (bought my boat) June 11, 2013
A new hobby (working on the boat) June 3, 2013

Chapter 14, May 2013

To Janis Joplin (a song for Janis) May 31, 2013
Ready to sail (launching my boat) May 24, 2013
Frustrating, but I’ll make it work (dizzy) May 22, 2013
Bottom paint (painting the bottom of my boat) May 21, 2013
Gin pole (built a pole to help raise mast) May 20, 2013
The flip side (a book review) May 14, 2013
Still good (bought my boat) May 6, 2013
Leuk is not me (live for life, not for cancer) May 2, 2013
Helping those you love (be honest, but gentle) May 1, 2013

Chapter 13, April 2013

Know thy enemy (on accepting your disease) April 30, 2013
Bought a boat (new boat) April 26, 2013
Haikus for You’z (some fun little poems) April 24, 2013
A Jammin’ Good Time (old friends in the band) April 22nd, 2013
Identity lost & found (finding a new purpose) April 18th, 2013
A wake up call (a lesson from the Boston Marathon incident) April 15th, 2013
Nutrition Part II… Cancer Prevention (For ‘regular’ people AND after chemo) April 12th, 2013
Winning is a choice (How to keep Leuk from winning) April 11th, 2013
Friends (About true friends) April 10th, 2013
A word or two about depression (A personal point of view) April 9th, 2013
Trying again (Getting back to exercise) April 8th, 2013
Regarding yesterday’s post (Refers to the Kay post) April 6th, 2013
Kay (The passing of a child) April 5th, 2013
Nutrition Part I… Combating the side effects of chemo (Good stuff for chemo folks) April 4th, 2013
Getting used to Leuk (Leukemia as a part of my life) April 2nd, 2013

Chapter 12, March 2013

Welcome new readers (A note to new readers) March 30th, 2013
Popeye said it best (I am what I am) March 30th, 2013
Dizzy morning, great afternoon (A day in the life) March 20th, 2013
You have today (You’re not alone) March 19th, 2013
Few words, no umph (A down day) March 18th, 2013
Busily ignoring Leuk (Focusing on ‘now’) March 14th, 2013

Chapter 11, February 2012

My preacher friend (An encounter with a new friend) February 5th, 2013

Chapter 10, January 2013

Work or Fiji… hmmmm (Of blood tests and planning) January 15th, 2013

Chapter 9, October 2012

Letting go of our beach house (Saying goodbye to a part of my past) October 8th, 2012

Chapter 8, September 2012

Worry is just Fear trying to be productive (Worry is a waste of time) September 12th, 2012
Our Carpenter (A rough draft of a poem) September 10th, 2012

Chapter 7, August 2012

Golf? Ya gotta be kidding! (Everybody’s terminal) August 23rd, 2012
A much needed visit (Reconnecting with a friend) August 17th, 2012
Best party ever (Family) August 10th, 2012

Chapter 6, July 2012

Make the first move (Getting back to normal with your friends) July 28th, 2012
Stop worrying, Leuk may not have anything to do with it (No one knows his fate) July 21st, 2012
A blessing in the package (A good day) July 16th, 2012
Another “friend” has come to call (Glaucoma too!) July 9th, 2012
Independence Day (Independence from fear) July 4th, 2012
Good report (A report on my June 2012 blood tests) July 3rd, 2012

Chapter 5, June 2012

Keep swimming (Don’t give up) June 28th, 2012
As healthy as a 60 year old horse (Healthy, so to speak) June 15th, 2012
Leuk’s quiet (He’s taking a break) June 5th, 2012

Chapter 4, May 2012

Ask the Chicken (Philosophizing) May 31st, 2012
Move (Control your thoughts) May 25th, 2012
And flowers never bend (Not focusing on Leuk) May 17th, 2012
Dramamine to the rescue! (Dizzy but fine) May 16th 2012
Dizzy (It hit hard but trying to not let it get me down May 11th, 2012
No more meat pies (On eating better) Mat 8th, 2012
A Thank You (Support from friends) May 4th, 2012
Six Words (2-1/2 feet of love)May 3rd, 2012
A Down Day (A pity party) May 1st, 2012

Chapter 3, April 2012

Light from Darkness (A new understanding from Leuk) April 30th, 2012
Kick the Habit (Putting yourself first) April 27th, 2012
Island life sounds good! (On wanting to be a hermit) April 26th, 2012
White Knight (Trying to keep the title) April 20th, 2012
Sailing Puns (A sailboat) April 17th, 2012
29,200 Tides (A poem about my dad) April 16th, 2012
A Letter to my Friends (Treat me normal) April 14th, 2012
Letting go of stress (I don’t have to fix things) April 13th, 2012
The God Factor (Wrestling with the Big Question) April 12th, 2012
Choose laughter (I choose joy over sadness) April 10th, 2012
The Top 12 Advantages of Kickin’ It with Leuk (Humorous advantages of checking out early) April 6th, 2012
Ain’t Leuk a fun guy?… ah, nope (What the hell is “Zap-70?) April 5th, 2012
Never bamboozled (prepared instead of bamboozled) April 4th, 2012
Another good day (A productive day) April 4th, 2012
Time to make it happen (hoping for business) April 2nd, 2012

Chapter 2, March 2012

Worries Part III… “How long do I have?” (Don’t waste your time sweating it) March 30th, 2012
Talking in the dark (A special moment with my son) March 29th, 2012
Remember When? (A poem for my wife) March 26th, 2012
Worries Part II… “Why?” (Asking that will drive you nuts)March 23rd, 2012
Worries Part I… Fear (Fear is natural, Hope is stronger) March 22nd 2012
Signs of Spring (Another great day) March 21st, 2012
No time for Leuk (Too busy to fret about Leuk)March 20th, 2012
His Master’s Garden (A little story about letting go and my daughters new life) March 20th, 2012
Business picking up (A great week) March 16th, 2012
Winnie Wisdom (A quote from Winnie-the-Pooh) March 15th, 2012
Defeating Fear (Purpose and Meaning trump Fear) March 14th, 2012
A Purpose (Knowing why you are) March 13th, 2012
No worries, mate (Not as worried about chemo anymore) March 9th, 2012
Great day with my grandson (The title says it all) March 8th, 2012
Mean Cousins (Meaner relatives of Leuk) March 6th, 2012
Idiot Ahoy! (An embarrassing moment in my boat) March 5th, 2012
The Tree (A good memory of my young son) March 4th, 2012
And Yet (A poem on having leukemia) March 2nd, 2012
Odd Day (Feeling crapy but in a good mood) March 2nd, 2012
Overwhelmed (Less stamina to handle stress) March 1st, 2012

Chapter 1, February 2012

Chug-a-lug (No more tiny sips) February 29th, 2012
Staying busy (Pushing Leuk out of your thoughts) February 28th, 2012
Coming Out (My first blog posting) February 27th, 2012