It's been almost a year since my last post on this blog and I am sure that no one is still checking to see if anything new has been posted. So, I've decided to revive it for a new and different purpose. Maybe someone will find it and read it, but mostly I'm just writing for myself. If you do happen to come across it feel free to comment.
Last September (2010), I was diagnosed with a urothelial tumor in my left kidney. I had my kidney removed and hoped that the surgery would cure the problem. Within a few weeks I was up and about--about 30 pounds lighter and with a big scar on my belly--but otherwise no worse for wear. However, recently I discovered that the cancer has now manifested itself as multiple tumors in my bladder. Obviously, this new development ups the ante considerably.
Next week I'm off for a consult at the GenitoUrinary department at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, the same hospital where my late wife, Helen, was treated for breast cancer for almost seven years, a place that, I fervently hoped, I would never see the inside of again. Having confronted death by cancer in people I loved on several occasions, I have developed some pretty definite notions as to how one ought to deal with the challenge of this life-threatening disease. We'll see if I'm up to it now that it's my turn.
My plan is to post ongoing reports on my journey through life as a cancer patient--a journey I've observed from close quarters but never before from the inside. I hope this will be helpful for me, and, if anyone ever reads this, for my readers.
Showing posts with label Houston. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Houston. Show all posts
Thursday, May 19, 2011
Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Craig
Last week former Houston Congressman Craig Washington was charged with aggravated assault, a felony.
Craig, who is one of the best trial lawyers I've ever seen, was one of a group of talented young minority and liberal white politicians who came to power in Houston in the 1970s, as the result of the enfranchisement of blacks and the political upheaval of the sixties. Washington, Mickey Leland, Barbara Jordan, Ben Reyes, Fred Hofheinz, Kathy Whitmire, and Lance Lalor all represented, in their individual ways, significant change from the old days in which Houston was controlled by a small group of Downtown businessmen, who literally met in a hotel room every week to decide the city's fate.
The careers of every one of these insurgents, except for Barbara Jordan, ended at a relatively young age, often in disgrace, or at least without having achieved the great things once expected of them. In Craig's case, it was clear that his downfall was ultimately accomplished because he crossed the Downtown crowd by voting against the funding of the space station, a sacred cow in Houston. The local establishment instigated a successful primary challenge by Sheila Jackson Lee, a city council member who was notable primarily for the number of times she had run for office unsuccessfully.
In his heyday, Craig Washington was the Barack Obama of Houston: a smart attractive figure who appealed to white liberals as much as he did to African Americans. I hope that he can overcome his current difficulties.
Craig, who is one of the best trial lawyers I've ever seen, was one of a group of talented young minority and liberal white politicians who came to power in Houston in the 1970s, as the result of the enfranchisement of blacks and the political upheaval of the sixties. Washington, Mickey Leland, Barbara Jordan, Ben Reyes, Fred Hofheinz, Kathy Whitmire, and Lance Lalor all represented, in their individual ways, significant change from the old days in which Houston was controlled by a small group of Downtown businessmen, who literally met in a hotel room every week to decide the city's fate.
The careers of every one of these insurgents, except for Barbara Jordan, ended at a relatively young age, often in disgrace, or at least without having achieved the great things once expected of them. In Craig's case, it was clear that his downfall was ultimately accomplished because he crossed the Downtown crowd by voting against the funding of the space station, a sacred cow in Houston. The local establishment instigated a successful primary challenge by Sheila Jackson Lee, a city council member who was notable primarily for the number of times she had run for office unsuccessfully.
In his heyday, Craig Washington was the Barack Obama of Houston: a smart attractive figure who appealed to white liberals as much as he did to African Americans. I hope that he can overcome his current difficulties.
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