From Carmen

I am deeply saddened with the news of Roni’s passing. I know that he was ready to present a strong fight against this terrible disease that struck him. We all had high hopes that he would take the chemotherapy and recover. Unfortunately, he was taken from us too soon. But we are certain that Roni now is in a much better place than us. Roni was a good person; a decent person; caring and friendly, who never said no to anything that we asked him. He was always in a good mood. He stopped doing what he was doing whenever you needed his help. Always agreeable to fulfill your needs; always smiling and making us feel better. Roni, we will miss you. Please pray for us and send us your blessings from heaven. May you rest in peace. Our deep condolences to Roni’s family. We will pray that you will find peace and consolation in knowing that God received Roni in his kingdom, and that he is now enjoying the company of angels.

A Bump in the Road

We learned today that Roni has suffered a set back in his progress. At the beginning of the week Roni started developing a "C-diff" Infection (you can read more about C-diff or Clostridium Difficile Infections here). This caused him a lot of discomfort and we learned today he has been moved to CCU. Mary has told us that Roni will probably need surgery and may need to have his colon removed. It's important for us all to pray for Roni at this time. Let us trust he has the preserverance and strength to heal from this infection and surgery. I know Roni is thankful for all the wonderful visits he has had from his Calder Family. Let's continue to send those positive thoughts his way.

From Amalia:

"Jian, Erica and I went to see Roni this morning and he was no eating much but talking a lot and in good spirit."



From Jenny:

"Dear Friends,

I went to see Rony on Saturday and he looked good to me: he is trim (lost 30 pounds), didn't loose his hair, and his sense of humor is intact. His doctor assured him that he is doing very well.

Rony mentioned that now that he is stronger and that his hemoglobin, platelets, bone marrow, etc. are normal, doctors will start with another round of chemotherapy – apparently, there are three or four.

It is expected that with the second round of chemotherapy his blood values will go down and that he will need blood transfusion again. But, since he already has the experience with the first round of chemo, the effects of this one won’t catch him by surprise, and he will probably adapt better to the nausea, shivering and other unpleasant, but temporary chemo effects. The doctor told him that probably for Father’s day he will be back at his home for a much desired break of a few days, before he goes back to the hospital. This is part of the normal process of his recuperation.

He said quite moved that all of us at the Calder Library family are his family too, and that he is very grateful for the prayers, loving thoughts and kindness that we all have sent his way.

Jenny"

Will You Be My Date to My Best Friend's Wedding?

Dear Roni,

I know it is last minute, since the wedding is next weekend, but would you be my date to a wedding in Minneapolis? I'm Maid of Honor, and would prefer not to go alone. You'll fit right in with the wedding. I hope you can make it.

-Vedana

PS: I really hope you can come Roni, and to show how excited I am about the prospect I'm attaching a picture of you lecturing with me to the medical students.

Congratulations, Roni!!!!

I'm thrilled to hear the awesome news! Everyone knew you could do it.

Take care,

Tanya

Roni Around the World: Part Three

First off, Jenny would like to share some EXCELLENT news from Roni:

"Just talked to Rony and Mary - they said that his improvement has been immense. All his reference values are normal – hemoglobin, platelets, bone marrow – you name it, its all fine. He still needs to go to a second round of chemo to make sure that the bad cells are totally eliminated. He will eventually be going home for a small break – catheters still in place – and then back to the hospital for his chemo. A nurse will be seeing him at home everyday to clean the catheters and make sure everything is going as planned. The doctor told him that he is doing much better than any of the patients in the floor. He says that he feels very strong psychologically, very solid."

We couldn't ask for better news! Thank you to everyone for your thoughts, prayers, and visits. I know we're all grateful to hear this update.

To celebrate, here are a few more pictures from "Roni's trip" to DC!



Roni was very excited to see the Capitol building and "walk" the Mall.

He even managed to make a few new friends at the American Museum of Natural History.

And last, but not least, he enjoyed a twilight visit to the Lincoln Memorial.

Thank you, Roni, for the great DC memories! It was a lot of fun to "bring" you on our trip!

~Emily and Brenda

Roni Around the World: Part Two

"Roni" has had a very eventful weekend in DC!

His first stop was to eat authentic Native American food at the Museum of the American Indian. He/We especially enjoyed the flat bread and buffalo.



Then it was the Air and Space Museum, which Roni told us was a museum he's always wanted to go to.



Here's Roni surrounded by space shuttles and planes!



Samuel (Ronairo)'s favorite section was the Samuel Langley gallery of early flight.



Roni's favorite plane was hands-down the Wright Brothers Flyer of 1903.



He even got a chancel to "fly" a plane!



Stay tuned for further DC adventures!

~Emily and Brenda