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Jean-Paul's comments:

on Northwest Passages: Phillip Margolin

Good Morning. 

I have enjoyed reading several of Mr Margolin's books; especially "Gone But Not Forgotten".  It is great to hear his voice and his comments on writing - I will now enjoy reading his books even more.

Thanks Emily for bringing him on your show.  Also, great topic.

Regards,

Jean-Paul

posted 3 years, 11 months ago
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on Paying Per Mile

I agree 101% with Jim re loss of privacy. What about the current DEQ tri-county air requirement where newer cars are checked by just plugging the testing instrument into the lighter socket?

posted 4 years, 4 months ago
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on Rebroadcast: Obese People

Hi, I had to sit down and login after hearing the emailed comment about being the same weight as in High School and scolding the Fat for costing him money. I am a 61 yr old male and I too weigh what I did when I graduated HS in 1965 and have the same waist size. I can thank 35 years of being a vegetarian, a fast metabolism, close scrutiny of the content of what I eat, some self-control and that old favorite - stress induced loss of appetite. However, I do not share his feelings AT ALL! In grade school, before I "hit" puberty, I was overweight and have never quite forgotten being called "fatty, fatty, two by four...". Puberty changed things for me and I became taller and slim. When I see obese and especially morbidly obese people, I empathize with them and fear for their health and longevity, but, I DO NOT castigate them. You should worry about our health system as described by Michael Moore in "Sicko", not petty attack. You are missing the 'forest'.

posted 4 years, 4 months ago
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on Kitchen Table Politics: A Thankgiving Special

Thank you for the segments on home canning and food preservation, buying local and knowing your food among the topics. [b] However [/b], your segments on meat eating makes me want to join PETA. I have been a vegetarian since 1972 for many reasons and one of those is the use of grains and corn that could feed many more people the does one slaughtered animal.

I am thankful to be warm, dry, and fed on this "Thanksgiving" as on every day that I am so graced.

JPS

posted 4 years, 5 months ago
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on Faith in the Northwest

Bad proof reading - should have read: I became aware of the Bahai faith when I was in college in 1966, and found your beliefs to be very interesting.

posted 4 years, 10 months ago
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on Faith in the Northwest

Hello Gail,

Thanks for the comment and URL. I became of the Bahai faith when was in college in 1966, and found it to be a very interesting. I took a minor in philosophy and found Existentialism intriguing. Perhaps I should add 'acamus' as a second nom'de'plume? jps

posted 4 years, 10 months ago
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on Faith in the Northwest

Hi again,

In re-reading my post of 9:44:48 AM, I would like to clarify what I meant by "single person" - I was commenting on Valerie's reference to not being able to be religious by oneself, i.e. without a church, mosque, or synagogue, etc. I was not referring to a relationship with other humans.

Thanks, jp

posted 4 years, 10 months ago
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on Faith in the Northwest

Good Morning,

I do not agree with Valerie's statement that one can't be religious as a single person. I do not belong to a religious orrganization and I consider myself a religious person. My strongest belief is following the 'Golden Rule' and I hope that Valerie will contemplate this. The woman, who was on the air just before the woman who spoke of Budism, expressed my belief system and its practice, also. I do still honor the Sabbath at the end of each week and continue to strongly believe in my Jewish heritage.

Thanks,
jpsartre

posted 4 years, 10 months ago
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on Living with a Brain Tumor

Dear Lynda, Thank you for the insights re Duke and Dr Reardon, who sounds like a wonderful person! I am keeping UCSF Medical Center, Fred Hutchison Cancer Center and the new, soon to go live, proton center at the Univ. of Penn. Medical Center in Philadelphia. Best, Fred

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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on Living with a Brain Tumor

Dear alhoty, Thank you for including me in your prayers as I have you. I truly believe that the prayers (some from people whom I have never met) in my behalf, so to speak, have made a great difference in my survival. Warm Regards, fred

posted 4 years, 11 months ago
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on Living with a Brain Tumor

Hi Mary, Oregon is a jewel. My prayers are with you and your family. We can survive, in spite of all odds. fb

posted 4 years, 12 months ago
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on Living with a Brain Tumor

sorry for the typos :)

posted 4 years, 12 months ago
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on Living with a Brain Tumor

Hi Signe, I meant to include link to an very fantastic, firt of its kind in the US, promising treatment center in Philadelphia, which is ahead of schedule ( I called yesterday and expected opening is this fall!). fred

http://www.pennhealth.com/perelman/proton/

posted 4 years, 12 months ago
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on Living with a Brain Tumor

Hi, I am glad that you have met Dr O'Neill!! Jean-Paul is my 'nom de blog' - my real first name is Fred. Thank you for your prayers! fred

posted 4 years, 12 months ago
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on Living with a Brain Tumor

Hello Ms Brunner, I am personally glad for you and will include you in my prayers for those with brain tumors (a growing 'subset' of people). Warm Regards, Fred (Jean-Paul is my 'nom de blog'.

posted 4 years, 12 months ago
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on Living with a Brain Tumor

Hello Bill, As I mentioned in my too long post, Dr O'Neill is wonderful. I also scoured the country for brain tumor treatment centers and came up with UCSF and, also, Mass General as being tops (also Seattle's Fred Hutchison Cancer Center).

Their is a first in the US (I think) proton treatment center being finished at the University of Pennsylvania Medical Center in Philadelphia. I called them yesterday and learned that they are ahead of schedule and may open this fall. If you are interested, their URL is:

http://pennhealth.com/perelman/proton/construction/cyclotron.html


I will include you and your family in my prayers. Ring On. fred

posted 4 years, 12 months ago
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on Living with a Brain Tumor

Hi, As I said in my, probably too long, post, my first encounter was with a Dr. of Death clone at Good Sam. Dr O'Neill is wonderful. I scoured the country for brain tumor treatment centers and also came up with UCSF and, also, Mass General. Their is a first in the US (I think) proton treatment center being finished at the University of Pennsilvania Medical Center in Philadelphia. I called them yesterday and learned that they are ahead of schedule and may open this fall. If you are interested, their URL is:

http://pennhealth.com/perelman/proton/construction/cyclotron.html


I will include you and your family in my prayers. Strength, fred

posted 4 years, 12 months ago
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on Living with a Brain Tumor

Good Morning,

This is going to be a rather long post, but, may, hopefully be helpful to others who find themselves with the absolutely terrifying diagnosis of a brain tumor & for their significant others.

I had sharp headaches, beginning in November, 2000. As I have severe degenerative arthritis in my cervical spine, I thought it was cause and had an MRI. The radiologist who interpreted my scan, noted the arthritis, but called attention to a large dark area in my left cerebral area and suggested another MRI, this time of my brain 'with & without' contrast. This scan showed a tumor of the meninges surrounding my left cerebellum which was approximately the size and shape of a large lemon.

I went to a Neurosurgeon at Legacy Good Samaritan Hospital (GSH) with a good reputation, who, nonchalantly, told me that the tumor in my brain had metastasized from somewhere else in my body and that he could do brain surgery that week. Quite naturally I freaked. I called Epic Imaging in Tigard that afternoon for a total body CT scan to look for the ?somewhere else? and went there the same day. Well, my body scan was wonderfully free of any tumors!

At that point, I fired ?Dr R.? (I would like to provide his name for people to avoid like a hornet, but I don?t know the libel laws. The first initial of his last name should be sufficient). Having worked for years at Legacy Health System?s two downtown hospitals, I asked my co-workers what they knew about local neurosurgeons. I chose Dr Oisin R. O?Neill, MD, F.R.C.S.I. (he deserves his ?initials?, which stands for ?Fellow of the Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland?) who is a surgeon with Microneuosurgical Consultants, P.C., practicing at Legacy and the Sisters of Providence medical centers. He is a kind person with a wonderful sense of humor and a superbly skilled surgeon ? what more could one want!

He is an amazing person. Many surgeons are known for being ?cold fishes? ? Dr O?Neill was my miracle ? a red-headed, friendly, empathetic person, absolutely dedicated to his patients. He looked at the MRI scan, asked for other views, found them not done and commented &(*&)(, ordering another scan done at Legacy Emanuel Hospital (LEH) to his specifications and scheduled another office visit.

During my next office visit with Dr. O?Neill, he went over the scan ?photo?s and the Radiologist?s interpretation with me. He told me that I had two choices: 1) do nothing, get my affairs in order, expect death from the tumor growing and closing the ?fourth ventricle? in my brain; 2) Schedule surgery. He was wonderful for me. He told me that if I chose option #2, he would treat me like his brother.

I chose surgery and he immediately started me on large doses of steroids (be warned: a horrible experience, think a thousand cups of coffee at once) to stop the tumor growth while he got the surgical team and operatory that he wanted. He also ordered additional MRI views and scheduled me to have ?Intervention Therapy? at OSHU by Dr. Stanley Barnwell, MD ? an angiography of the brain, both mapping the blood vessels and injecting plastic ?micro-beads? into the blood supply of the tumor, to start killing it. This was terrifying in and of itself ? the consent form listed a number of possible bad outcomes and death stood out as the preferred bad outcome for me.

On February 6th, 2001, I was admitted to the Interventional Radiology unit at OHSU. The procedure went great. Dr Barnwell, assisted by Dr Todd A. Keuther, MD (also a surgeon with Microneurosurgical Consultants) treated me and treated me with kindness and understanding. After that procedure, I was admitted to OHSU?s Surgical ICU for the night and was then transferred by an ?ICU ambulance? to the LEH Trauma ICU to await surgery the next morning.

I guess I shall cut to the chase: Dr O?Neill, the surgical team that he had assembled, the nurses and many other staff members, along with my prayers and those of an amazing group of people, saved my life. After 7hrs of surgery, and only three days of recovery (I wanted my brother, my cat, my home, my own toilet, bed, and refrigerator!) I walked out of Emanuel.

A postscript:

Inspite of regular brain scans, a second tumor took off (the first was a slow growing cell line ? both were ?benign? which is very good, but their location & size was the show stopper) and was the size of a lime when discovered.

January 5, 2007 ? d�j� vu. This time, my surgery was done at Good Sam and to my surprise, the recovery wasn?t so easy, the post-op pain not controlled as well as at Emanuel (bless my AM ICU nurse, who advocated for my pain control!), I became an acute diabetic due to IV steroids (a necessary adjunct for my survival) and stayed a bit longer ? 5 days. Still, Iexperienced a miracle facilitated by Dr O?Neill, Dr Keuther, and all the staff at Good Sam who helped me survive. With some practice, I regained my balance and speech (still working on not sounding like a drunk).

I have had two regimens of ?Shaped Beam Radiosurgery? using the Novalis at Emanuel, under the superb care of Dr. Russ T.K. Omizo, MD and the entire staff at the Legacy Radiation Oncology Center. My last three scans show a small residual ?enhanced? area which is stable since my 2007 tumor resection. I will have 3-4 MRI brain scans a year for sometime to come. I am very grateful for the people of Oregon creating the ?Oregon Medical Insurance Pool?, which has hefty premiums, but fully covers me, after a relatively low ?out of pocket? cost. I was able to bridge my COBRA coverage to OMIP.

The purpose of all this verbiage is to convey HOPE to others in a similar situation.

Peace,
fb


posted 4 years, 12 months ago
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on School Trips

Good Morning. I would like to hear a TOTL segment focusing on illicit drug use by public radio employees. jp

posted 5 years ago
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