Tuesday, October 14, 2008
Dear Friends and Family,
Today I went in to the hospital to have an IV port installed under my right collarbone for chemotherapy treatments—which are scheduled to begin in early Nov.
Last Friday I had gone in for a PET (Positron Emission Tomography) /CT scan intended to discover any other lesions, tumors, or cancerous tissue anywhere in my body. This scan was compared to the previous CT scan I had on Aug. 15, which had detected a 7mm low-density lesion in my liver. Today, at the hospital, I was given the results of this latest scan, and I’d like to share them with you:
HYPERMETABOLIC FOCI: None. Specifically, there is no evidence of metastatic labeling in the liver, nor evidence of disease in the abdomen or pelvis.
OTHER: There are no colonic sutures seen, nor evidence of metallic clips to suggest the site of the recent colon surgery. The 7mm subcapsular low-density lesion in the inferior segment of the right lobe of the liver on the prior CT is not visible on this noncontrast CT.
CONCLUSION: No evidence of metastatic disease.
See that? “No evidence” of any cancer in my body at this time!
I thank all of you who have sent me healing energy, magick, prayers, and love. I thank all of you have burned healing candles for me. I thank all of you who have joined with me in visualizing all cancer gone from my body, and robust good health returning to me. I think this report is a great demonstration of magick in action!
At this time, I would like to ask you to do the same for my oldest friend and water-brother, Lance Christie, who lives in Moab, Utah, and has just been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. He and I have shared many things over the past 47 years, including the founding of the Church of All Worlds, and now it seems we are sharing cancer. So let’s share the healing as well! Please add Lance to your prayers, magick, candle-burnings, energy sendings, etc. It's tragic enough that he recently lost his beloved soulmate, LaRue, to Alzheimer's, as well as their wonderful dog, Buddha, and their beautiful cat, Blue Eyes. Now this.
Despite the complete lack of evidence of any cancer persisting in my body, Dr. Bozdech still wants to go ahead with the chemotherapy treatments—just to make sure that nothing cancerous escapes notice. He’s one of the top experts in the field, and I am prepared to go through with this if he feels I should. And that should be very interesting, as there are quite a range of possible side effects from the various drugs they’ll be giving me—and there’s no telling which ones I may exhibit…
The adventure continues! (And please feel free to pass this on to anyone you think might want to know)
Brightest Blessings,
Oberon
Wednesday, September 10, 2008
To all my dear Friends,
First, I am going to have to presume that you’ve been reading the reports by Julie and Morning Glory during the time I was in the hospital for colon cancer surgery, so I won’t have to go back over that territory. I do want to say, however, THANK YOU! For all the love, magick, prayers, and healing energies that so many of you have been sending my way. It has really made a difference—I have felt not only upbeat, but positively elated throughout this entire experience. Even the sometimes rather severe pain never detracted from my general good spirits. I also want to thank those of you who sent them for all the cards and flowers—my hospital room was filled with them, and now they are arrayed all over the healing altar in our temple room.
On Wednesday, 9/3, I finally got to see the pathology lab report on the enormous section of my insides that had been removed. Imagine, if you will, a triangular quarter-slice of a family-size thick crust pizza, about 12 inches on a side. That’s what the piece they took out of me looked like. The outer crust (with a meatball-sized tumor in the middle of it) would be the foot-long section of my descending colon, with the rest of the wedge being the mesenteries, containing the connective tissue, blood vessels, fat modules, and nine lymph nodes. Think of the latter like olives. One of the nine had pimento (cancer) in it. This was very bad news. It meant that the cancer had indeed metastasized outside of the original tumor…though not much, yet.
I didn’t want to hit y’all with this at the time, but it really did take the wind outta my sails. I needed a few days to assimilate the news, and the implications. No way around it…if the cancer has gotten into my lymphatic system, I’ll be needing chemotherapy for the next couple of years. Of course, the immediate thing that leapt to mind was the thought of losing all my hair and beard. Amusingly enough, this was the thing I found hardest to deal with. Ah, vanities!
And then, Thursday night, I woke up chuckling over the irony: I have been identifying very strongly in recent years with the Headmaster of Hogwarts (I’ve even been called “the real Albus Dumbledore”), whose long grey hair and beard are iconic. But long before J.K. Rowling invented Hogwarts, there was another “School for Gifted Youngsters,” run by another fine Wizard named Charles Xavier. And he was completely bald and beardless due to the chemotherapy for his cancer, which had him confined to a wheelchair. So I started envisioning how I might do some cosmetic modifications on Morning Glory’s mother’s wheelchair, with a big “X” covering the wheels…
And this is how I managed to pass my time, in between reading chapters of Diane Duane’s “Young Wizards” series (I’m up to the 5th book, “A Wizard’s Dilemma”—great stuff!).
I was released from the hospital Saturday afternoon, 9/6. They unplugged all the needles and tubes, and Morning Glory and Arek picked me up and took me home. It was great to be in my own home, and I just flopped into my favorite comfy chair as we watched “on demand” the first four premier episodes of the really cool new BBC America series: “Primeval.”
That night I slept in our own bed better than I had in nearly two weeks. Each day I have been feeling better and better, and able to sit up a bit longer at my console, catching up on email—sending brief notes to many of you who’d written me personally.
And finally, yesterday afternoon (9/9), MG took me into her oncologist, Dr. Marek Bozdech, for a full exam and evaluation. Dr. Bozdech is one of the top doctors in cancer therapy (especially multiple myeloma, which is what MG has). He’s fabulous—and also a sci-fi buff, like us. He confirmed that I have Class III cancer, for which the “adjuvant therapy” is chemotherapy—specifically, avastin, oxoplatin, and cystoplatin. He said that these platinum-based treatments affect cancer cells at the DNA level by retarding mitosis and preventing their reproduction. But another good thing about them is that they won’t cause me to lose my hair!
After a month to recover from the surgery, I’ll be getting 48-hour treatments every two weeks for a year. Then it’ll be every 3 months for three years, eventually tapering off after five years to every 6 months…continuing indefinitely. In a few weeks they’ll do a PET scan (positron emission tomography) to try and determine the extend of the spread. Then they’ll install a special IV catheter port just above my collarbone into which they’ll be able to inject the chemos directly.
Once the cancer spreads outside the colon, present medical knowledge offers no hope for a cure. There is, however, possibility of remission, and that's what I'm holding out for.
I cancelled all my speaking engagements for September, but I should be fine to go back on the road in October, depending of course on my reactions to the chemo. Some people sail through it and others have a really rough time. I’m betting on being a smooth sailor, but I will cross that ocean when I get there.
And that’s pretty much all the news from RavenHaven.
Brightest Blessings,
Oberon
Monday, September 1, 2008
Posted on behalf of Oberon by Julie Epona
Dear Friends and Family:
This is Morning Glory giving you all a quickie update on Oberon’s progress. His surgery was on Friday and it went well; they removed a large section of his descending colon and adjacent mesentery, his doctor is confident that he took out all the cancer and any pre cancerous lymph nodes. He said that he did not see any swollen or discolored nodes. The tissue was all sent to Pathology and we should have the results later this week since the Lab is shut down for the holiday. We will know that the surgeon successfully removed all the cancer when we receive that report. Until then folks the coin is, magickally speaking, still in the air. We can still do some probability enhancement. We will let everyone know as soon as we find out.
In the meantime, Oberon is slowly and painfully recovering from this very harsh procedure. Some other good news is that he did not have to have a colostomy for which we are all grateful. But even so at this point he is in some serious agony; both meditation as well as medication can barely take the edge off his suffering. He is really not in any condition to have visitors or even phone calls. I do try to see him every day and rub his back and read to him but even my visits are short because that’s all he can handle. It will take time for the wounded tissues to knit and the healing process to go forward. He is barely drinking a little water now and he said to me last nite: “At least I will lose some weight out of all this misery.” At least he hasn’t lost his sense of humor altogether.
So what I want to ask is for people to continue working toward Oberon’s healing by shifting the probabilities toward 100% of all cancer removed; let all the demon be sitting in that bottle on the shelf in the Path Lab. But also changing from waning and banishing spells to soothing and nurturing spells directed at Oz’s wounded belly, also strength to bear the pain. Though he can’t really see or talk to anyone just yet I’m sending you his hospital address and room number so you can send him cards. I know that when I was diagnosed with cancer 2 years ago and spent a week in the hospital my spirits were magnificently uplifted by all the wonderful cards and letters that people sent me. I will be forever grateful for that outpouring of Blessings. I firmly believe that I am alive because of it.
By the way here is a quick update on me as well. My IG protein levels are around 30 points the last time I was tested and that means that I am much better. Originally they were over 1000 which was very bad. I am still not in remission but I am close and the process of going for full remission is pretty invasive so it is a trade off between pushing the cancer back while maintaining a reasonable quality of life. My Thalidomide chemo is working and when it stops there are several other drugs to try as well as other therapies. I am regaining my mobility but I still have a lot of pain; I had to go off most of my pain meds because they were making me lose my memory and my ability to focus. I am confident that I will live to see my 2 year old granddaughter grow up and somewhere along that journey they will find a cure for my cancer.
Fortunately, Oberon’s cancer is curable. We will know whether he will need any radiation or chemotherapy when we get his pathology reports back. Until then beloved friends, please keep up the good working and send him some nifty cards to take his mind off the misery to:
Oberon Zell c/o: Petaluma Valley Hospital
400 N. McDowell blvd.
Petaluma, CA 94954
Many Bright Blessings to you all,
Morning Glory Zell
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Posted on behalf of Oberon by Julie Epona
Just got off the phone with OZ - all of the happy drugs of the anesthesia have worn off. OZ is really beginning to feel the pain and is very uncomfortable. He's asked that your prayers and spells include a lessening of the pain.
MG has arranged a lovely altar at the foot of his bed, which he is using as a focal point during his meditation: Brigit, red roses, a spring bouquet sent by GSW, and a Wizard doll.
The incisions were larger than OZ had thought, and there was a lot of internal cutting involved. OZ's recovery is going very well and on "schedule" - he is still only ingesting ice-chips. He will be on a very limited diet for several weeks.
OZ is still in very good spirits. He wants everyone to know that he couldn't be doing this without your support. He sends a huge Thank You to all of you.
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Posted on behalf of Oberon by Julie Epona
OZ is doing really well. The surgery yesterday went very well.
The surgeon was able to go in with the laproscropic tool between the abdominal muscles, instead of through the muscle tissue, which will facilitate healing and greatly lessen OZ's pain. They removed the growth and surrounding tissue, about 1-ft of intestine, which has all been sent to the lab for pathology testing (results Mon or Tues). The intestine was then stitched together; additionally, they repaired OZ's hernia. OZ does NOT have a colostomy bag, the catheters are now out and he is up and walking about.
He's still experiencing yesterday's drugs, but when I talked with him this afternoon, he said he was pretty sure he would start using the morphine drip soon for the pain around the incision. He is pleasantly surprised with how little pain he is feeling.
As of tonight, all is well. He is beginning to feel uncomfortable, so he is availing himself of the morphine drip. All-in-All OZ is still feeling very positive & upbeat.
OZ wants me to let all of you know that he FEELS the Energy flowing towards him. As he went into surgery, he felt a psychic-euphoria envelope him. The Healing, Support & Love you have sent is making a huge difference for him - he is deeply grateful.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Posted on behalf of Oberon by Julie Epona
Oberon is scheduled for surgery on Friday, August 29, 2008 at 2:30 pm PDT.
Below is a Healing Spell for Oberon written by Lady Pythia, based on an ancient Druidic healing spell that Ellen Evert Hopman provided. Used with permission.
OUT OF THE MARROW, OUT OF THE BLOOD,
OUT OF THE BLOOD AND OUT OF THE FLESH,
OUT OF THE FLESH AND OUT OF THE SKIN,
OUT OF THE SKIN AND OUT OF THE HAIR
OUT OF THE HAIR IT GOES INTO THE EARTH
TURN NOW TO GOOD OH CAULDRON OF BIRTH!
STRENGTH TO OBERON, STRONG BE HIS HEART
BANE CANNOT WITHSTAND OUR SACRED ART
UNTRAMMELED CHANGE, NOW STILL, SOON GONE
AS WE ALL WILL, OUR WORK BE DONE!
BY AIR, FIRE, SEA AND SOIL OF BIRTH
HEAL THIS LOVER OF MOTHER EARTH
GAIA'S CHILD, THIS MAGE OBERON
AS WE WILL OUR WORK BE DONE!
BY THE POWER OF THREE TIMES THREE
BY THE SUN MOON LAND AND SEA
BY THE GODDESS AND HER LOVE
ALL BELOW IS NOW ABOVE
BY THE CHANT OF ONE THIS SPELL'S BEGUN,
BY THE POW'R OF TWO THIS SPELL COMES TRUE
BY THE SPELL OF THREE, SO MOTE IT BE
AN' IT HARM NONE, NOR RETURN UNTO ME
AS WE DO WILL, SO MOTE IT BE!
AS WE DO WILL, SO MOTE IT BE!
AS SHE DOES WILL, SO MOTE IT BE!
Visualize that tumor going to the place of transformation, into the Cauldron of Cerridwen, the Forge of Bridghe; being pulled deep into the magma center of Gaia where its baneful energy is consumed then used to create more Earth! And it is an easy jumping off point to see that viscous center as a Microcosmic Gate of Galactic Center in a Magickal Macroscope.
This is where I and ours would send a Baneful thing--'An it be turned to Good!
Humbly submitted, in Her Service and sending my Brother a remembered kiss for Healing from his Insides out!! Blessed Be dear one!
Lady Pythia
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
To all my dear Friends,
After a bit of concern regarding my surgeon's vacation plans, and the possibility that he wouldn't be able to do this surgery until Sept. 15 when he returns, we got it all worked out today. I've been on a liquid diet all day, and tonight I'll be drinking Citrate of Magnesium. Tomorrow morning (Thurs., 8/28), at 10:00 am, I'll be checking into the Petaluma Valley Hospital in Petaluma, CA, where they'll hook me up to an IV and begin the prep work.
The actual surgery is scheduled for 2:30 pm on Friday, 8/29.My surgeon is Dr. Cesar Veluz, assisted by Dr. Leone. Dr. Niendorf will do the urology stinting (these are stiff rods inserted up the uretors so that the surgeon will be able to find them easily to avoid cutting them during the surgery).
I mention all these names because Eric Silverbear suggested sending energy to my doctors as well as to me. Eric says:
"When the time comes, I think it would be good if we sent energy to the Surgeons. We can ask for them to have clarity, wisdom, skill. We can ask Asclepius for His Divine Guidance. Morning Glory said that we should give the surgeon clarity to visualize, like a map, the anatomy and the cancer, as the procedure with be laproscopic."
Dr. Veluz will be performing a hand-assisted laproscopic resection, taking about a foot out of my lower descending colon to get all of the tumor (which is the size of a ping-pong ball) and surrounding tissue. The laproscope will allow a minimal incision to minimize the possibility of infection.
According to all the pre-op tests, I am incredibly healthy in every way other than this tumor, so we aren't expecting any complications. My heart is in excellent shape, and so are my lungs. My blood pressure and pulse rate are like those of teenager. No other carcinomas appeared in the CAT scan or the ultrasound. And I feel really strong from all the energy I feel being continually poured into me from so very many dear friends all around the world!
Thank you all!
If you will, please have a red or green healing candle burning for me starting at 2:30 pm PDT on Friday, and think of me fondly as being robust and healthy.
The moon will be dark, so you can use that energy to visualize the complete banishment and obliteration of all carcinous cells. Prayers to Aesculapius, Hygeia, Brigit, Isis, and Kwan Yin would be especially appreciated, and add to our own. But I also welcome prayers to any other deities of your own devotions for my healing; I have no quarrel with any pantheons!
Many lovely spells have been written and put forth for my healing; I thank you all, and deeply appreciate all of them! MG and I have printed these out and done them at our own altar. I've posted one that my dear Lady Pythia put together on my Home Page, based on an ancient Druidic healing spell that Ellen Evert Hopman provided. I like this a lot, and would like to offer it as a single unified spell that all who wish may do on Friday. But anyone who has written or prefers other spells is certainly welcome to use them!
Bright Blessings,
Oberon
Sunday, August 17, 2008
The past few nights I have had amazing magickal dreams of healing, which I know have come from the full moon and rolling thunder rites that many of you have been doing for me. Thank you!
And I have been profoundly moved by the outpouring of love and support that has been flowing to me from countless postings on this and other lists I’m on. In particular, of course, the amazing poetry and spells (such as this one) have just blown me away! I print them all out and MG and I have been using them in our own healing rites here.
I have been asked what symptoms I may have exhibited of this affliction…
No symptoms, really. I feel fine, as always. But I went in for a routine annual physical check-up in July (it having been 10 years since my last one), and my doctor found a trace of blood in my rectal exam. He asked if I'd ever had a colonoscopy, and I said no, I never had. So he set me up for one, which was last Tuesday. And that's when they discovered this golfball-sized tumor/lesion. They did a biopsy, and it came back positive for cancer.
I must say, I'm having a hard time assimilating this emotionally. I have always taken my robust good health and physical strength for granted. So many others around me whom I love have had serious health problems (such as Morning Glory's multiple myeloma), that I have taken the position of always being the "tower of strength" that they could rely on, as I have been blessed with consistently excellent health. No one has ever had to worry about me, so I was able to worry about them, and be there for them. How can I expect others who are trying to cope with their own problems to now have to be concerned about mine? I don't want that, and I don’t know how to deal with it.
However, the doctor seems to think that this tumor will be easily removable by taking a foot out of my descending colon, and then I’ll be back to normal. He says it’s less than a year old, and the actual carcinoma tissue is very small. I have an appointment with a good surgeon next Thursday to schedule surgery ASAP. As soon as I have a date for this, I'll let everyone know. The only concern seems to be over the possibility that some of the cancer cells may have escaped the tumor and metastasized into my lymph glands. That’s what the blood work and CAT scan (Computer Axial Tomography) were to determine. Should that be the case, then we'd be looking at radiation and chemotherapy...
So I am calling for all the prayers and healing energies that my many friends can muster to shrink and contain the tumor as much as possible, so that none of the cancer gets out into surrounding tissue or lymph nodes between now and the surgery. And, of course, that the surgery be completely successful, and that I never have a recurrence.
And if you haven’t had a colonoscopy in recent years, I heartily recommend you arrange for one ASAP! I could have gone without this one as I have all my life, and a year from now I could have been dead.
Again, thank you for your love, concern, and prayers!
Bright Blessings,
Oberon
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Dear Friends and Loved Ones,
Yesterday I had a meeting yesterday with my doctor, Stephen Denigris, to discuss the results of the biopsy they did on the golfball-sized tumor (lesion) they discovered during my recent colonoscopy, just two days ago. He says it is indeed cancerous, and colon cancer is aggressive and nasty. However, it is far enough up that it can be surgically removed along with about a foot of my descending colon (left side). He said that it appears to be less than a year old, so the chances of a complete removal of all cancerous tissue are excellent.
The only concern is that some of the cancer cells may have migrated into my lymph nodes, which would be a really serious problem, requiring radiation and chemotherapy. To help determine whether or not this may be the case, they took a few vials of my blood for testing, and tomorrow at 2:45 PM PDT, I am scheduled for a CAT scan. The results of the bloodwork and the CAT scan will be available next Thursday (8/21), when I have an appointment with an abdominal surgeon to discuss upcoming surgery—which we’ll schedule as soon as possible.
The best things about all this so far are that we caught this early enough that it should be completely operable; and at the same time, they’ll be able to repair an abdominal hernia which has been plaguing me for many years.
However, Dr. Denigris also emphasized the importance of prayers and healing energy. Right now, to shrink and contain the tumor as much as possible, so that none of the cancer gets out into surrounding tissue or lymph nodes between now and the surgery. After I get the results of the CAT scan and bloodwork, I’ll let everyone know the status going into surgery. Then I’ll need all the healing energy I can get on the actual day of the surgery to ensure that everything goes perfectly.
Love,
OZ
Copyright © 2008 Oberon Zell, all rights reserved.
Photography by Nemea Arborvitae