Chemo Day 9 Update

Today is the second to the last day for my first cycle of chemotherapy.

I'm amazed at all the friends who have been calling me from around the world. Getting calls, emails and letters from friends offering support and encouragement is an important part of beating my Cancer. Every day, I feel like my friends are with me and that we are fighting this battle together.  

While I was on my way to Dana Farber this morning, my friend Max Weinberg called me from Amsterdam. Max, who is known as "Mighty Max," is Bruce Springsteen's drummer for the E Street Band. Max and his wife Becky have been friends of mine for almost 40 years.

When we met, I was working at The White House. My title (I think) was "Aid to the President's Appointment Secretary." In the real world, that meant I was a gopher. In fact, if there was a "Gopher Hall of Fame," I would have been the Chairman . I wasn't really a Springsteen fan back then, but my friend Tom Donilon was. 

Tom and l have also been friends for 40+ years. We graduated together from La Salle Academy in Providence, Rhode Island in 1973, and he wrote in my yearbook "I hope someday if I need a job that I can call you." Just to put this into perspective: Tom went on to become President Obama's National Security advisor and one of the best lawyers in the world. I'm still selling buttons and bumper stickers. I should have asked Tom for a job. Talk about the wrong decision.

But back to how I met Max. 

To surprise Tom, I invited Springsteen and the band to come to the Whitehouse for a private tour. Bruce didn't come, but most of the band — including Max — did. 

Since then, I've been to Max and Becky's wedding and they came to Susan and my wedding.They had Bruce playing at theirs, and I think I had a DJ, but the four of us have had a lot of fun over the years. 

Max and Becky are two of the most decent, socially responsible people I have ever met. They 

Today, Max called me from Amsterdam, where he is on tour, to check in. I got really emotional when he told me that every time he beats his drum, he thinks about beating cancer for me. How lucky am I to have friends like that? 

Mark