Giants Fumble Recovery

It’s been a month since the Giants won Superbowl XLVI, and 72 days since my first clean PET/CT scan since my July 2010 diagnosis. I just had my first four-week gap between Chemo treatments so I could spend the kids’ winter vacation with them free from the clutches of Chemo recovery. 

Ironically, it was again the day after treatment that the Giants contacted us regarding Superbowl Tickets and snafu that surrounded our request for tickets, their offer and subsequent withdrawal of said offer.

True, mine was a somewhat desperate attempt to get access to see my team play in the Superbowl, although everything I said about the team, the courage of Eli Manning and the recovery of cancer survivor and Linebacker Mark Herzlich was and is genuine.  In retrospect, I am just happy that my team won the championship and that I got to share the experience with my family and friends.

Well, it looks like I will get the best of both worlds.  When Meredith finally connected with a representative from the Giants Community Relations department, the Giants organization was just what I thought they would be; apologetic, sympathetic and generous.  They offered their sincere apologies and two tickets to the game of my choice for next season including opening night.  They also implied they would “get me there” and “get me on the field”.  We’ll see about that, but more importantly they renewed my belief that they are a class organization and should be regarded as the pride of the NFL.

So as I fade off into the day 3 fog of chemo I can again dream of Superbowl fairies thanks to Avastin, Alimta and Xanax, and now the GIANTS.

As for a quick health update, I feel the same as I have for months. Outside of Chemo weeks I feel pretty good, except for my nagging hip (more on that in another post). I’ve been getting to the gym 3 days a week and a weekly guided-imagery/meditation class.  The mild winter has allowed me to not be stupid about taking physical risks, but I am trying to push myself a bit looking for more physical recovery.  It looks like running, jumping, skiing and things like that are not in my future, but I’m looking forward to a walk around the block, and an occasional round of golf.  I’ll take those.  And 2 tickets to a GIANTS game.

WWMD (What Will Mara Do?)

As many of you may have heard, last week the Giants offered me tickets to Super Bowl XLVI, and then rescinded their offer the next morning.  Here are the details….

Right after the Giants beat the San Francisco 49ers to gain a berth in the Super Bowl, Meredith wrote a letter to John Mara, the Owner of the NY Giants.  The gist of the letter was about how brave and courageous her husband (me) has been since being diagnosed with Advanced Lung Cancer in July 2010.  She explained that I am a big Giants fan and find inspiration in their “never quit because miracles can happen” attitude, which I obviously share.  Anything Mr. Mara could do to help me see the Super Bowl would be appreciated.  We did not really expect to hear back, so when it was time for my Chemo treatment last week, I chose to do it Monday so I would feel okay by game day, Sunday.

Well Tuesday evening Meredith got a call on her cell phone from the NY Giants offering 2 tickets to us at $800 each, but we needed to commit right away. I was just entering my Chemo fog, but knew I had to seize the opportunity.  I said I would call them back at 8:00 the next morning with a definite answer and they said okay.  I spent the next 4 hours calling friends and family around the country to see who wanted to join me and how.  Needless to say, there were virtually no flights or hotels available within 150 miles of Indianapolis.  First and foremost, a big thank you to my old friend, Derek Mandel, who lives in Indy and graciously offered his house up to my me.  It looked like a Friday till Tuesday commitment so most people could/would not commit.  Then came Herb Sussman, my brother-in-law.  As long as I could get to Newark Airport on Friday morning, he and my sister Gail would sport me plane tickets via frequent flier miles (even though we would have to drive three hours to Columbus, Ohio for the ride home).

Off to sleep I went with visions of the Super Bowl fairies dancing in my head, thanks to chemo drugs, steroids and Xanax. I woke up Wednesday morning as excited as I was Tuesday night when I went to sleep.  I immediately called the Giants to confirm my purchase (although it seemed odd that they would charge me for the tickets). When the rep called me back she apologized and said she needed to rescind the offer, because the calls the night before were intended for season ticket holders who might want to purchase last minute tickets.  Well Meredith is not a season ticket holder, nor is her cell phone on any list possessed by the Giants. The call just HAD to be a result of the letter she wrote.  The lady on the phone was sympathetic and agreed that there must have been a list snafu, however there was nothing she could do.  Can you say “Burst my Bubble”?  The truth is that traveling that weekend with the excitement of a Super Bowl would not have been the wisest health choice, but we own our decisions and I decided to go.  NOT.

Fast forward four days and I enjoyed watching another GREAT Giants Super Bowl game that nearly gave me a heart attack five times over.  Watching with the regular guys (rather than the college friends) was a tough call, but me and Eli are 2 for 2 going that route.

So this morning, Meredith mailed out a follow-up letter to Mr. Mara explaining the story and our disappointment about how a truly classy and professional organization honestly mixed up the handling her first letter.  So as we bask in a 4^th Giants Super Bowl victory in 25 years, the question begs to be asked…..

What Will Mara Do?

I’ll look forward to a response from the team, and will keep you updated.