October 13, 2003, I underwent a tonsillectomy and biopsies in other areas on the left side of my throat, due to a lump that was found by my primary care physician. It was diagnosed as cancer and surgery was performed to remove the infected lymph nodes and some muscle on the left side of my neck, on October 27. On December 8, I started radiation treatments on my throat.

On January 21, I went for my thirtieth of thirty-three radiation treatments, but the doctor told me that I needed to check into the hospital, instead. She took me to the Emergency Room, to be admitted and they took vital signs. Suddenly, I was put on oxygen and told that I had to be sent to another local hospital, because they weren't equipped to handle my needs.

On the fifteen minute ambulance ride, I tried to get the paramedic to have the driver turn on the lights and siren, to make the ride more exciting, but she wouldn't do it. At the same time, my girlfriend, Heather, and my primary care doctor were being called and told that I probably wouldn't live through the night.

I recall being taken into my room and IV's started. The next thing I was aware of was that, when I woke up, I was very weak and I was taken for a bath and dressing change. For the next couple of days, I wondered why everyone kept saying, "You look great," whenever they saw me. There was a mirror in the room and I saw some of the damage that had been done to my skin from my face to my legs, by Steven-Johnson Syndrome. I didn't look great, at all.. When one of the doctors mentioned how much better I looked than when he had seen me nine days before. I remind him that I'd only been there less than a week.. When I mentioned this to Heather, she told me that this was my second week in the hospital. Even now, I have no memory of the first week, whatsoever. The nurses said it was due to some of the medications I'd been given, during the first week.

I was in the hospital for fifteen days and was discharged only because Heather, who lives over three hundred miles away. had arranged to stay in Grand Rapids to take care of me, for the first two weeks. Arrangements had been made to have the food for my feeding tube, the pump and other supplies delivered the evening that I came home. The nurse instructed Heather in handling all of that because I wasn't alert enough to follow her instructions...or to do it, at that time. Heather took very good care of me during the time she was here and made sure I understood how to handle everything before she left. I didn't realize how much help she'd actually been, until I had to do everything for myself. It wasn't until that two weeks that Heather was with me, that I understood everything I'd gone through. She told me of the phone call from the doctor, and how she'd called the Burn Center before I even arrived. I was most impressed with their treatment of Heather because she had called every hour on the hour, during that first night and day and they, in her words, were, "Wonderful with me."

After the first couple of hours, they told her that there was no reason for her to rush over, so she could take care of obligations at home, before coming to Michigan. Whenever she called, if they hadn't seen me recently, they'd check on me, and let her know how I was doing. They even gave the 800 number, to the desk, so that she didn't have to pay long distance charges. When I went back for a follow up appointment, I was greeted warmly by all of the staff who saw me come in. Those who hadn't seen me arrive, dropped by the examination room to see how I was doing and to say, "Hello." It was the same extra caring and concern that I'd received as a patient, in their care.

Realizing that they had literally brought me from Death's Door, to recovering as well as I had been, I wanted to show my gratitude in a way that acknowledged them forever. On March 29, I dedicated one of my favorite paintings, "Incongruity," to the Burn Center staff who had treated me. [ Full story... ]

May 1995, I had been suffering from Interstitial Cystitis and reoccurring yeast infections. I went to my urologist to see about the IC. I happened to mention to him that I thought the yeast infections were making the IC worse. He told me that we would take care of the yeast first and then tackle the IC. He put me on a 28 day---100mg a day dose of Diflucan. Diflucan is a by-mouth yeast infection drug. (Come to find out later, I should have been given 1 - 150 mg. pill!) I took Diflucan, 15 pills, over 18 days. Below is the account of what happened next. [ Full story... ]

Once again the SJS Foundation participated in the Westminster Fair, located in Westminster, Colorado. Our Awareness booth was a huge success. The Government Proclamations were displayed as well as SJS photos and information on 3 display boards. We distributed over 500 SJS Fact sheets from 10 AM until 5:00PM. It was a long day but well worth the time. SJS survivors Amit Khatri, Penn Street and Julie McCawley volunteered their time to help pass out information. One woman knew a little girl in California that is a member of our support group. Many people stopped and asked questions and thanked us for being there. Special thanks to the volunteers that helped to man the booth. We couldn't have done it without you!
To see the slide show of Volunteers in Westminster Fair 2004 [ Click here ]

Thanks to Christopher Simpson and the Knights of York for their generous donation to the Give a Kid a Hug Fund. Thanks to their generosity we have been able to purchase SJS Teddy Bears to send to our littlest SJS victims. These 20 inch bears are made of soft material and are very huggable. Each bear wears an SJS T-shirt with the light house logo on the front and we also send a handmade fleece blanket for them to wrap themselves in for a hug from the SJS Foundation.

We need your help! The SJS Foundation has been offered a great fundraising deal through Home and Garden Party. We will be selling 10 oz. jar candles.

If the customer buys:
1 candle....the price is $8.00
2 candles....the price is $7.00 each
3 or more candles....the price is $6.00 each

These 10 oz. jar candles have a 50-hour burn time. They are fully wicked and scented from top to bottom and provide a nice, even surface burn, not to mention a wonderful fragrance! There are a total of 18 fragrances available, and they make wonderful gifts!

Please contact us by email at sjsupport@aol.com If you would like to participate. We will then send you Pamphlets and order forms and SJS Fact sheets. This is a great way to raise funds and awareness into SJS. We appreciate your help in this worthwhile cause.

Special Thank You from SJS Foundation.