tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5029327156871432372011-04-21T21:38:13.839-07:00Richie Hass died on March 20th, 2008. However, the fight against multiple myeloma and other blood cancers continues. There will be another benefit concert, this time to celebrate Richie's life and music and to fulfill his last wish: a big jam in his honor with as many of his musician friends as can fit onstage. The benefit album from the last concert will also be released eventually: stay tuned.Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comBlogger261100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-73844439843431135932008-04-09T19:50:00.001-07:002008-12-09T01:59:26.078-08:00

For those looking at this on Lynx or are sight-impaired and using a screen scraper program, here's the pertinent details in text:Friends Of Richie IIA celebration of the life of Richie HassSunday, April 27thThe Echoplex1154 Glendale Blvd.Echo Park, CA, USADoors open 4pmMusic starts 4:30pmGig will go from 4:30-11pmLineup:Headliners: Saccharine TrustWithThe ProbeChromoSphereThe Lofty CanaanitesBag:

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-9798605888556013722008-03-21T01:45:00.000-07:002008-03-21T01:45:37.249-07:00

Apparently the relapse hit Richie way harder than we thought it would...the blow was lethal. The fight is now over and Richie went as a warrior. This morning, Richie and I said "see you later" as he went out to City of Hope to get his chemo. He drove there, he drove back, and I got to talk to him when he got home as I was on my way to an important meeting with a specialty employment agency. If it

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-75183867074463259802008-03-14T10:30:00.000-07:002008-03-14T10:42:17.900-07:00

It's back. The remission had a good run, but myeloma is a wily beast that changes its spots regularly.There's an excellent chance of this being beaten down once again with perhaps the same protocol used in induction therapy: Velcade, Doxil and Dextamethasone. The induction therapy was stopped because it was working so well they achieved a remission, not because the therapy had stopped working.I

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-41139687979807151052008-03-06T20:45:00.000-08:002008-03-14T10:45:18.525-07:00

OK, here's what's going on. For the past 5 weeks Richie has been trying to shake the nasty epidemic strain of flu that's been circulating. Apparently it seems like this has given Darth Myeloma the opportunity to emerge. The last few M-spike readings (December, January, February) have been "Trace Band" readings, where there is not enough present to get an accurate level. However, last Thursday's

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-19835982364540543322008-01-07T18:57:00.000-08:002008-01-07T19:07:11.578-08:00

The M-spike is the specific marker for multiple myeloma. It is secreted by mutant plasma cells, and Richie's initial value was close to 9.0. Once the initial Velcade/Doxil/Dextamethasone treatments were given, the M-spike dropped first to around 3.5, then to 1.5, then down below 1.0 to where it's pretty much been since June. In December, the M-spike was down to a point where it's referred to as

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-51389781749675602352007-12-26T20:20:00.000-08:002007-12-26T20:20:46.750-08:00

This is the anniversary of when Richie was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Richie is doing fine...yesterday we took a walk between our house and about 2/3 of the way to the hospital at which Richie was diagnosed, and I was more winded than he was.Two more of our friends were diagnosed with cancer recently. One has a blood cancer that's basically a kissing cousin of what Richie has, the other has

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-91102197539668536172007-11-08T09:00:00.000-08:002007-11-08T09:03:13.501-08:00

Tuesday Richie got some excellent news: he is officially in remission. This time it really, really IS official. Three clear bone marrow biopsies sort of equal remission by most criteria in judging cases of multiple myeloma. They have started him on maintenance therapy: Thalidomide/Dex/baby aspirin + Zometa IV once a month. This will continue for the foreseeable future. Since he only needs the IV

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-58413535256248044762007-10-04T18:55:00.000-07:002007-10-04T19:29:10.188-07:00

Richie went back for his week-after-release checkup, and his numbers remain in normal range. Dr. Forman is very, very happy with his progress, so much so that he told him the next checkup would be in three weeks rather than next week or the week after.I forgot to send Richie with a list of questions from me, but I have Dr. Forman's email somewhere and I should email him my questions.We have a box

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-86530388191574815212007-09-28T07:30:00.000-07:002007-09-28T07:34:57.301-07:00

We're home now. Richie is actually doing better than I am this morning and slept better last night. He got up early this morning and started the van...it sprung to life as if it hadn't been sitting for 3 !/2 weeks.He seems none the worse for the less sanitary conditions here.He will still have to deal with having a "baby immune system" for the next few months. Eventually he'll need to be

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-57738933448700813762007-09-27T09:30:00.000-07:002007-09-27T09:43:42.223-07:00

If you didn't get it, the last entry's subject line was a reference to the song "I Shall Be Released." And today, theoretically, is indeed the day Richie should be released from CoH. Dr. Forman confirmed it, and so have several other staff in the hospital, who have been dropping by and giving their best wishes.Of course, it could be delayed for another day. If it is we're all screwed, because

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-16619998312996257452007-09-25T09:30:00.000-07:002007-09-25T09:32:44.211-07:00

So Richie now has his release date: Thursday.The Hickman Catheter will be removed before that. If there will be a need for maintenance chemo, Richie will get another PICC line. The fact that the Hickman leads directly into the heart, and that he got a mild dose of staph infection at the entry site, suggests that for safety's sake the catheter has got to go. And this is not staph you can get from

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-28988892404294275012007-09-23T08:30:00.000-07:002007-09-23T08:47:47.424-07:00

OK, so maybe the Neupogen worked a little too well. On the 13th day after transplant, Richie's white blood cell count is now at 13. Remember I mentioned that normal is between 4 and 11? Other good stuff: platelets and red blood cells are in normal territory for the first time. The last hurdle before we take Richie home is eating. Richie needs to be able to eat well before they let him go. He will

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-44922289257273782242007-09-22T15:19:00.001-07:002007-09-22T15:19:37.907-07:00

Patient network difficulties made it impossible to post for about a 24-hour period. However, the news that's been awaiting the restoration of the network access is good: Richie's white blood cell count is now in normal range. Thursday he was at 0.2, Friday he was at 2.9, and now he's at 6.6. Normal is between 4 and 11.The last thing he needs to do is to get back the ability to eat real food again

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-79146981525149416842007-09-20T23:30:00.000-07:002007-09-20T23:39:48.628-07:00

Richie has been through the Nadir point and hopefully is coming out the other side. His white blood cell count, although not normal, is on its way up. He's still having problems with mucous tissue inflammation and with a few mouth sores, but those are healing up. He's certainly better than he was when last I wrote here...sorry about being remiss about keeping up the updates.Tomorrow is Richie's

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-52083792489703582932007-09-17T23:55:00.000-07:002007-09-18T00:17:53.870-07:00

The keyboard arrived at exactly 1pm. It's in good shape, it's got 61 working keys, it has a great sampled piano sound, a fully General MIDI compliant sound set plus a bunch of extra sounds. This freed me up to get out to the local Mart Of Evil (it's within walking distance and Target is not, and besides Target is almost as bad with jawboning suppliers and mistreating employees as Wally*World is)

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-69033927527810602902007-09-17T09:30:00.000-07:002007-09-17T09:40:48.684-07:00

It's been a week since the transplant, and Richie is still in that "no fun" time where you get socked by the side-effects of the Melphalan. Richie ran a fever last night, which broke this morning. He is still feeling the sore throat from hell, however, and could only talk in short bursts until his throat got too painful and he had to rest his larynx. However, this is all to be expected in an SCT

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-59070026216578460242007-09-16T08:00:00.000-07:002007-09-16T08:00:06.846-07:00

As much as I had hoped Richie would be spared the worst of the side-effects of a Stem Cell Transplant, he's getting hammered right now. WBC is down to 0.2. He's down platelets and Hemoglobin, so he's going to be getting a pint of blood. Another thing Richie is getting today is more Neupogen. This time it's not being injected, but infused with the rest of the stuff he's getting through the Hickman

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-1258227981589262592007-09-14T14:45:00.000-07:002007-09-14T14:47:36.927-07:00

I'm back at CoH. Richie's energy level is not great, but we managed to do a few laps around the wing before he decided it was time for some rest. His appetite was OK at breakfast time, but not so great at lunch.Tomorrow the protocol indicates he is to receive some Neupogen to kick-start the new bone marrow. As you recall, he had really good responsiveness to the stuff when they were mobilizing

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-81753474436442265442007-09-13T21:30:00.000-07:002007-09-13T21:33:26.022-07:00

Richie sounds really good today. He slept a lot, but after staying up all night with the hiccups some good sleep is just what the doctor ordered. They found something that worked to suppress the hiccup reflex, so sleep came easy for him.Before I called him this evening he was up and around...he walked three times around the wing of the hospital.Tomorrow I go to Duarte. I want to get out of here

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-77207494963076510612007-09-12T05:05:00.000-07:002007-09-12T05:13:16.451-07:00

The hiccups that were a minor concern earlier last night have become a major quality of life issue this morning. Richie can't sleep, I can't sleep because of the worry, and apparently the worst is yet to come. These uneventful days are only precursors to what will happen when his white blood cell count "hits the nadir point." That's expected in 3-5 days.I guess I should say "bring 'em on" because

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-8945147915966386062007-09-11T23:00:00.000-07:002007-09-11T23:00:57.652-07:00

It's 11pm. I'm here at CoH and I am spending the night. Richie is doing OK save for a little nausea (controlled) and the hiccups (still going). The white blood cell counts haven't bottomed out yet. I wonder if they could just stay where they are or climb or something?This is very new to the both of us.

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-7008788415199929902007-09-10T14:00:00.000-07:002007-09-10T14:12:57.992-07:00

I failed to update yesterday because by the time I got home from Duarte it was 9:20pm and I was tired.I visited Richie yesterday, and while the Melphalan was no picnic, he seemed to be in good spirits and well enough to take a little stroll through the wing of the hospital. Yes, he is allowed to get out of his room and walk around, and this is because of the unique design of Helford Clinical

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-20769716439239334632007-09-08T13:30:00.000-07:002007-09-08T13:30:41.397-07:00

Well, I'm at Hass Manor instead of CoH because last night I got almost no sleep. A random guy who identified himself as being from Children's Protective Services tried to gain access to the building through the security gate. I sensed an attempt by someone misrepresenting himself to "socially-engineer" his way into the building. I did not let him in, and called 911 asking if there was a

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-69483410123481379672007-09-07T10:20:00.000-07:002007-09-07T10:23:20.200-07:00

Here's what's going to be happening. Richie is checking in today, and will be "primed" with a saline IV. Tomorrow and the next day he gets high-dose Melphalan which will basically kill the bone marrow. Then on Monday he starts getting his stem cells back. No radiation needed for him, apparently.Dr. Forman said he could bring his guitar and anything else he wanted, so he has his purple Strat, with

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-48507779796338820172007-09-03T21:30:00.000-07:002007-09-03T21:42:51.873-07:00

I don't know why I didn't see this before now, but Richie found this while googling his name:The Friends Of Richie Benefit StoryThe article was written by Scott Heustis, the guy who organized the benefit. The man's an angel. He did a great job and the benefit was a rousing success. We're doing OK now, but any time we have to go out in the heat it's murder. We have some errands to do tonight,

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-502932715687143237.post-36806085406619033282007-08-31T22:45:00.000-07:002007-08-31T22:44:35.477-07:00

I know that City of Hope has pages set up for patients there, but this is easier for me.The idea of this site is so that people can find out, at a glance, what's going on with Richie and his treatment. He's going in for a Stem Cell Transplant on September 7, and hopefully he will have as good of luck with this part of his treatment as he has with the treatments he's had before.Here's the history

Michelle Klein-Hasshttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13379713170249673023noreply@blogger.com