On my way back ... Thanks to all of you !

Thank you ! Thank you ! Thank You ! Because of all your prayers I received a good report from my Oncologist yesterday. I had my MRI at 8 am & visited with the doctors at 12 noon to review it. Great news – the treatment is working ! The tumor has not grown & the swelling in my brain is normal.

Now it is on to round 2 of Chemo. Also my blood platelets have rebounded back to normal so my bone marrow is working properly.

Most of all I can’t thank all of you enough for the outpouring of love & support over the past 90 days. I have heard from people that I have not spoken with in over 30 years !! It has been so great to reconnect with grammar school friends ( St. Ann’s) & HS friends. Thank you so much for your cards & prayers.

On Monday a good friend ( JOE MADISON) stopped by to see me while driving back to Michigan. He is a good friend of my brother Bill. We all grew up together in Syracuse. Joe is a special guy & it was great to see him. On his way east to meet up with Peter Waters ( along with David Tobin & Peters cousin Mike Connor) they stopped by to vist our 4^th grade teacher from St. Ann’s ( Sr. Jane Mary ). Anyway , Joe brought me some beautiful music & a prayer & some wisdom from Sr. Jane Mary. I can’t explain it, but what Joe brought me was what I needed at that moment. It is amazing how present God is in our lives though all of the people we interact with.

Another highlight of the week was a trip to Skaneateles to see the the NYS HS Girls Frozen Four & see the new addition to the family ( Nathaniel Orsen) son of Jennifer ( my niece) & Joe Orsen. It was great to make a road trip & even better to see everyone.

MAKE SURE TO VIEW THE PHOTOS THAT ARE ATTACHED TO THE BLOG. ( FLICKER)

I am blessed to have all of you around me. Thanks for being there for me.

-------- Mark Muench

SUPER BOWL SUNDAY ....

Super Bowl Sunday … the memories of 43 years ago when the the Green Bay Packers won the first Super Bowl against the KC Chiefs. VINCE LOMBARDI !!!

We probably had a pre Super Bowl game in Waters backyard. We would have played in two feet of snow. It was a blast past playing football in Waters backyard. I grew up in the best neighborhood in America back in the 1960’s & ‘70s.

I was 11 years old & most likely watched the game at 108 Hilltop Rd. with my family. Mom probably went to Danzer’s on the North side to pick us up sandwiches !!! Those were the days.

Fast forward to today. We have had two weeks of Super Bowl hype. Lets see who wins today the Saints or the Colts. I am rooting for the Saints for obvious reasons ! Anyway , I will be watching the game later since it is likely I will be asleep for the night at 5:30 pm.

That kind of tells you what I have been feeling like for the past several weeks. The radiation & chemo finally caught up with me. Since January 12^th my energy level has decreased dramatically. They told me this could happen & it did. I basically am good in the morning & fade throughout the day. I have developed a condition which they call “ Diabetes Insipidus”. This can happen with brain tumors. Basically it effects the pituitary gland. I cannot quench my thirst & have signs of dehydration. The biggest thing is that it zaps all of my energy. The great news is that it is treatable.

In closing the good news is that I was able to get to Florida to visit my Mom & Dad for a few days. Thanks to my doctors who got me an IV for fluids the day before I left for Florida. I would not have made it to FL if I did not get that IV. It was great to get to FL & feel some warmth !! Mom & Dad are doing well. I was able to make it to my Dad’s exercise class ( I could barely keep up) & was able to play a game of Wii Bowling with my mom.

Now I am back in the beautiful cold & snowy weather of Rochester. It has been quite a winter. Thank God I have my family & friends to keep me me warm.

GO SAINTS !!!

Peace – Mark.