Sent: Thursday, October 14, 1999 6:20 PM
Subject: Bone Marrow Update, 10/14/99

Dear Friends,

I know I sound like a broken record, but I am continually amazed by all of 
you out there in cyberspace.  This email connection has been a wonderful 
thing.  I don't know how I would have been able to get through the last 
several weeks without it.  Keep those cards and letters coming.

Some last minute thoughts.

Live your lives to the fullest, every day.  I was about the healthiest 48 
year old that I knew.  Then this leukemia hit me, for no apparent reason, out 
of the blue.  Something like 1 chance in several hundred thousand.  A cosmic 
roll of the dice.  One of my jokes is that I only have 1 health problem.  
But, as the first Kaiser doctor said, "Dave, when you get sick, you sure pick 
a whopper!"  You never know what can happen and when it can happen.

Don't sweat the small stuff.

Find out your blood type.  

If you can, go out as soon as possible and become a regular blood donor.  It 
really takes nothing from you and gives lots and lots.  You will feel real 
proud of yourself every time you do it.  I figure that I lost 64 pounds by 
giving those 8 gallons of blood.  A lot easier than dieting or exercise!  
Sometimes Bonfils even gives out free T-shirts.

Ditto for getting registered on the national bone marrow donor data base.  
You can do this through Bonfils.  Many people are dying from these blood 
diseases because there are no suitable donors.  Who knows, you may be the one 
person who can actually save someone's life.  I know a lady from Longmont who 
was saved through an unrelated donor exact match.  She's doing great, about a 
year out from the transplant.  She would probably not be alive if this 
unknown person had not volunteered for the data base.

Keep up your health insurance payments.  The estimated cost of what I am 
going through is at least $400,000 ($400K).  With Kaiser, the whole thing 
should cost me about $100 (0.001K).  You do the math.

Keep in touch.  Some of your messages have been truly uplifting to JoAnne and 
me.  I probably can't deal with 3 page descriptions with all the minute 
details, but a paragraph every so often will be read and appreciated.

Keep up all that praying.  I probably have most of the major God incarnations 
covered by the various people out there, and likely many minor ones.  Let's 
not leave any bases uncovered.

Can someone tape the world series for me.  I am not much of a sports fan, but 
got into the habit of watching the series during my very cold days in 
Minnesota.  Besides, I was a Braves fan when I was a kid in Chicago and the 
Braves were in Milwaukee.  Picked them up on the radio.  Looks like they will 
be in it.  Being from Chicago there is a natural tendency to want New York 
teams to lose, you always root for the other team.  

Not wanting to start any bad habits, but if you're in the mood, try Breyer's 
Rocky Road, Starbuck's or Godiva ice cream.  It's not a cure for cancer, but 
it sure helped.

At the beginning of the summer, soon after my diagnosis, I frankly didn't 
think I would live to see a decision of the Ramsey grand jury.  I beat that 
one out.

If you do drink a beer for me next Thursday, Transplant Day, just remember.  
Yours will be more pleasant, but mine is a whole lot more expensive.  Further 
information indicates that the stem cells look a lot like Killians Red.

Call up an old friend you haven't seen in a while.  

I hope to someday have the chance to meet all of you supporters and repay in 
some small way all that you have given us.

Well, it's ShowTime.  Let the games begin.

Dave