Dear Friends,
I have mentioned in previous postings the writings of one author who called cancer, "The Emperor of All Maladies." That is the motivation behind today's post title. While I have made great progress under the care of Dr. Matthew Taylor, the empire has struck back and I have a tumor growing in my belly that has the potential to create a blockage. Therefore, Dr. Taylor has enlisted Surgical Oncologist Dr. John Vetto to perform a second surgery on December 18th at OHSU. They are confident that this will buy us some more time to consider other treatment options. This is a preventative surgery before the blockage occurs. I may not be able to be home for Christmas, but Hannah said, "Dad, Christmas is wherever we are." A beautiful sentiment.
I am hopeful that this will lead us in another direction that will stem the growth and development of existing and new tumors. Melanoma is a sneaky enemy. New treatments are out now that were not available when I began my cancer journey two years ago. That said, I have asked God, and am asking you, to continue to be involved in my treatment and potential healing. Your positivism and loving care have made such a huge difference for me on the path I have travelled. The experience would have been so much more frightening without you! Thank you for caring!
On a practical matter, I am asking any of you who are interested to go immediately to willkeim.com
and order your copy(ies) of the Special Limited Edition of "The Tao of Christ: The Way of Love for A World of Hurt." I only printed 500 copies and they will be signed, and numbered. My children have said that they will mail them but I think we need to have your orders by December 17th. Cost is $39.95 per copy. The books are on their way here right now and I know they will be a great Christmas present for you and or your friends. I know this may seem like a mundane matter compared to cancer surgery but it gives me something else to do and think about. I appreciate your support and interest in my work and only encourage you not to put this off.
Blessings and love!
Will Keim
Thursday, December 10, 2015
Wednesday, December 2, 2015
'Tis The Season!
Dear Friends,
Season's greetings to you from our home. It is always amazing how fast this time of the year seems to go once we celebrate Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then BAM!, Christmas. Many of our friends will begin their Hanukkah celebration at sundown on December 6th, some the beginning of Kwanzaa on December 26th, but everyone has the opportunity to remember the blessings of family, friends, and faith. We all, regardless of tradition, pause to remember those that are disenfranchised from their family, friends, and faith. This can be a very lonely time of the year for them, especially the children.
I want to talk to you about two things today. The first is my health report card, and the second is an opportunity to provide your family and friends with a unique and personal seasonal gift that will also be a blessing to our family. First the health report card...
This week I return to OHSU's Knight Cancer Center for a CT Scan Friday that will track my 'unruly cells' growth and development. I have had a couple of areas, masses, or tumors depending on the vernacular, growing slowly despite the two drugs I am on. For the most part I have been feeling very well and my energy level has been good. I hit a high of 14.1 on the hemoglobin scale which put me in the normal range. A far cry from the 5.6 which put me in the "Wow, how are you not passing out?" area of the scale when this all began. Monday I will return to Portland for my eye test with Dr. Gupta, and then my meeting with Dr. Matthew Taylor. He has been in dialogue with Novartis, the sponsor of my Clinical Trial, about adding a third 'investigational' drug to my cancer cocktail. I mean what I am about to say with my whole heart...I pray to Sweet Jesus every night that these drugs will shrink my tumors and even, with the Grace of God and the Power of the Holy Spirit, heal me. But if I knew that they wouldn't, but the information gained from this trial would save one child or family member from going through what my wife and children have gone through, then it would be worth it. Remember an earlier lesson cancer taught me, and I hope you...Cancer is a family disease housed in one person. I am the host but I am far from the only one in my family impacted by the 'Emperor of All Maladies'; that is, cancer. A friend asked me, "How does it feel to be a guinea pig?" I said, "I always thought they were kind of cute!" Your thoughts and prayers have sustained me, bolstered me, and accompanied me in the middle of the night when the Dark Voice tried to creep in, and I ask and urge you to continue them on my behalf.
Secondly, I want to share with you what I hope you will find to be a wonderful gift idea for friends, family, or even yourself that will also help the Keim family as we move forward with our lives. A little background and another lesson from cancer first. Every cancer host will know exactly what I am saying and I hope this lesson will help the rest of you understand us. When the Doctor says, "You have cancer.", you immediately think you are going to die next Friday. Especially in my case when he added, "Your cancer is fatal, there is no cure." I immediately heard Bill Murray in Scrooged, when he saw the man frozen that he had refused to help, saying, "Hey, throw me a bone here, man!" Because I am a sick and twisted guy, I also heard Rodney Dangerfield in my head saying, "Can I get a second opinion?" Then Dangerfield's Doctor said, "Sure, and you're fat too." You laugh or cry, and sometimes both in a single instant.
I was also reminded of Paul's letter in the New Testament to the Church at Thessalonica. It seems the people there were so sure that Jesus would return immediately that they just sat back and put everything on hold. Paul's letter advised them that God works on His own time schedule and that they should plant their crops, and tend their sheep, just in case the Lord didn't return next Friday. And so it was with me and cancer. Though it is no secret that my speeches are deeper, richer, and more focused than ever before, fewer people are calling now to have me speak, except locally, where I speak at no fee for community service. I think they are trying to be respectful of what they believe is my shrinking time with family and I appreciate that deeply. Some even think I am already gone. Remember the journal entries regarding, "I thought you were dead." from a college friend, and "Will you still be here in September?" Like the Thessalonians, my family and I still need to eat, sleep, and go on with our lives. That is where my dear friend, former protege and mentee, and current colleague Curtis Zimmerman comes in.
Curtis has been very direct with me in telling me that this is the time when he and others whom I have impacted can return the favor to our family. For those of you who do not know him, he is an amazing man, a Father, Husband, and former Universal Studios and Carnival Cruise Lines Entertainer of the Year. He is a bestselling author, a man of faith, the Principal and Founder of the Zimmerman Group. I never met anyone like him and the early family dysfunction and learning disabilities that this man has overcome are Mount Denali like in their scope. He was a mime for 25 years and when I met him he wanted to begin to tell his story using words but had received advice that because he didn't have a college education, he would not be able to speak on college or corporate campuses. I listened to him once and told him he could speak anywhere he wanted as his message "Learning to Fail Successfully, and Living Life at Performance Level" were as good as anything I had ever seen. Thousands of campuses and hundreds of corporations proved me right. The man has a gift and one of them is getting up in my grill and convincing me to provide others with an opportunity to help me as I have helped others.
Curtis is now mentoring me on a national plan to have my books made available to high school and college students across America and Canada with individual and corporate funding. We will make a national announcement about that plan soon. For now, I am pleased to offer a Special Edition of my book 'The Tao of Christ: The Way of Love for a World of Hurt' for this holiday season. This is my favorite of the books I have written because it integrates and introduces the reader to the beauty of the 'Lessons of The Tao' by Lao Tzu and the 'Parables' of Jesus of Nazareth. They are at once eloquent, ancient, and relevant to modern life.The Tao says, "The oceans are greater than the rivers and the lakes not because it exalts itself over them, but because it is lower, and as such, all life runs into it." Jesus counsels, "The first shall be last, and the last shall be first. Blessed are the meek." You will be inspired, amazed, and in wonder about how two writings offered 2500 years apart could be so in synch and applicable to today. The Tao advises, "Governing a country is like cooking a small fish. Too much poking around will ruin it.", and "Knowledge of others is information. Knowledge of self is true power." Jesus encourages, "Love your neighbor as you love your self.", and "Don't judge others, for in the end, you will receive the same judgement."
I have printed 500 Special Limited Edition copies of The Tao of Christ: The Way of Love for a World of Hurt now available at $39.95 which includes shipping, numbering (1/500, 2/500 etc.) and a personal message as requested by you. I would encourage you to order them at willkeim.com, see the Shop or Store area, where you can utilize your credit card. I can also take phone orders at 541-740-1318 using the secure Square. ***In either case, please send me a text, or email at willkeim@willkeim.com telling me where you want the book shipped and with what message. If you do not email or text, I will sign the book to you with a message from me directed to you. There are only 500 copies so please act today! I would appreciate your order by December 18th at the latest so that I can ship them out on the 19th and get them to their destination by Christmas. A special thank you to Curtis for prodding and pushing me. Frankly, we need the income, the book is great, and I thank you in advance for your friendship and patronage.
Thank you all for your continue interest in my journey. It would have been unbearable alone. I give you my love and friendship as you have extended yours to me! Blessings,
Will Keim
Season's greetings to you from our home. It is always amazing how fast this time of the year seems to go once we celebrate Halloween, then Thanksgiving, then BAM!, Christmas. Many of our friends will begin their Hanukkah celebration at sundown on December 6th, some the beginning of Kwanzaa on December 26th, but everyone has the opportunity to remember the blessings of family, friends, and faith. We all, regardless of tradition, pause to remember those that are disenfranchised from their family, friends, and faith. This can be a very lonely time of the year for them, especially the children.
I want to talk to you about two things today. The first is my health report card, and the second is an opportunity to provide your family and friends with a unique and personal seasonal gift that will also be a blessing to our family. First the health report card...
This week I return to OHSU's Knight Cancer Center for a CT Scan Friday that will track my 'unruly cells' growth and development. I have had a couple of areas, masses, or tumors depending on the vernacular, growing slowly despite the two drugs I am on. For the most part I have been feeling very well and my energy level has been good. I hit a high of 14.1 on the hemoglobin scale which put me in the normal range. A far cry from the 5.6 which put me in the "Wow, how are you not passing out?" area of the scale when this all began. Monday I will return to Portland for my eye test with Dr. Gupta, and then my meeting with Dr. Matthew Taylor. He has been in dialogue with Novartis, the sponsor of my Clinical Trial, about adding a third 'investigational' drug to my cancer cocktail. I mean what I am about to say with my whole heart...I pray to Sweet Jesus every night that these drugs will shrink my tumors and even, with the Grace of God and the Power of the Holy Spirit, heal me. But if I knew that they wouldn't, but the information gained from this trial would save one child or family member from going through what my wife and children have gone through, then it would be worth it. Remember an earlier lesson cancer taught me, and I hope you...Cancer is a family disease housed in one person. I am the host but I am far from the only one in my family impacted by the 'Emperor of All Maladies'; that is, cancer. A friend asked me, "How does it feel to be a guinea pig?" I said, "I always thought they were kind of cute!" Your thoughts and prayers have sustained me, bolstered me, and accompanied me in the middle of the night when the Dark Voice tried to creep in, and I ask and urge you to continue them on my behalf.
Secondly, I want to share with you what I hope you will find to be a wonderful gift idea for friends, family, or even yourself that will also help the Keim family as we move forward with our lives. A little background and another lesson from cancer first. Every cancer host will know exactly what I am saying and I hope this lesson will help the rest of you understand us. When the Doctor says, "You have cancer.", you immediately think you are going to die next Friday. Especially in my case when he added, "Your cancer is fatal, there is no cure." I immediately heard Bill Murray in Scrooged, when he saw the man frozen that he had refused to help, saying, "Hey, throw me a bone here, man!" Because I am a sick and twisted guy, I also heard Rodney Dangerfield in my head saying, "Can I get a second opinion?" Then Dangerfield's Doctor said, "Sure, and you're fat too." You laugh or cry, and sometimes both in a single instant.
I was also reminded of Paul's letter in the New Testament to the Church at Thessalonica. It seems the people there were so sure that Jesus would return immediately that they just sat back and put everything on hold. Paul's letter advised them that God works on His own time schedule and that they should plant their crops, and tend their sheep, just in case the Lord didn't return next Friday. And so it was with me and cancer. Though it is no secret that my speeches are deeper, richer, and more focused than ever before, fewer people are calling now to have me speak, except locally, where I speak at no fee for community service. I think they are trying to be respectful of what they believe is my shrinking time with family and I appreciate that deeply. Some even think I am already gone. Remember the journal entries regarding, "I thought you were dead." from a college friend, and "Will you still be here in September?" Like the Thessalonians, my family and I still need to eat, sleep, and go on with our lives. That is where my dear friend, former protege and mentee, and current colleague Curtis Zimmerman comes in.
Curtis has been very direct with me in telling me that this is the time when he and others whom I have impacted can return the favor to our family. For those of you who do not know him, he is an amazing man, a Father, Husband, and former Universal Studios and Carnival Cruise Lines Entertainer of the Year. He is a bestselling author, a man of faith, the Principal and Founder of the Zimmerman Group. I never met anyone like him and the early family dysfunction and learning disabilities that this man has overcome are Mount Denali like in their scope. He was a mime for 25 years and when I met him he wanted to begin to tell his story using words but had received advice that because he didn't have a college education, he would not be able to speak on college or corporate campuses. I listened to him once and told him he could speak anywhere he wanted as his message "Learning to Fail Successfully, and Living Life at Performance Level" were as good as anything I had ever seen. Thousands of campuses and hundreds of corporations proved me right. The man has a gift and one of them is getting up in my grill and convincing me to provide others with an opportunity to help me as I have helped others.
Curtis is now mentoring me on a national plan to have my books made available to high school and college students across America and Canada with individual and corporate funding. We will make a national announcement about that plan soon. For now, I am pleased to offer a Special Edition of my book 'The Tao of Christ: The Way of Love for a World of Hurt' for this holiday season. This is my favorite of the books I have written because it integrates and introduces the reader to the beauty of the 'Lessons of The Tao' by Lao Tzu and the 'Parables' of Jesus of Nazareth. They are at once eloquent, ancient, and relevant to modern life.The Tao says, "The oceans are greater than the rivers and the lakes not because it exalts itself over them, but because it is lower, and as such, all life runs into it." Jesus counsels, "The first shall be last, and the last shall be first. Blessed are the meek." You will be inspired, amazed, and in wonder about how two writings offered 2500 years apart could be so in synch and applicable to today. The Tao advises, "Governing a country is like cooking a small fish. Too much poking around will ruin it.", and "Knowledge of others is information. Knowledge of self is true power." Jesus encourages, "Love your neighbor as you love your self.", and "Don't judge others, for in the end, you will receive the same judgement."
I have printed 500 Special Limited Edition copies of The Tao of Christ: The Way of Love for a World of Hurt now available at $39.95 which includes shipping, numbering (1/500, 2/500 etc.) and a personal message as requested by you. I would encourage you to order them at willkeim.com, see the Shop or Store area, where you can utilize your credit card. I can also take phone orders at 541-740-1318 using the secure Square. ***In either case, please send me a text, or email at willkeim@willkeim.com telling me where you want the book shipped and with what message. If you do not email or text, I will sign the book to you with a message from me directed to you. There are only 500 copies so please act today! I would appreciate your order by December 18th at the latest so that I can ship them out on the 19th and get them to their destination by Christmas. A special thank you to Curtis for prodding and pushing me. Frankly, we need the income, the book is great, and I thank you in advance for your friendship and patronage.
Thank you all for your continue interest in my journey. It would have been unbearable alone. I give you my love and friendship as you have extended yours to me! Blessings,
Will Keim
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