Kirk Update - 9.22.08

Greetings everyone,

I've gotten some emails and voicemails the past couple of days looking for an update on Kirk. Sorry that I haven't sent this out sooner, but honestly I've heard absolutely NOTHING from Kirk's mother. Her voicemail is 'full' and I don't know how else to contact her. I had asked that she call me with any news, but I'm sure she is more than a little stressed with working in Marietta and driving to Jacksonville when she can.

That being said, I believe Jacksonville is where Kirk is at the moment. He was looking into treatment at Emory in Atlanta, but in the end they decided that they should stick with his doctors in Jacksonville. I haven't been able to reach anyone to find out about visitation, etc. I think the doctors' plan is to try and do something and see what works or shows any improvement and keep modifying their strategy as they go. I don't think any of them are sure about much at the moment, but Deborah has heard "it doesn't look good' from many of them.

When things look grim I take a great deal of comfort in the fallibility and inaccuracy of our oncologists and cancer medicine. Which sounds like a very pessimistic way of taking comfort, I know. Maybe we'll call it comfort in the acceleration of cancer treatments. We generally seem to know much more today than we did yesterday whether or not what we know is much at all.

I think most of you were there in the summer of 2004 when this hot mess started (and for those of you who weren't I've got some pictures of Kirk's dreadlocks to show you). At the time of the surgery his doctors gave Kirk an expiration date of 12 months. Of course that was not the first expiration date I've seen Kirk blatantly ignore (ba dum, ching). I remember sitting in the waiting room with Deborah and telling her something to the effect of "These doctors are the same guys that not too long ago were putting leeches on people. I wouldn't put $1 on any date they tell you. I know they're working hard, but in the end they're only the best guessers we've got when it comes to this." Or as the 60 year old woman that cuts my hair most eloquently puts it "Ain't nobody know shit about shit when it comes to cancer."

My point being, that I'm glad they're doing everything they can for Kirk. The Mayo clinic down there is moving faster on the subject of cancer than most anyone else in the country. Possibly the world. And the stuff they get to try out on Kirk's young body, no one really has enough experience with to give any certain answers. Obviously things don't look awesome, but I don't think much of "it doesn't look good". It didn't look good 4 years ago either and that kid is still around. Walking straight lines unassisted and running his mouth when his doctors can't seem to figure out how he's doing it.

So, I've got a big ol' XL Kangol hanging on that and I invite you all to do the same. Hopefully I will have heard something...anything...soon. And you guys will know as soon as I do. Then we can all figure out when to get with Kirk and make with the hugs, sour patch kids and orange tic tacs. ; )

-John