Marilyn saves the day - again

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 (late afternoon)

After my conversation with Dave's parents, I called Marilyn back and asked her to call them for me. She knows them and she knew Dave's mother would take it very hard. She, like me, also knew, that Dave needed full support, infused with complete optimism and confidence in his recovery process.

She felt very strongly that Dave's parents would be more helpful if they did not come out to California, but waited and helped us with the move and the Stem Cell Transplant recovery.

She called them. As a physician she was able to answer their questions with authority and give them sincere hope and optimism, advice and guidance. It was such a load lifted off my shoulders, it was another one of those immeasurable things.

The truth was, I was staying with friends, and spending long days at the hospital sitting in a hard chair next to Dave's bed. There was no point in them coming now. There were things that we really needed help with and that wasn't one of them.

I called them daily from that point on and gave them reports.

Marilyn G, MD - Dear Friend

Wednesday, June 18, 2008 (afternoon)

While I was getting a bite, changing clothes, picking up Dave's car, I get a phone call from a dear, dear friend, Marilyn G, MD, Internal Medicine Extraordinaire! Hudson, our son, had driven over to her house and told her what was going on. Her son, Taylor and Hudson went to pre-school together since they were 3 years old. She wanted me to know, that "Myeloma is no longer a death sentence! Dave can beat this! Tell me what you know..." We had a great conversation, and I said, "Marilyn, I would LOVE to talk to you more, but YOU really need to call Dave, NOW. He's a mess, he's not taking this well. He needs to hear YOU and all that you are telling me." I gave her the number and we hung up.

Thank God for Marilyn. She was incredibly helpful and supportive and was often someone I called for a "sanity check" during this whole ordeal.

She made Dave promise NOT to go out on the Internet searching for information (which he was already doing of course!) She told him she would do some up to date research for him and extrapolate the data and call him tomorrow. He agreed.