Updates & Addition

I've added a guestbook to the site! There is also a link in the index at right. I was doing other research on here, and saw the possibility. It seemed the next, perfect thing to do for the blog. Let's see who all is coming here to support Chester - c'mon, let us hear from you! Please share a few sentences of a story or impression you have of Chester. We can continue to enrich each other until Chester is back on his 'feet' and 'fingers' again.

I also updated the pictures in the Previous Update post with Marilyn's descriptions, which are worth reading.

I apologize if I can't add your pictures and Chester Lexicon entries as fast as they are coming in; I'll do my best.

Day One

Aloha Friends and Family (You can't get more intimate than what we all shared yesterday while our friend was "under the knife" and I would guess that makes us family by almost anyone's definition). The first thing I want to express is how tremendously effective I feel our collective effort to support Chester through his surgery has been. Even here, in Hawaii, I had that same sensation Jaime described of somehow being "present" for the procedure -- I felt the instant that the anesthesia took hold and had a definite sensation of release and relief when the skull was opened (actually probably from the first burr hole) and the pressure that has been building for months was finally released. There were several minutes during the next three hours or so of a sensation that is familiar to me from my own work as the "unloading the undesirable energies" feeling. These almost have to have been related to the actual removal of the diseased tissue. Then, for about an hour before Chester was taken to the recovery room just the sensation of rather serene rest from our boy (the surgeon and his team were, of course, making sure the bleeding was controlled and putting everything back together again in that hour). I was delighted to hear that Chester was awake and talking (joking, actually) when Marilyn and Jaime got to him in the ICU, but not especially surprised.

The next thing I want to stress is to second Marilyn's comments in response to the idea about today being a somewhat "down" day. This surgery was very difficult, with tumors deep in the brain near the brain stem and already causing interference with the signals coming from the motor cortex and going to the structures of the right side of Chester's body. The brain's tissues react pretty much as any other with swelling and inflammation when disrupted by this kind of surgical trauma and it takes more than 24 hours for it to go away. We will not know how much neurological function has been affected for at least a week and even then, if it is not completely restored there is hope of further improvement. Let us also remember that when someone cuts into the dural covering of the brain the result is one blinger of a headache -- and medication or not, this is no fun. If you send nothing else, send Chester your wishes for some relief from head pain!

Lastly, I wanted to share with you a horoscope for Virgo put out yesterday by Rob Breszny (printed without permission, but I do not feel that Mr. Breszny will mind):

VIRGO (Aug 23 - Sept 22): You have weathered a turning point in your relationship with darkness, and will never again be tempted by its strange attractions. Did you hear what I said? You have had your last encounters with hellish monsters that unleash torment for the fun of it. You will never again get mixed up with events that resemble crawling through caverns filled with the souls of the damned. In the future you may on occasion have weird dreams about owls and spiders and snakes, but they will be good weird. Congrats, Virgo.

With that thought for our boy, I bid you all Aloha nui loa e malama pono!
Bill

More Pictures

More pictures came in today. The first is from Barbara Carrellas:

Hi Jay: Thanks for the gorgeous photos of Chester. I'm attaching my favorite. I took this one in the Whitsundays (off the Great Barrier Reef) in May 1997. Chester and I were vacationing with friends on a sailing yacht. Here he is trying to escape from the hole. Love, Barbara

The next is from Gary Koehler:

Hello Jay, Thank you so much for helping to keep us up to date on Chester. The net goes even further than the net.... to those few people I know who love Chester and are not on the net, I've called and read the blogs. The love is boundless. I found a photo of him that I really like. Enjoy! Love, Gary Koehler

And two from from Jaime D:

This was taken November 29, 2004 here at Forest Lane.

Hey Jay - Here's the pic I took of Cheeky just after his CT scan (and right before the one of him on the gurney now on the site). As you can see, his obvious delight in the placement of the electrode guides was typically Chester... He wanted to keep them permanently attached to see what kind of reactions they'd garner! xox Jaime

Wednesday Update

Spent a portion of my day with Chester. His demeanor was calm, but not very 'up' today. Hey, he had brain surgery yesterday. He does not have the use of his right leg, which he did have before the surgery. The physical and occupational therapists both told him that his brain is still swollen from surgery, and there is an expectation that he will regain the use of his body. Some of his exercises is to remind the brain about those connections, such as keeping his right arm supported which reminds the brain that the arm is there. He will also work with a speech therapist.

He had a MRI scheduled, and needed to take an ambulance to another location in order to get one. That was a big outing, which left him exhausted. The nurse mentioned that he would have been moved to a regular room, except there was not one available. He was exhausted by the time I left from all the activity this day did bring.

I'm exhausted also. Will keep you updated as the days go on.

Pictures

Marilyn sent me some pictures. I updated the previous post with one of them, and am placing the other two below.

Here is Chester in 1996. I decided to make this the 'mascot picture' in the header of the blog. From Marilyn:

This 1996 photo was taken at a party at the end of the Massage Classes, when I met him in '96. I had asked him to tell me something internally while I took the photo, and this is the result. I think it is spookily his true being. I just love the photo.

This photo was taken on Aug 26th in his massage space. The sun comes in those windows through the material (the lovely hangings that was made by a friend of his). It's a beautiful space. He would tie his arm up like you see not only to protect it, but in order to have the hand higher than his heart to keep the swelling down. It is also very, very sensitive to even light brushings from objects. Like ants on his nerves.

Here is the same photo, zoomed in a bit tighter on Chester. What first struck me when I saw this photo was the grace and efficiency he displays in the wrapping and positioning of his arm and hand.

We hope to place more photos in entries as we go. Also, as we get older photos, I will either add them to past posts (and announce they are there), or perhaps add them to a separate page.

If you have pictures of Chester, please email them to me – one or two only, please; I have a job, two cats, and a boyfriend. ;)

My love and regards to all.

The Previous Update

Hi all,

This is what we wrote earlier... my laptop would not connect me to the dashboard in order to post this... wanted a silly thing called a password, which I could not remember! Imagine that. As Jaime said, our friend was in rare spirits, just coming out of surgery and making jokes even before he was given morphine. So here is the post. I will try to keep you updated daily. I will visit him again tomorrow morning.

Marilyn writes:

Chester before surgery

Hello my lovelies, we spent the day sitting in a wonderful spot in the Alta Bates Hospital. Chester was in rare form, keeping the staff amused while getting his CAT scan (another small glitch in the proceedings that we found out about early this morning… at 7:45 am, that we should come to the hospital at 7:30 am). So we hustled our butts to the hospital, got the scan and got prepped for surgery... All by 11:00 am! We were able to stay with Chester the whole time, up until they wheeled him away to surgery. We were told at that point that it would be a long surgery, and not to expect him out until 4 or 4:30 pm. At 4:30 we heard that he was out of surgery and in recovery, and that he would be in the ICU in about two hours. We sat waiting for the doctor to come speak to us, and finally he arrived about 5:00 pm.

Jaime writes:
The situation, he informed us, was “as expected.” Chester does have a glioblastoma that was diagnosed as particularly invasive and aggressive. Dr Tang removed as much of the tumor as he was able, and Chester will definitely be having a course of radiation and chemotherapy as follow-up to increase his chances of longevity. It is too early to tell what kind of “time-window” Cheeky might be facing, but the Doc is hopeful that – having age and general health in his favor – he can rally for at least another year. (Naturally, we all want better news and probabilities, and there’s a chance this rather dark synopsis MAY change after a second, closer look at the biopsy sample – but the prognosis is not, at this moment, particularly sunny).

On a personal note, I want to let ALL of you know that the energy pumping into this place was palpable – and more than likely enabled 4 of us to follow various levels of the procedure fairly closely (psychically). It was not an easy surgery and Cheeky is scheduled to be in ICU for at least 48 hours. (We’re waiting for him to be moved to ICU as I write)… So, dear fellow angels, though the “most serious” part has been accomplished, please don’t disengage your energetic support entirely – little bursts of “get well Chester” will facilitate his healing more than you might suspect.

Ok. You’re up to date on the Cheeky One. I’ll post a bit later once I’ve laid eyes on our boy! xox Jaime

Chester's doing GREAT... Considering...

He just came through brain surgery!

Hello everyone... Sorry to be so late in getting any information up here - we tried sending an update via a Palm Pilot just as soon as we had news from Dr Tang (it was after 5p), but it has evidently not posted... We Tried!!

What's important for you all to know is that Cheeky came through the surgery just FINE! In fact, he was alert, eating ice and making jokes when Marilyn & I finally got to see him in ICU. Not that he was Mary Sunshine exactly, but honestly, y'all would've been as floored as she and I were at how GREAT he was doing, considering the circumstances!

So, you can all rest for the evening - the energetic net was an amazing experience on this end! - and know that IT HELPED. Fuller details have already been written, so have just a bit more patience while our earlier posts get here... But bottom line is, our boy did just fine!

Visualization for Chester

I received the following e-mail from Chester's friend Barbara. I thought it was something everyone must hear (or read). Here it is. Marilyn

Hello everyone,

I had the pleasure of spending the past 5 days with Chester. We has a precious time. We shared laughter, rage, tears, shock and amazement at this sudden change of everything we previously thought we knew about life, specifically, Chester's life. Through it all, Chester remains the same cheeky bugger we all know and love---maybe even more so.

Not surprisingly, one of the conversations we had was about Chester's fear of not waking up from the surgery. Chester is very very clear that he wants to survive this process and thrive thereafter. I told him not to worry. Each of us has a tether tied to him so tightly, he couldn't die if he wanted to! He loved that image. In fact he loved it so much that he would appreciate it if we would all hold that vision during surgery on Tuesday.

So, at 11:30 am Pacific time on Tuesday (that's 4:30 am Wed. in Melbourne & Sydney), please tie your own personal tether (exotic tethers welcomed) to your favorite place(s) on Chester's body (creativity welcomed) and hang on tight!!!

Chester thanks you.

Love,

Barbara

Please NO VISITORS!

The question has been asked whether or not we'd like visitors/support at the hospital tomorrow... and the answer, quite frankly, is NO VISITORS, Thank You! Chester's surgery is expected to be long (4 hours) with an additional hour in recovery (at least) before I'll be able to get any information on him. I am also the only person who'll be allowed to see him in the ICU afterward, so additional supporters will only be disappointed. I would ask instead that you light a candle or pray or meditate or remote heal or whatever process you are called to perform from where you are - ALL is interconnected, so physicality concerns in cases like this truly do become moot.

Believe me when I say we can feel everyone's embrace and healing intention - and that is plenty of comfort for us at this crucial juncture... Once life's back on a more normal track, we'll take every hug you have to offer!! xox Jaime

Donations

Chester and I set up an Account this morning with Wells Fargo for the express purpose of his medical expenses.

For any donations, please make the funds payable to:

CHESTER MAINARD

AND make a note that this a:

MEDICAL EXPENSE DONATION

Send them to:

The CHESTER FUND
c/o BODY ELECTRIC SCHOOL
6527-A Telegraph Ave
Oakland CA 94609-1113

Thank You! Thank You! Thank You!

Missions Accomplished

Today was a busy one for us. Chester and I were at Alta Bates at 1045 this morning for his pre-op intake and testing. All went quite smoothly (and sweetly, especially thanks to JOLENE) and the details are set. Surgery will take place at 11 a.m. and is expected to last as long as 4 hours. There will be at least one additional hour in recovery before I'll be able to see him and send verbal reports. One of us can then update here ASAP for those at a distance...

Chester and I also set up a specific account with our bank, Wells Fargo, for any donations that might be in the offing. I will make a second post following this one with that specific information so it might be more easily identified and linked.

Cheeky's in good spirit today after a good 7 hours of sleep, but is also naturally unnerved as the process gets closer. Not unexpectedly, we laughed throughout the testing and banking, through our chicken burgers at Barney's and (after he's done being massaged) will continue the absurdity through the evening. Not only is it the best medicine for stress but we're coming up with enough material that Cheeky may begin a new career as a standup comedian after all this is over! (Our favorite line so far - in mentioning how different parts of his body have gone numb at different times - was when he admitted the other morning that his a**hole "had gone over to the other side.") [It has since come back.]

As Bill and Cath have noted, both Chester and I can sense the supportive net being cast around us and send our love back for it... and I too would like to emphasize that we enfold not only our boy with loving, living Light in the morning, but Dr Tang, his associate surgeon, the anesthesiologist, the nurses and everyone else at the hospital - as well as the instruments and the very room itself.

Ladies... Gentlemen... Others... Start Your Engines! xox Jaime

Skeletons in the Closet

Hi all, Cath Carter here, blogging on from Melbourne. Well it appears I have become a Blog contributor by mistake, as Chester had emailed me how to get on to the blog, but unbeknownst to us, he emailed me his personal blog contributor invite from Jay, so now my name appears as a contributor, so after speaking to Marilyn, we decided I may as well use it. Apologies to Bill who then was unable to blog on as well, but it was not my intention, and thanks Jay for organizing the set up of this blog.

So, where to start? I have had the guilty pleasure of knowing Chester and those damn pesky Bstis for 10 or so years, and for the last 9 of those years I have been literally keeping a skeleton in my closet for him! Yes, his fascination for all things primal and mammalian included a visit to the "bush" in Australia where he found, still intact, the skeletal remains of a baby rock wallaby, and promptly gave it to me as the guardian of his exciting and fascinating find! He suggested the other day that perhaps I might like to take it out of my closet (which fits snugly into a shoe box) and add it to my altar, in honour of him, hmmm, maybe some things ARE best left in the closet!

Anyway, I wanted to let everyone know that there are about 50 of Chester's friends I know of here in Australia, and about 10 in NZ, that will be sending their healing energy from "down under" to Chester from 4:00am this Wednesday, which will be 11am Tuesday SF time. (and they are just the friends I know about, I know he has a lot more in the southern hemisphere). After speaking to Chester last I realized the importance of also having some healing energy directed to the surgery team, as part of Chester's overall healing. He asked me to include it in the blog site so others can also send positive healing energy to the surgeon and team. As he so likes to quote the 3 "e"s – may the theatre and staff be a place of "ease, elegance and efficiency." Thanks to the other bloggers for keeping us informed, it can be difficult living so far away, but knowing he has such loving support around his community makes it easier.

Love Cath

The Gathering

Aloha Chester Lovers. I feel privileged that I was able to sneak in a phone call to Chester today (Jaime was out having dinner, I think). Actually we had scheduled our conversation because Chester wanted to know the outcome of a reading I did on him today using the Native American medicine wheel animal cards. He and I both agreed that the general story they told simply confirmed my earlier readings and point to a 'new and improved' Chester in the near future. He really likes the simplicity of these cards as opposed to the European tarot -- and I do have to say that they seem to speak more simply and directly to whatever is on the table. (Yet another gift Chester has given me).

In addition to the spreads that referred to Chester specifically, I did one called the "butterfly" spread, which is generally used to determine the auspices of a project. The project I referenced was, of course, our joint effort to provide support for Chester through this ordeal. Chester, himself, has said he can feel that supporting structure building and even mentioned a suggestion from Cath that our efforts should support not only Chester, but all of the surgical and other medical and non-medical support staff at the hospital who will be there for him. I will not go into the meanings of the positions in the spread or the specific animals that occupied them in today's reading. But I do feel compelled to make some comments about its overall meaning. Right now we are in the first phase of the project and that is "the gathering" of all those who know and love our man together for the purpose of this enterprise. The second phase will be for each of us to look deep inside ourselves for two important things: the native source of any healing power we may possess, and the specific point of linkage to Chester (knowing him as I do, they are likely to be very close together). Having grounded ourselves in the sources of our individual powers and linked them firmly to Chester through our individual bondings to him, we can then proceed to the whole point of the enterprise by weaving our individual strengths together into a supportive structure of awesome power. My own intuition about the weaving process is that, however "narrow banded" we are when we work alone, each of us must consciously make an effort to broaden the range of frequencies we monitor while working so we can sense as many of the others also working on Chester as we can. I WILL tell you the final card in the spread, the one that is supposed to indicate whether the direction of our enterprise goes with or against that of the Great Spirit. The card was "Hummingbird" and its meaning is "joy!"

Aloha nui, my friends,
Bill

Quiet (?) Weekend

Generators all over the planet are already warming up for "the Work" on Tuesday morning... It's both gratifying and deeply touching that so many of you will be "pitching in..." As some of you may have heard, we've been given conflicting start times for the procedure (either 11 or 1130 am), but will have this ironed out by tomorrow.

I'm also hoping to have complete information re: donations tomorrow as well. Chester and I are making a stop at our bank to set up a medical expenses account. Details will be posted as soon as I have them.

Forest Lane was "relatively" quiet yesterday. Chester took both lunch and dinner out with friends while a very special "bippity-boppity-boo" fairy worked her magic in Cheeky's nest - making it clean, organized, freshly-bedded and ready for some cozy, worry-free [ha!] pre-op time! Then, last night, we cuddled up for a screening of the original (British) version of "Queer as Folk" - which neither of us'd seen - and enjoyed it greatly! We're thinking about seeing "The Aristocrats" (for a good laugh) before Tuesday if we can squeeze it into Chester's busy social schedule, but his dance card is already too full.

Seriously, I'm going to put on my Nurse Ratchet drag tomorrow and keep Mr. M's activity to a minimum. His energy's best in the morning/afternoon, so I hope to get our necessaries done and then have a lower-key evening than those he's been hosting of late! I know you'll all understand if the phones and email don't get answered until time allows...

So... believe me when I tell you Chester can feel the engines revving up around him, and he's greatly comforted/uplifted by it (not to mention totally overwhelmed by the number of lives he's touched! His is such an amazingly modest soul!). He may complain that he's feeling "simpler" than normal, but I'm looking at that as a blessing: his focus is narrowed now on what needs doing; the grand (and complex) flourishing that is Chester (unimpeded by tumor) will return when the damn thing's been ousted!

Stay tuned.... Sending Love Everywhere! Jaime

Meditation

A friend of Chester's, Bean, has organized a few people to be meditating for Chester on Tuesday during Chester's surgery. I think this is a brilliant idea. I imagine that many of us will be in solidarity with Chester, so just know that there are others out there doing the same thing. I also believe that healing energy works on many time planes, so anytime you are called to join in the group, you will be a part of it. Even if it is before of after the 11:00 /11:30 Pacific time that we will be sitting in. Hope that makes sense. See you in the nether-space.

The View from Way to the West

Aloha all. Like Jaime (and with the much appreciated help of Jay) I have finally overcome the technical difficulties to join you all -- from Hawaii -- in our support for Chester. I first met Chester in the year 2000 when I took his Professional Massage course (Jaime was a member of that class as well). As with all of you I am certain, it was a revelation for me -- especially as Chester, in his usual "cheeky" way, seemed to pursue a closer relationship. Since then we have become like brothers (though, I almost hesitate to say that as the relationship seems so much deeper than what I have with the people who are my genetic brothers).

In addition to sharing his keen insight into massage, Chester awakened my sensitivity to crystals, introduced me to real astrology, and started me reading the tarot (a modernized version of the standard Eastern European deck). He not only started me on the tarot, but encouraged me to read for him -- which I have been doing now for over three years, pretty much with each full and new moon. (I am not at all sure that he won't be a bit embarrassed by this, but I feel it is important to air for reasons that will become obvious.)

Jaime has provided a very accurate picture of the medical situation in which Chester finds himself (as I physician myself I feel competent to judge this). The recent readings, on the other hand, paint a slightly different picture. They do speak of profound changes in Chester's life and work, but most definitely NOT in the sense of passing from this present existence to another of a different sort (I have had readings on other folks that were of that kind and Chester's were not at all like those), but in terms of condensing, purifying, simplifying and re-balancing this one. His recent readings are dense and multilayered with much more in them, but this at least is very clear and that gives me great hope.

I have been on the phone with Chester each evening since he lost the ability to manage E-mail. (His last stop of the day often -- maybe I'm his sleeping pill!) Sometimes there is not so much talk, we just breathe together. But, I am aware, as I am sure that all of you who are in closer contact with him are, that through all the physical fluctuations over the past weeks the essence that is Chester remains constant. This also gives me great hope.

Well, this has been a bit longer than I had intended -- and for most of you it is very late at night -- so I will say "Aloha" friends.

Donations

Hello everyone,

I apologize for any confusion regarding where to send financial donations to Chester. Please wait on sending donations for now, I had the wrong information before. We are setting up an account with his bank, and donations will be able to be sent there, directly into the account. It's less paperwork that way, and they will keep track of the donors for us. We will let you know exact details as soon as we have them.

Thanks, Marilyn

Surgery Scheduled

Hey everyone...

The Doctor's office just confirmed Chester's surgery at 11:30 am, Tuesday August 30.

Start up the generators for sending all that Light to Alta Bates/Berkeley (Ashby & Telegraph)!

Forest Lane, 11p Thursday 8.25.05

Howdy everyone. Jaime Dunaway here. Some of you may or may not know me already, but I share the house with Chester in Berkeley (technically, he's in the in-law unit and I'm upstairs, but explaining that is more involved than saying "housemates"...LOL). At any rate, because I'm the closest to the Cheeky One as far as physical proximity goes, I'll more than likely be the one reporting in here to update all of you.
As you may know from reading Marilyn's previous posting, Chester and I saw his neurosurgeon this past Tuesday and the news wasn't good. In the doctor's opinion, the tumor is a glioblastoma, the most malignant and aggressive of brain cancers. It's approximately 4 cm in size (think golf ball) in the left hemisphere, next to the brain stem and backing up against the motor cortex strip. There may be two other, separate tumors toward the outer skull or these may actually be connected to the primary one (one of the descriptive names of this type of tumor is "spider web")...

I'd imagined they'd do a biopsy to determine whether the cells were benign or malignant, but the doctor commented that this was almost incidental - that no matter WHAT it was, it had to be removed because of the space it was taking up and the pressure it was causing - and that its type could be determined during or after the surgery. My understanding is that some sort of both chemotherapy and radiation will be administered after the surgery, no matter what type of cancer it is...

I should also emphasize that the Doc was very up front about saying that he didn't KNOW for certain that it was a glioblastoma; there's a chance it might be a much milder cancer or some kind of infection that could be drained and treated anti-biotically... but he wasn't too optimistic on that front. Of course, the blog will be the first to know whatever transpires...

At the moment, Chester has a tentative surgery date for this coming Tuesday, the 30th. But that hasn't been confirmed by the doctor's office as yet. Chester's expected to be in an ICU for 1-2 days and then regular care for another 5 or so, if all goes as expected. Because the tumor's located so deep in the brain and impinging on sensitive neural tissue, the operation will be "delicate" in the doctor's estimation. (So NO earthquakes, Leslie!)

As far as the fellow himself, Chester's doing pretty well. Aside from the physical deficiencies (and they're no small matter, don't misunderstand!), his mind is sharp and his dander is up for the fight. He's not taking the statistics to heart (on average, the survival rate is 13 months from date of diagnosis, inclusive of treatment) - indeed, the doc reassured him that statistics have NO meaning in an individual case... and Cheeky (that's my name for him) insists he has too much to do to get it accomplished in a year. So he's shooting for "at least five!"

In the meantime, I'm going to insist he get some rest over the next few days - he's been far, far too much the socialite this past week! LOL - because of the Big Match upcoming... So there may not be too much to report over the next couple of days. Whatever details get nailed down tomorrow will find there way here fairly quickly, now that I've "gotten clearance" to post! (Ah, the wonders of technology when it works... and the blastedness of it when it doesn't!!) LOL

'Night every buddy! Jaime

Update August 25, 2005 from Marilyn

Hello everyone,

I apologize for the slow start of keeping this updated. A couple of people who were going to update have not been able to get on to the right place to do so...Ah, technology. So you get my right-brained intuitive way of telling you what has happened. Chester went to see the neurological doctor (I believe that is what he is) for the final diagnosis. He believes that the tumors are the worst kind Chester could possibly have. Someone else will have to tell you what they are called. So action needs to be taken immediately. Chester will have surgery on Tuesday August 30, 2005. He will then spend one day in intensive care, and then five more days in the hospital. That is the basic outline so far. Others will fill in more details and/or more concrete explanations.

I have been receiving many requests regarding financial support for Chester. We are working on this, and will have more information soon. Since he will be having a big financial burden, anything is most welcome and gratefully accepted. The other need is for prayers/healing energy/other wuwu practices, that will have a positive effect on Chester. They have done blind studies regarding prayer and healing, and in that study, those who received the prayer (without knowing, and no one even knew each other) recovered from heart surgery much faster and with less recover time. Sorry, don't have the name of the study, or the concrete information on it, just that they found out it had a powerful effect. The less detailed, the more it worked. So think/pray/image him to health and bsti-ness.

Also, if there are people you know who may not have heard what Chester is dealing with right now, please pass on any information to them. There are some who do not have e-mail addresses, or may have changed theirs and not updated with Body Electric (from where most of the e-mails were sent). Send the blog site, or the e-mail me at: buttbreath@sbcglobal.net .

I will try to keep the blog updated daily, if I can. Definitely I will post on Tuesday. I (or we) will let you know when we have more information.

Thank you all for your love, care and concern. We are all part of that.

Good News

Chester got some really good news yesterday. The CAT Scan showed no metastases in his body, which means that the tumors in his brain are not a cancer that has moved from his body into his brain. Its all in his head! He has an appointment with a doctor today to figure out the next steps.

For those of you who do not know the full extent of what has happened to Chester, this is the story. Around May he started getting what he thought was a tick on the right side of his face. After a week or so of that, he started having a finger or two go numb. He assumed that it was due to a misalignment of his vertebrae, and consulted with his chiropractor. That helped, but kept coming back. By July, he had started having spasms in his arm. When I went with him to a doctor's appointment, that was the first time I saw one, and I realized that it was a seizure. At that time he was able to use his arm and hand. Things went downhill slowly from that point. The MRI at that time showed the three tumors. He slowly lost the use of his hand and arm (which now just hang off his shoulder), and his speech has slowly gotten more and more difficult. It seems that his brain is having a hard time telling the lips, tongue and whatever else is used to talk, how to form words. He is also starting to have difficultly reading e-mail, which also takes communication between brain and eyes. If you send e-mail, send it as large print, and double or triple space the lines. He may be able to read it himself. I have been reading some to him, so keep sending messages. The messages sent here will be read to him.

Enough for now. I will update as soon as we hear about his doctor appointment today.

Marilyn

Getting the Ball Rolling

Greetings. I am one of your humble hosts, Jay Edgar. I've known Chester for about 16 years, since the time he lived in Madison. Chester is a dear friend, mentor, and loving burr under the saddle. He helped catapult me further along my path of self-discovery all those years ago. You likely have some kind of similar relationship with him.

Marilyn stated there was a desire to get a blog going about Chester's condition, so that people would have one place to go to keep up to date, thus avoiding the need for constant repetition of the information. I will allow others to put the technical information here. I will simply start the blog with a few personal impressions.

I learned of Chester's condition last Friday evening when I got home from work. I was in the midst of cleaning and preparing dinner for a date with my new beau, Kevin. Needless to say, my jaw dropped when I read a three-line email that included the words "I have three brain tumors..." I immediately called Chester and left a message that I was thinking about him. We had a nice, two-hour conversation on Saturday. While it was difficult hearing his speech at first, it was wonderful to connect with him, and I learned that the situation was actually much more hopeful than I had originally understood. When I got his good news this afternoon, I was ecstatic. Read on, for someone else will fill you in on the details.

We hope you find this blog useful. It may even be entertaining. Please leave any comments and suggestions. Thank you.