New to the club

[Fed]

Greetings all,

I have looked through the posts, and I think it's time I put my name in the hat here. My name is Fed, and, ironically, I am a cancer chemical biologist working at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. I was diagnosed with TC the day before Thanksgiving. While it was a shock (as I am sure it has been for everyone else who has been diagnosed), one of the things that has helped me "keep it together" is the fact that I work in the cancer field and know how it functions. The old adage "Knowledge is Power" certainly holds here. My wife has been handling things extremely well, and I think it is because she has made a strong effort in being well-informed.

I find it hard sometimes to talk to my peers about it mostly because they never know what to say. I am glad I have bumped into this forum so I feel free to write about it without everyone else feeling sorry for me. I don't know how much I can contribute, but if people are interested in the science aspects of it, feel free to ask.

I had the I/O last Saturday and will be getting the path report back on Friday. I am extremely motivated to beat this to the ground.

Keep it real,

Fed

[Scott]

Welcome, Fed. Glad to add another New Englander to the forums.

[dadmo]

Fed:
Sorry about the diagnosis but your input will be welcomed.

[Kev332]

Welcome to the forum Fed. I too was treated at Dana Farber... what an awesome place. (my oncologist was Dr. Ross). I've actually run the past 2 marathons with their marathon challenge team! (another one of our members here "Kman" ran it also).

Keep your head up and take it one day at a time... those first few months after diagnosed are pretty crazy. I remember sort of feeling like i was in a dream (or nightmare).

Let us know what the path report findings are...

-Kevin

[Scott]

I am a cancer chemical biologist working at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.

Fed, I'd love to hear some more about the work you do there.

[Rune]

Welcome to the forums, Fed! I'm sure you'll like it here, even if the entrance fee was somewhat steep. It's good to hear you have a great attitude.

Oh, and just to show that it's a small world.. one of my cousins works at Harvard Medical as a molecular biologist in the field of breast cancer

[mikeygti]

Welcome to the forum,and our semi-exculsive club !

As Scott mentioned in an earlier post,another Bostonian,Phil Kessel of the Bruins,has also paid the "entrance fee" .

Best Wishes

[Fed]

Wow! Thanks to all for the good wishes! It's great to know that I will be in good company here.

Fed, I'd love to hear some more about the work you do there.

My work is on investigating how to modulate a tumor suppression pathway in cells. Cells have a signaling system that controls cell division. A protein called "p53" serves as the sentinel, and when something is wrong with the cell (i.e. if the DNA is damaged or if the cell is under stress), p53 is activated and marks the damaged cell for destruction in order to prevent it from propagating the damage (hence the name "tumor suppressor"). There are many cancers (mostly sarcomas and certain forms of leukemia) where p53 is either mutated, deleted, or rapidly destroyed. Without a functional sentinel, the renegade cells are free to divide and propagate. In my work, I am developing compounds that restore the function of p53 in cancer cells that rapidly degrade it. A chemical biologist is a hybrid of a chemist and a biologist. I use the tools of synthetic chemistry to probe and study biological pathways.

BTW, I also saw the news regarding Phil Kessel from the Boston Bruins. I was actually at the Garden watching the game where he scored his first NHL goal. Someone had the awesome idea to start a thread on the www.boston.com website where people could write well-wishing messages that will be sent to him.

[djmac]

Welcome Fed,

I too, am I biologist. As a post-doc I was working in the cancer field as well(prostate). Now I am at a pharmaceutical company, again, at least in part, working in cancer (AML).

Knowledge is definitely power... you will find your knowledge invaluable as you interact with the various medical professionals. Before, when I studied cancer, it was a curiousity, something to study and get funding on. Getting diagnosed with it, and reading so many other peoples stories regarding their disease, or their loved ones, has given me a new kind of insight, which I hope to take into my field of work.

Best of luck with your recovery, and successes with your research!

djm

[Already Bald]

Greetings all,

I have looked through the posts, and I think it's time I put my name in the hat here. My name is Fed, and, ironically, I am a cancer chemical biologist working at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. I was diagnosed with TC the day before Thanksgiving. While it was a shock (as I am sure it has been for everyone else who has been diagnosed), one of the things that has helped me "keep it together" is the fact that I work in the cancer field and know how it functions. The old adage "Knowledge is Power" certainly holds here. My wife has been handling things extremely well, and I think it is because she has made a strong effort in being well-informed.

I find it hard sometimes to talk to my peers about it mostly because they never know what to say. I am glad I have bumped into this forum so I feel free to write about it without everyone else feeling sorry for me. I don't know how much I can contribute, but if people are interested in the science aspects of it, feel free to ask.

I had the I/O last Saturday and will be getting the path report back on Friday. I am extremely motivated to beat this to the ground.

Keep it real,

Fed

Fed....you have helped so many here with your knowledge..we hate that you have had to battle this monster but we are glad you have been here to help others. This is your first post...reading it with Margaret...LoveStrong.

[Fed]

Fed....you have helped so many here with your knowledge..we hate that you have had to battle this monster but we are glad you have been here to help others. This is your first post...reading it with Margaret...LoveStrong.

I have been offline since I arrived in Columbus for the LIVESTRONG Summit, and Scott brought to my attention that my "inaugural" post had resurfaced. To tell you the truth, I hadn't read it in a while, and I will admit that I felt a bit nostalgic while revisiting it.

Being here as part of the Forum has aided enormously in my well-being. I might have been lucky to have faced the beast knowing how it operated, but I am no different from all of the guys here and elsewhere that have had the misfortune to have faced it. I am humbled by being in such great company, and I look forward to a long life with all of you being a permanent part of it.

[CharlieFL]

I must confess I first thought my TC hermano had gone loco on me - then I realized it was an old post that had resurfaced. Thanks Joe for resurfacing Fed's original post which I had never read as I came in much later on. I can only echo the importance of Fed's contributions to this humble vehicle of information and brotherhood (and sisterhood). May he continue to grace our forum with his knowledgeable, caring and loving attitude towards all who enter here.

[Scott]

It was very cool to relive Fed's first post while we were at the LIVESTRONG Summit together here in Columbus.

Fed, thank you so much for helping so many with an uncommon blend of knowledge and compassion.