Good morning. For those who don’t know me, my name is Joey, and I am Joe’s oldest son. On behalf of my mother, and our entire family—including Dad’s eight children and his sixteen grandchildren—I want to thank you for being here to honor a man who was the bedrock of our lives. […]
I wanted to share an update on my father’s health and cancer journey. Over the past six months, his health has declined significantly due to the progression of aggressive cancer and Parkinson’s disease. Since his last reflection on March 8th, his condition has reached an advanced stage; he is now confined to his home under […]
My neurologist recently increased my dopamine dosage to mitigate my Parkinson’s symptoms; next week, I will double it again. While I haven’t noticed a significant reduction in symptoms myself, others have mentioned that my posture is more upright. On the positive side, my appetite has increased and my digestion has improved. To manage the swelling […]
My sisters, Barbara and Audrey, visited recently. They took Stephanie and me out to eat and spent quality time with us. That time meant everything to us during this difficult period—one you truly can’t imagine. During their stay, they purchased an iPad for me to help me artificially speak words and phrases. Because of it, […]
Television watching helps fill the void during the day. Remarkable among programs is the BBC’s Call the Midwife, a look at the British socialized medicine, a retrospective since the 1940s delivering many babies among the poor dock workers and their families. The Anglican nuns play a vital role at Nonnatus House and go deeply into […]
On Friday, I met with my movement neurologist, Dr. Julie Kurek, and she diagnosed my symptoms as parkinsonism’s, and may be reduced by dopamine as prescribed by Dr. Kurek. As it stands, I have three infusions of Keytruda and Oxipilatin, on hold as of now, as the dopamine seeks to reduce symptoms of Parkinson’s. It’s […]
On Thursday, my oncologist agreed to stop Keytruda and prescribed steroids to address parkinsonian-like symptoms. Today, after eating a bowl of instant flavored oatmeal, I took ten steroid pills to equal 40 mg for the first of four doses in hopes of reversing the symptoms of Parkinson’s, including mask-type facial expressions, unsteady gait, and hunched […]
Monday, I met with my ENT, who examined my vocal cords, which he deemed normal, and concluded this was a neurological problem. I need to be totally candid with you. Since starting chemo and immunotherapy, my face has developed a mask-like look, so I have to force even a slight smile. In addition, when eating, […]
Monday, I received my third chemo and immunotherapy infusion and two weeks of chemo pills. The nausea and loss of appetite was intense than ever, to be expected at this phase. Flavored oatmeal and cheese grits are what I can tolerate. I expect this to subside some, the third week after chemo, when I can […]
On Thursday, my oncologist shared with me the results of a recent CT scan, which revealed a shrinkage of a lot of the tumors, which was a good sign after only two chemo treatments. In fact, the shrinkage caused the stent which was placed in my esophagus to permit swallowing to drop to my stomach. […]
A cradle Catholic, growing up in the deep south in the 1950’s and 60’s, Joe Herzberg has been a lifelong student of his faith, which included three of his teen years at St. John Vianney Seminary in Savannah, Georgia…
Good morning. For those who don’t know me, my name is Joey, and I am Joe’s oldest son. On behalf of my mother, and our entire family—including Dad’s eight children and his sixteen grandchildren—I want to thank you for being here to honor a man who was the bedrock of our lives. […]
Joe Herzberg