My scan was supposed to take place the Friday after Thanksgiving. Chris and I were supposed to go to San Diego for the night, but we made plans and God laughed. Friday morning, the radiology department called, and the PET scan machine broke down. James also wasn’t feeling well, and then I got a text message from my friend Ernest’s sister that he had passed away. That Friday was a hard day.

Ernest was a part of my LA ALKies group. He was the same age as me and lived a cool life. He was an officer in an Army infantry unit, and then he started a tech company that incorporated concerts in virtual reality. He lived in West Hollywood with his sister, Iris, who was his caregiver. 

After we met for the first time this summer, we made plans to go to dinner. Of course, dinner on a weeknight with young kids is hard, so I unfortunately kept putting it off. We touched base, always checking in on each other. He was admitted to the hospital a few months ago, and I went to visit and bring him and Iris lasagna. Ernest had what we call ‘bad ALK.’ It’s when your cancer mutates quickly, and you run through all the meds. During the summer, he was on oxygen, having just finished a round of chemo and found out he had a MET amplification. He was having a tough time with lung cancer. Another healthy, active non-smoker.

He passed away about 18 months after his diagnosis, on October 17, the twins’ birthday, in Houston at MD Anderson, the hospital his primary oncologist was in. He is my first friend to die. People in the Facebook group have died, but Ernest was someone I counted as a real friend. I had no idea he was dying, but I don’t think he did either. Ernest thought his cancer was a setback, and his complications were just minor roadblocks. He had floor seats at a Taylor Swift concert in September. He lived and loved life.

Here is the link to his obituary: Ernest’s Obituary. 

Please read about him and his incredible life. My only sadness is that I didn’t get more time together. I know we would have been such good friends. May his memory be a blessing and bring comfort to those who loved and cared for him.

My PET scan was a week ago, and I got the results back last Saturday. Stable, as before. I have slight inflammation in the lower left lung, which is a part of the small amount of lung damage I have. I am lucky because it’s small. It always feels better when I breathe hard and work out. It doesn’t hurt; it’s just a tightness in the area. I’ll take it. It really doesn’t bother me. I am switching my scans to every 4 months now, per the suggestion of my oncologist, Dr. Andan. So I continue on…

The LA ALKies, this past summer. Ernest is the man in the hat.