Ina's First Post

Hallelujah! Herbie is home from the hospital! Small steps. Isn't it amazing how little things suddenly mean so much?

And speaking of meaning, I can't even tell you how meaningful the 35 calls an hour and 275 emails a day have been to both of us. I also appreciate so much your understanding that at this point in time I can't talk to each of you. Here is the scoop, Wednesday night a week ago we were enjoying dinner with our dear friends from New Jersey. At 11:00 the same night we were in the hospital. By Friday morning we had a confirmed diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. It has yet to be staged and we don't know what the treatment course will be yet for sure. We're going for a laparoscopy a week from tomorrow and will know better at that point.

Herbie is a real trouper and is convinced that this originated from a knish he ate in Brooklyn when he was fourteen years old. Thank God he hasn't lost his sense of humor but I continue to search for mine.

The hospital was nothing short of spectacular and I thank God for our dearest friend, Mark Israel, who is head of the world class Cancer Center at Dartmouth and has been on the phone with me five times a day, while on vacation. He has made sure we have only the best of everything including the most outstanding physicians, which is all we can ask for. We're very comforted by having him on our team.

I was so lucky that Stephen and his awsome wife, Liora ran up here within hours and never left my side for four days. I couldn't have handled it without them and their warmth. Steve has been my rock through this whole thing and is teaming up with my incredible son in law Marc to make sure that we have had second opinions from no less than the head of the National Cancer Institute, Stephen Rosenberg, who is a dear friend of Arthur and Linda Schwartz. Those two boys have lifted a huge weight from my shoulders and have let me concentrate on looking "cool" and relaxed for Herbie.

Leslie has been my inspiration because of her strength and has taught me the mantra "hour by hour" as the way to handle a difficult situation. I am in awe of her psychic abilities; she manages to call just when I need to talk to her. I still can't figure out how she knows. She has also fixed me up with house keepers and shrinks - both very necessary at this point in time. I adore that child.

What can i say about Suze that I have not already said a million times? She makes us laugh, and who doesn't need that at this time? Oh, and she. is currently standing over my shoulder with a gun saying "write it, Mom, so that your friends know how you are..." She has brought the "three Texans" (austin, tyler and cooper) with her, plus, as only Suze can do, a girl she met on the street last week. She did a makeover on this wonderful stranger on the Today show and then asked her: How would you like to come to Vermont with me next week? So now Bree is here, this beautiful Australian girl who all three boys have a crush on and we are thrilled to have the extra set of hands. She continues to tell us she is going for "world domination" and although I have no idea what that means, I'm very happy she's saying it from here.

Marc , who is on his way as I write this, has taken this situation on his own shoulders and proceeded in ways I could never have fathomed. He's put his business acumen to something as amorphous as a disease. How he does it, I don't know. I only know I'm glad he does. As with Liora, I feel so lucky to have him in our family and I can't wait to see him later this afternoon.

So many of you have asked how you can help me. The best way, for now, is to understand why I"m not calling you back and use this blog for the updates that I wish I could give each of you in person. For now, no surprise visits, please.

And thank you so much Deb, for setting this blog up and for your post, that says it all.

I love you all. But you knew that.

Ina