Keeping the Beat

Our band, Inline5, hosted a performance for friends and family, playing new songs along with old favorites. We are a group of Ford research engineers that aren't afraid to embarrass ourselves in public. I've been playing the drums with the band since the fall of 2006.

 

L to R. Eric (electric), Tom (acoustic), Nate (drums), Donnell (horn), Hugh (bass)

A little band history (and banter) courteous of Jeff, our unpaid band manager.

Dateline September 2005, June 2006, July 2007, and May 2008
VH1's "Behind the Music"
Inline-5: Initial Assembly, Real World Test, the Inevitable Rebuild, Losing a Cylinder, Jumping on the Ethanol Bandwagon, and once again Hittin' on All Cylinders

Initial Assembly
It all began when 3 working engineers decided doing the math just wasn't going to buy them the fame they so desired. In late 1999, Tom Megli, Jeff McGee, and Eric Curtis decided their musical talents and charismatic personalities were going to waste behind a computer. They formed an unusual three piece band that made do with two lead guitars and drums. Donnell Washington joined the band in early 2002 adding a horn section and widening their musical horizons. Finding a band name still proved elusive, in the course of a single show, they were known as, Tom Megli and the Megalomaniacs, Donnell Washington and the Debonair Dudes, Jeff McGee and the Artists Formerly Known as Engineers, and Eric Curtis and the Loose Nukes. They realized they needed one more element to bring the band together, a thickening agent so to speak. Eric (Gold Shoes) Curtis, "We realized a bass player could bring the band together by supporting Jeff's drum beat. After a failed audition with a neophyte 20-something bass player in 2002, we decided a grizzled veteran of the music scene was the way to go. We were very pleased to find someone as grizzled as Hugh Fader. His experience, skills and ability to get the band to gel were the final ingredients to our success."

Real World Test
Thus, with the late addition of bass player Hugh (Corn Starch) Fader, the band finally hit paydirt and Inline-5 was born. I-5 played to packed shows in local bars. They continued to increase their playlist and range. New fans wondered about the origin on the name; was it the North-South Interstate in California, a band wide vegetable smuggling incident at an international airport or related to a lost "art" photo featuring band "members" available via the internet? Perhaps an allusion to the five men standing on stage, or as engineers - a reference to a type of 5 cylinder piston engine? Apparently, they have decided to stay mum and let their fans choose which story to believe. It was all fun and games as the number of gigs and their fame increased.

But success and stardom would eventually take their toll…

Donnell (Sensei) Washington, "Even the local touring became work, the demands on us were becoming more and more extreme." The wear and tear of several shows a year would prove too much for one of the band. Newly added bass player, Hugh Fader, succumbed to what some described as "exhaustion" or "strep throat" forcing the cancellation of a sold out show in the Fashion Capital (of denim overalls) Milan . Rumors circulated of a visit to a rehabilitation facility and tabloid photos of a disheveled Fader only served to whet the public's appetite for another rocker living the life of excess. Manager Jeff (Where's my money?) Koncsol, "Hugh was just tired and needed to visit Royal Oak Gardens to get away from the responsibilities and duties that are part of the rock star/engineer life style. I mean it was so bad, he couldn't even count to ten with the help of his fingers anymore."

Meanwhile, the rest of the band considered replacements. The 'Big Man' Will Boddie, while available after losing his VP job with the Company, proved to be the least animated bass player the remainder of I-5 had ever seen. Lead guitarist Tom (Megli-oh) Megli, "Bass players aren't expected to move or anything, but we had to poke the 'Big Man' a couple times just to assure he was still alive. He just didn't have the Fader charm, and after several other auditions, we realized no one did!" Luckily, Fader's stay in Royal Oak Gardens proved to be just what he needed.

The Rebuild
Oct 2005 --- Thus, the stage is set for a triumphant reunion concert by I-5 with the return of a healthy, energized Hugh Fader laying down the bass line. Drummer Jeff (Dangerous Fibber) McGee, "I know I'm glad to have Hugh back, with out his help laying down the beat I was punching holes in my skins trying to keep everyone 'N Sync. (A nice reference to McGee's first "Boy Band" experience)" The rest of the band is happy to have Hugh back, too. The gentlemen of Inline-5 (Tom, Eric, Donnell, Jeff and Hugh) plan their comeback show in Milan, October 22nd, 2005. Be there to see history made, one cover at a time!!!

Losing a Cylinder
June 2006 --- Drummer Jeff McGee after half a career as a rock star/engineer found his creativity was being stifled by the dyno cell by day, band by night experience. As such, he decided to break away from I-5 to pursue a full time band gig. He soon found that playing drums full time in a Village People tribute band was even more difficult. "The hat I could deal with, but I really couldn't hit the skins properly with those plastic six-shooters, so I had to find another outlet for my creativity" said McGee. Although he plans to continue to pursue music part time, McGee found a pleasing complexity and sophistication (the two things lacking in his dyno cell and band experiences) in the world of computers. Proving that he did actually love the hat, McGee has chosen to pursue an advanced degree at a college in Texas. The remainder of I-5 not only wish him well but have left the door open to a possible future return, although all band members have universally concluded that it will have to be, "Without the hat!!!".

Jumping on the Ethanol Bandwagon…
Feb 2007 --- The very day I-5 become a four piece, the planning to update their image began. Guitarist Tom Megli, "We knew we couldn't just be a party band anymore. We had to find a way to make a statement." Following the growing corporate trend of "greening" the company image, I-5 decided to make a green (or perhaps, yellow and green) statement with the addition of corn (some of us call it maize) fed and educated (in Nebraska until college) drummer, Nate Trask. His imposing build is offset by an easy demeanor and willingness to play the "oldies" to satisfy the band while introducing them to the music of current stars like Snow Patrol. Trask says, "I thought keeping up with these grizzled old rock and roll engineering veterans would be effortless for a kid like me, but keeping up with four guys who smell like sweat and diesel isn't easy." Perhaps it won't be easy for Trask, but it will, as always, be interesting for their fans. So come out and see the premier performance of the band that smells like sweat, diesel and corn, I-5!!!

Hittin' on All Cylinders
May 2008 --- "The band continued it's hardworking ways and has even threatened to start paying me, although I'm not really sure that "You'll get what you deserve" holds the promise of any great fortune!" said Koncsol. Although they still may not be ready to pay for any outside services, the dedicated practice sessions and the addition of several new songs, plus the outside duo efforts of V-Twin; the Megli-Fader project which occasionally delivers the evenings entertainment at Birmingham Acres (Fader has decided to move more upscale in his "spa" facility), have put new energy into the old legs of the men of I-5. They've cleaned up their look, sold off the diesel and ethanol for record profits, tightened up their sound, and they will bring you a new show as soon as the playoff season ends. Be there!

Memorial Day Weekend

Deb and I took the kids with us to Deb's annual family reunion in the Grand Rapids area. We also spent a day at her uncle Phil's cottage.

 

 

 

Chemo #6

Today was my 6th chemo treatment at Karmanos. My brother Steve was kind enough to join me for the day, as Deb had to be careful with the remaining sick days in her school year. These treatments are progressively more difficult for me both physically and mentally. Even though I realize that the most difficult period will only last for about 5 days, the mere thought of those days is dreadful. It is probably very similar to the feeling young children have before going to get an immunization shot from the doctor or visiting a dentist. The anticipation is nearly as bad as the pain/discomfort itself.

Having Steve there with me for the infusion was good, since he could understand my treatment better than I could ever explain it to him, he could monitor me when the nurses were not there (I sleep for about 50% of the infusion), and most importantly he is great company. Similar to the 5th treatment, I received 25% less chemo than my initial infusions. The body can only take so much of these drugs before certain functions, like digestion, become compromised. I will get another CT scan before the next treatment, to see if chemo remains the best option for me.

Race Day

One of my favorite hobbies over the last 4 years has been autocrossing my 1994 Mazda Miata in the Detroit region. Autocrossing is an amateur form of car racing that normally takes place in a confined parking lot. A race course is defined using cones and competitors have 4 to 5 runs to achieve their fastest time through the course without knocking over any of the cones. Cars race through the course one at a time, so there is very little risk of injury to competitors or damage to the vehicles.

Every season my car club holds an autocross school so we can dust off our cars and sharpen our driving skills. Landon and Morgan have been too small up till now to ride in the car with me, but this year I thought it would be fun to bring them along. Safety is the highest priority in well-managed autocross events. Helmets are required for all drivers and passengers on the course. Fortunately one of the members of our club had a helmet that fit the twins (thanks again Ines).

 

 

I went over basics like air pressure and suspension settings with Landon. Here Landon is suggesting that I set the rear tire pressure even higher ;).

 

Someday I hope to teach Landon and Morgan how to drive a car like mine at the limit, but for now riding along will have to do. I started off at about 70% with Landon, but the first thing he said after the initial run was "Go Faster Daddy!." By the time we finished I was driving as fast as I could and the kids just loved it.

 

 

 

We all had a great time. Thanks to the club for organizing the event.

 

Bowling to Fight Cancer

Deb has been raising money for the Relay For Life campaign. One of the fund raising activities that her school has put together is a bowl-athon. Fortunately I had enough energy to roll a frame with the kids.

 

No ifs, ands, or ...

 

Landon has mad ninja skills...

 

More Positive News

I had my second follow-up CT scan on 10-Apr, which followed my 4th chemo infusion by 2 weeks. The CT scans are the primary method of determining how effective the treatments are against the cancer. The interval of the CT scans is 6 weeks, which seems like a long time (even if you aren't the cancer patient). Deb and I also had to wait out another week before we met with my oncologist again. As you can imagine, anxiety sets in as you wait, because you don't know what to expect. I kept running the various scenarios through my head...

1) Will the chemo be effective and I continue on the same treatment path? OR
2) Will a complete miracle occur and there be No Evidence of Disease (NED is what cancer patients long to hear from their oncologist)? OR
3) Will my cancer continue to grow and take us back to square one?

Morgan and Landon had a great idea for us to take our minds off of such things. Let's go fly our kites in the park!



Our kids have wisdom way beyond their years.

We met with my oncologist this morning after my blood was analyzed by the lab. I have been fortunate to have a very large vein in my arm stay intact during my chemo treatments. The lovely nurses who draw blood from me every week grin ear to ear at the thought of how easy the blood draw will be, like driving on the interstate with 4 lanes open all to yourself.

I told my oncologist that I felt like I was improving physically (excluding the 5 days of side-effects after chemo treatments). Wonderfully, he shared that the CT scans seem to agree with my overall feeling of health. The mass in my left lung has decreased significantly again to the point were it is somewhat difficult to see on the CT images. The tumors in my liver have stabilized since my last CT scan.

My doctor noted that he has seen cases in the past for non-active tumors remaining on CT scans for up to 1 year, since it can take the body that long to reject the dead cells. To get a better idea of the level of tumor activity, he recommended getting a PET scan, which is non-invasive test that can detect the level of cancer cell activity. If the CT scan will tell you size of a light bulb, the PET scan will also tell you whether or not it is burned out. My PET scan is scheduled for next week (24-Apr).

I was supposed to have a chemo treatment today (#5), but since my platelets were low I rescheduled for next Friday (25-Apr). Hopefully the results of the PET scan will be available to review with my oncologist next week and we can get a better sense of what the CT results mean. If the tumor appears to be dead, I might get a reprieve from the chemo treatments for a while.

We appreciate all of the prayer support we have been getting from family and friends alike. We are praying bold prayers like many of you and God has answered those prayers today. Praise GOD! Please continue to keep us in your prayers, for encouraging results from the PET scan, minimized side-effects of the chemo treatments, reducing anxiety for both myself and Deb, and protection for our entire family from getting sick.

Relay For Life

Dear Family and Friends,

I've decided to take action against cancer by participating in our local American Cancer Society Relay For Life event on May 17-18, 2008 from 10:00 a.m. - 10:00 a.m. Relay For Life is about celebration, remembrance, and hope. By participating, I am honoring cancer survivors, paying tribute to the lives we've lost to the disease, and raising money to help fight it. Many people have asked what they can do for our family during this time and there just isn't much besides prayer that can be done. This is something we can all do together.

Please help support me in this important cause by making a donation. It is faster and easier than ever to support me by making a secure, tax-deductible donation online using the link below. If you would prefer, you can send your contribution to the mailing address listed below.

Whatever you can give will help - it all adds up! I greatly appreciate your support.

Sincerely,

Deb

To make a donation online, visit my personal page.

To print an offline donation form, click here.

If you choose to make an offline donation, please be sure to notify the Relay For Life participant that you are making a contribution on their behalf. Please make checks out the American Cancer Society and send the complete form with contribution to the local American Cancer Society office at:
American Cancer Society
20450 Civic Center Drive
Southfield, MI 48076

Easter Weekend

Chemo treatment #4 was scheduled to occur on 21-Mar (Good Friday) depending on the outcome of my blood work. My Neutrophil (specific type of white blood cell) count has to be at least 1.5 to administer a chemo infusion (based on the specific protocol of my treatment). My previous treatment, originally scheduled on 22-Feb, had to be delayed by a week since my Neutrophil count was 1.2. To be honest, I was hoping that my Neutrophil count would be under the 1.5 threshold since my family was gathering together for easter at my parents house in Port Huron. I was happy when informed that my Neutrolphil count was 1.4, delaying treatment until 28-Mar.

Deb, the twins, and I went up to Port Huron on Saturday morning. Meg, Em, and Steve also came up for the weekend. We had a relaxing time together as a family. Here we are after the Easter Sunday service.

Side effects are fairly mild by the time I reach 3 weeks from treatment. As you can see, my eyebrows are nearly gone now. Overall, this weekend was the best since I was diagnosed, in terms of energy and spirit. Treatment #4 looms around the corner...

Follow up CT scan

My experience during the second round of chemo treatment was similar to the first. The day of and after the treatment I felt fine, but the following 5 days were uncomfortable. During this time I get fatigued easily and experience general aches and pains. Thus far my appetite has been great, but this round of chemo was difficult on my digestive system. After some research, I found certain nutritional plans are much easier (and healthier) for the body to process.


I have adjusted my diet drastically before. Just after the twins were born I was my heaviest, 265lb on my 6'6" frame.


At that time I decided that I didn't want my kids to see me as an overweight father. I cut my caloric input by 1/2 and did weight training exercises 3 times a week. I lost 40lbs in about 6 months.

I have kept the weight off by eating less than I used to, but I haven't utilized the healthiest diet. I tend to eat lots of processed foods, red meats, and refined sugars. I switched to diet soda when I originally lost my weight which helped reduce my caloric intake, but it's certainly not the healthiest way to hydrate.

For the last 2 weeks, I have switched to a vegetable focussed nutrition plan that has a moderate amount of lean white meat (to get me the appropriate amount of protein). This nutrition plan provides loads of nutrients, vitamins, and enzymes that my body can process much more easily. I don't know if this diet will help my fight against cancer, but it certainly can't hurt eating a diet full of foods that are natural provided for us (Genesis 1:29). In addition, I drink about 100 oz of water a day.

Deb and I went to Karmanos yesterday for my 3rd scheduled chemo treatment. We first met with Dr. Flaherty to discuss the follow up CT scan taken the week before. The oncology field uses results from the CT scan in conjunction with other indicators such as blood work (each of the 100+ cancers is different, but for liver melanoma one blood indicator is LDH, an enzyme that can indicate liver disease). A normal LDH level is 250. At my first consult my LDH was 800. By my second treatment it had fallen to 300. On Friday the LDH was just under 200. We took this as encouraging news.

The CT scans were a mixed story. The mass in my left lung (not known if it is cancerous) has decreased in size by 60%. There is also no evidence of fluid in my lung. The liver CT scan was a different story. The new images looked significantly different than the previous ones. On the CT scan report, the tumor is larger than before, but Dr. Flaherty thinks that the official measurements don't tell the whole story. Since all of the indicators of my health (i.e. energy, pain, sleep, appetite, blood work) have been improving, he feels that changing my treatment now based only on the liver CT results would be a knee jerk reaction. I agreed with him and elected to proceed with 2 additional chemo treatments.

My white blood cell count came back slightly low for the chemo protocol, but it was still high enough to adequately fight infections. This means that I will have to wait a week before getting my 3rd chemo infusion. Every day I realize more that this is going to be a long road for me. In a world that expects fast and quantifiable results, cancer doesn't fit. Faith and patience will be what gets me to the end of this road, wherever it leads.

Please keep me in your prayers for the chemo drugs to be effective over the next two treatments, that I'll avoid infections during this difficult time of the year, and that I'll keep hope and strength through this process. In addition, please keep Deb, the twins, and the rest of my family in your prayers. Cancer can be just as difficult for those close to it.

Thanks to everyone for your comments on my blog, as you have been sources of inspiration, joy, kindness, and love. It is comforting to know there are lots of people pulling for me.

Cautious Optimism...

As I write this entry, I am getting my 2nd chemo treatment at Karmanos. Since some time has passed since my last entry, I won't get to the meaning of the entry title until the end...

After being on medical leave for almost 2 months, I returned to the office the previous Tuesday (22-Jan). I had been in contact with my boss and a number of colleagues during my time away from work, so it felt like much less than 2 months had passed since I last stepped into the building. My first day back went better than I expected, particularly since I didn't know how fatigued I would be over a full working day. Many of my colleagues were glad to see me back in the office, interested in knowing how I was doing, and offered words of encouragement for my "climb."

I had enough energy after my first day of work to practice with my band, Inline5. For those of you who have not seen us perform (i.e. most of you), we are 5 engineers in Ford Research that don't mind embarrassing ourselves in public (everyone has lead vocals on at least 1 song). All kidding aside, we have a lot of fun practicing weekly and performing a few times a year. I have been the drummer in the band for 18 months, on an instrument I hadn't played since the 9th grade. Fortunately drumming is like riding a bike; no matter how long you are away from it, you can pick it back up quickly.

I thank the Lord that my side effects from the treatment have been relatively minor. When I went back to work I had developed a rash on the back of both of my hands. At my Thursday doctor appointment we found that it MAY BE due to the clinical trial drug I am taking. One of the common side effects of the drug is dry and itching skin. My oncologist's assistant had seen similar looking rashes before. She recommended an appropriate moisturizing agent and the rash cleared up by the weekend. My blood work showed that the platelets (blot clotting component) were in the normal range but the white blood cell count was low and would have to come up before my next chemo treatment.

Every morning since my first chemo treatment I have looked at my pillow and tugged at my hair to see if it was falling out. On Wednesday (23-Jan), 12 days after my first treatment, I was able to pull strands out easily. In my case, my hair didn't just fall out at once, but by Friday my hair was thinning out rapidly. 10 minutes after returning home from work on Friday I put the clippers on the lowest setting and removed what was left of my hair. It is a little ironic that this hair(less)style was the one that Deb didn't want me to do (before I started treatments, of course). My mother, who tells it like it is, prefers the bald look.

Deb's mom came to visit over the weekend. On Saturday I woke up with some pain in my upper left back that felt like a muscle strain. Deep breathing was difficult since I had acute pain in my back. Fortunately it did not feel like there was fluid in my lung. Deb and her mom took the kids sledding in the morning and shopping in the afternoon. I took it easy on the couch.

On Sunday our pastor at Genesis preached on being under pressure (Acts 16:16-32). Paul and Silas were preaching in Philippi. A slave girl, who was a fortuneteller (and money maker for her owners), pestered Paul to the point where he commanded the evil spirit out of her. Her owners, upset since they no longer had their profitable business, roughed up Paul and Silas and riled up others against them in the market square. The judges took the side of the mob and ordered that Paul and Silas be stripped and severely lashed in public. After the beating they were put in a cell that was the most secure in the prison. Clearly Paul and Silas were under pressure, more pressure than most of us will ever face in our lifetime. Instead of groaning or complaining about their situation, Paul and Silas prayed and sang hymns, which shocked the other prisoners. An earthquake caused all of the cell doors to open, releasing all of the prisoners. The guard who was supposed to prevent Paul and Silas from escape feared what would happen to him and prepared to commit suicide. Paul stopped him and led him and his family to salvation. I understand that prayer and singing hymns won't necessarily save you from pressure in your life, but Paul and Silas didn't know that the doors would swing open either.

On Monday I was back at work for my second week, getting settled into my office, and making progress on assignments that had been on the backburner since I went into the hospital. My back pain had subsided by Thursday and my breathing returned to normal. I also resumed exercising this week, a brisk walk for 30 minutes each morning on the treadmill.

And that brings us to today and "cautious optimism"... Before I could get my second chemo infusion, my oncologist had to ensure that my blood work met the requirements of the protocol. My white cell count climbed back to normal over the past week. This means that my bone marrow is healthy, important for me fighting infection. In addition, the enzyme level associated with the activity of melanoma in my liver dropped when compared to my initial visit before starting treatment. These findings, in addition to how much better I have felt the last 2 weeks, are positive results. I'm not through the woods yet, closer to just entering the forest. We won't have another CT scan done until mid-February, but we were warned that the scans might not respond in the same manner as the blood work. It is a long road ahead, but I'm hoping days like this outnumber the alternative.