I have been busy and I have been lazy. But more busy than lazy. From Monday to Friday, my days are filled with Art Center, Rotary Club, Mentoring students at a school , Picking my grandsons from their schools on different days, painting, etc. etc. Honestly I don’t know where the day goes.

I had bought tickets for Chicago this Thursday, to go back up and see Eunice. Then Saadi informed me that Dave is starting his immunotherapy regimen tomorrow. They will go to Barnes/ Jewish Hospital in St. Louis tomorrow morning to start the treatment. I thought that would be okay, and I could still go up to Chicago on Thursday and return on Saturday, spending three full days with Eunice. On Wednesday of last week Saadi told me that I shouldn’t do anything for her birthday (on the 13th), because on Friday, Dave will be transfused with the harvested cells, and that is supposed to make him nauseous and very tired. She said that her birthday was the last thing she was thinking about. My soul sobbed! While I really wanted to go to see Eunice, I couldn’t ignore my child. So I cancelled my tickets and will stay here, just to support her. I am praying the whole time that this regimen of Immunotherapy will be beneficial for Dave and he will come out of it with good results. If you dear friends, are the praying type, please say a prayer for Dave and for my daughter who is bearing all this ache with such grace and positive outlook. God love her.

As you know I have been painting a lot. It has been very therapeutic for me. So Saadi decided to surprise me and arranged with a Bistro in town to have my paintings displayed there for the month of March. She and a friend took about twenty paintings there on Tuesday, and hung them all up. I am humbled and feel so at loss for words. I am by no means presumptuous at all, and would never have done anything like that by myself. I have been giving my paintings to friends and relatives for their special days etc. But she insisted that I needed to come out of my shy closet and show the town some of my work. So here are some paintings that are displayed at The Park Bench. She has invited a few friends for a luncheon on Wednesday at this place.

You be the judge. For me, the biggest prize and happiness would be to see Dave come out of this treatment with good results.

Talk to you all later. Just be patient with me. Don’t give up on me please. Love you all.

THANK YOU, each one of you for your gracious and generous comments and replies. I talked to Eunice this morning, and she said to thank all of you. I think prayers are powerful, and who knows whose prayer and supplication gets accepted above~! I am really grateful for this outpouring of love.

A few years ago, I had posted about a dear friend of mine, on Xanga. She is the director and chief of Pediatric Nephrology at UIC. (Univ. of Illinois Chicago) She was recognized for her work all over the world. She has either gone to different countries to set up Pediatric Nephrology departments, or has gone there on invitation of the faculties of the universities to be the Key Note Speaker, from St. Petersburg in Russia to Japan and in between, and all over Europe. When she “retired” a few years back, there were world renowned physicians who had traveled to Chicago to come and congratulate her for the contribution she made to the world of science and medicine. I was fortunate to attend that function. Fortunately or unfortunately, Eunice never did retire, because the university just couldn’t accept the fact that she couldn’t help out!

Eunice has always been my role model. She took me under her wings at the medical school, and as a senior by two years, she encouraged me to study and do well. Anytime I tried to procrastinate, she was always there for me with her dimpled smiles, and led me to my Surgery or Medicine bibles!! And when I got homesick, she was there to help me laugh and always took me to some small restaurant and get me food that would be better than the hostel food.

Eunice came from Mangalore, from a simple and unassuming family. She had no brothers, and being the older of the two children, she proved herself as the best of the best. By no means was she a nerdy student. She was so good at sports like throw ball, net ball, badminton and I was always on her team. She would always cheer me when I played tennis.
SO why am I telling so much about my dear friend Eunice?

Last Saturday I received a call from another mutual friend, informing me that Eunice was diagnosed with a very rare cancerous tumor of her adrenal gland. Apparently she was having some discomfort in her right upper abdomen. And she palpated herself and found a lump there. She went to the University GI specialist. After taking scans and images, she underwent a major surgical procedure, lasting almost five or six hours. Her left adrenal gland, her kidney, and part of the pancreas were removed. She was home by the time I came to know about it.

This young beautiful lady, I can never call her old… she was always so young in spirit.—was with me in Ontario California last June when we went for the Alumni Reunion. We traveled together, and roomed together at The Hilton there. Everything was so good, we had such a fantastic time. It boggles my mind that a vibrant lady can go through such a heinous assault on her body by the cancer cells. I have never seen a more selfless and humble lady in my life. She was always giving, always helping and always with her beautiful dimpled smile.

Eunice was in love with a classmate and all of us were sure that they would get married as soon as they graduated. But that didn’t happen. He betrayed her love. She never married or dated anyone after that, and dedicated her life to her niece and nephew and to her patients.

I went to Chicago last week and stayed with her and helped her as much as I could. She was so embarrassed that I had to leave me family to go and be with her and take care of her. I plan to go back again in a week or two and spend couple more days with her, and shall do this until she is totally independent again.

If you are the praying type, please think of her, and hold her in your thoughts. The next few weeks are so critical. The prognosis is grave at best.

Today I received a comment for my birthday, which was on the 11th. The sender is unknown to me. Here are the details. I am somewhat concerned and don't know this person if it is a robot or trying to infiltrate here, or what.

escort milano (IP: 151.65.20.129 , 151.65.20.129)
E-mail : smith@poqas.co.uk
URL    : https://italiaescort.club
Whois  : http://whois.arin.net/rest/ip/151.65.20.129

Many years ago, someone from turkey had got to my xanga page and had left some low beat comments. Of course I deleted and blocked him. I am asking my readers here if any one has heard this name or had any kind of communication with him/her. I have not approved the comment and not sure if I will. Perhaps I should send an email and ask for the bio data/CV!!

The comment just said, happy birthday. But the escort Milano bothers me.

Last year on this day, Google surprised me by having this on its page.

Today, a different photo, but still publishing my birthday on the page! Dang! I feel good! Thank you Google.

That’s it folks! I am going to have a good day it seems!

I have been painting every single day. Having a blast. I have done some with alcohol ink on tiles and Yupo paper also. Some of my paintings are now displayed through the Great River Water Color Society at the local University Library. They are not something you would write home about, but my colleagues think they are pretty good.

Here are a few  of them.

.

In 1978, today…. my son Sayeed was born. I was hoping for him to be born on the 14th, then we would have birthdays of the four of us, on January 11th, September 12th, March 13th and December 14th. But Sayeed loves his sister too much, and decided to have the same date birthday.

I was the pathologist at the hospital, and was feeling some contractions all day while I was in the office. So I decided to go up to the fifth floor, have myself checked, come back downstairs and finish some more work. Finally the Czechoslovakian Obstetrician told me to go upstairs and get admitted.  Mohamed was at the other hospital, and he was informed by the nurses that I had admitted myself.
Sayeed came a few hours later.

What a grand moment that was when I was told that I had a boy. Now I had the best of both the worlds. A beautiful daughter, and a handsome son.

Today he turns 38. here are a few pictures of him.

At age two, blowing out the candles.

Loved trucks— or anything with wheels! ALL THE TIME!

In grade three when he took part in the skip rope marathon. Guess who joined him!! I love this picture of him with me.

He has been the School Board President since 2015. This year was special because he not only delivered the commencement speech again, but he was there to see Noah Aschemann (Saadi’s son) graduate. Here he is speaking to the students and the audience, and in the next photo, hugging Noah as the graduates came up to the stage.

Such a special moment for all of us. I love this picture. And now he is 38 years old.

Just got back from his home after a lovely birthday dinner which Shelley had gone to so much trouble to make.
Happy Birthday Son.