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

Roni Around the World: Part One

Dear Roni,
Since Dr. Moore, Brenda, and I are on work trips, we thought of a creative way to "bring" you along. We'll be inviting you to "join" us in Arizona, DC, and (once Kim's birthday comes around) on a cruise.
Hope it brings a smile to your face!
Emily (and the Calder family)


An update from Dr. Moore in Tempe:

Roni said the AMIA conference is great but he likes the hotel and view of the golf course even better! Except for the heat!








Roni at NLM:

Brenda and Emily enjoyed bringing Roni to the "mother ship" - the National Library of Medicine in Bethesda, Maryland.

We miss you, Roni, and wish you were here!

A Note from Jenny

Dearest Rony:

I know that you were in pain, that your mouth is sore, that you are taking only liquids, that your platelets are a little down, and that, of course, you feel a little down yourself.

But, hermanito, remember that these annoyances are only temporary, and that full recovery will be here any time soon: it’s just like a bratty little child that likes to take its own darn time. Have faith, it is just around the corner, taking baby steps at a time! :-)

Jenny

Weathering the Storm

Brenda and I had the chance to visit Roni during our lunch break today. He was happy to have visitors, as always, and is so grateful to everyone who has taken time to visit him while he's at Jackson.

He recently finished a very strong round of chemo and is trying to recover from that. He is in some pain, especially from mouth sores, but he is glad that the chemo is helping. He had been suffering terrible headaches, but the doctors suggested he have three coffees a day, and - believe it or not - that seems to have made the headaches go away!

We told him that BioMed is as busy as ever and can't wait to have him back at home in the department. We also mentioned that some of the library faculty will be traveling to DC for a conference, and we had fun talking about all there is to do in DC. Brenda and I have a creative idea of how we can help Roni "travel" to DC with us, so stay tuned to the blog for further updates.

Thanks again to everyone who has been visiting Roni. Bringing the Calder library family to him is a blessing and very much appreciated by him, his wife, his parents, and his family and friends.

I'd rather be fishing!

Brenda and I visited Roni yesterday at Jackson. While we were there, he received two phone calls from his cousin who is on a fishing trip in the Keys. Roni was enjoying hearing about all the fun they're having and suggesting tips for catching the 5 feet fish that are escaping his cousin's fishing rods. He can't wait to go fishing soon!

Roni is in great spirits, but he expressed some frustration over how many interruptions he gets in the day from the hospital staff. He know that it's for the best, but it makes it hard to read or watch TV or even play cards.

The best thing for Roni now is to have visitors. Then he can share stories and laughs in between the nurse visits. I have to say, every time Brenda and I have visited him, he's had at least three other visitors in the room. What a popular guy! I'm so glad that so many of Roni's Calder family has been able to visit him while he's here on campus. How lucky that he's only a 5-10 minute walk away.

Yesterday was Roni's mom's birthday, so we all wished her a happy birthday. It was good to meet his parents, who are very friendly and welcoming. He even talked about how his mom had made him soup with codornice. Then we spent the next 10 minutes trying to figure out what that bird was in English. We still aren't sure what the answer is! It might be quail...

Roni is happy to report, as Jenny has also in the Comments of this blog, that his tumor is down 90%. This is great news! They are continuing with the chemotherapy, and he guesses he'll be in the hospital for at least three more weeks, although that is still somewhat up in the air. He certainly sends his love to you all!

Roni--the world's best "plastic surgeon"

I'd been living with the worst photo ID, courtesty of UM's Security department, for years. I finally went to see Roni, the miracle worker. He took a new photo, photo-shopped out the early grays and "skin imperfections," and I'm now a new woman! When I went back to Security, I showed them the difference between the two IDs, and he said, "yeah, but that's a glamour shot." No, it wasn't a glamour shot, it was Roni's artistic and photographic talent.

Thank you, Roni!!!!

Roni on Friday

As I said in my post on Friday, I visited Roni after work. While I was there I was able to take a picture of him, so I am posting it here so everyone can see how well he is.

Pictures of Roni

Geddy just sent me two great pictures of Roni doing what Roni does best - taking pictures and working one-on-one with our patrons.

Roni - the Photoshop Whiz



Roni and the Dean

Ronnie's Dream

Last night Ronnie had a dream that he parked somewhere at night and could not find his car and he went around the block looking for the car. He spent the whole night looking for his car, and then nothing, no car. He's been pondering the meaning of this dream.

I'm here at the hospital with him now. He's in good spirits, but has no appetite. He's sleepy, and goes in and out of sleep, and just wants to be able to eat since he has been given a lot of food. Luckily there is a fridge in his private room.

Welcome to Roni's Calder Family Blog!

We've created this blog to share all the news about Roni and his treatment. This will be a great way to share what we hear. If you get a text or have the chance to visit him, please make sure to share that information with everyone. You can either comment in the "Comments" section or email me (Emily) and I will post it here. I know we are all concerned about Roni and are eager to follow his progress. This will be a place for everyone to stay up-to-date, as well as a place to share encouragement, hopes, thoughts, and prayers for Roni and his family.

As of May 5th, the physicians treating Roni believe he has Burkitt's lymphoma. You can read more about it here: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/001308.htm. He is currently at Jackson and prefers to be reached at the number in his room. Please contact me directly if you need those details.

Roni started his first round of chemotherapy on Tuesday, May 4th. It was a difficult night for him, but he was already feeling better the next day. Roni's positive attitude and outlook are helping him through this time.

Quick reminders: Roni also goes by Samuel, so you may hear others refer to him by that name. His wife's name is Marielena (you can call her "Mari"), and his daughter's name is Annette. Annette is a UM student and has been visiting Roni in the hospital frequently. Mari stays with Roni and will be parking in our Calder parking lot, so be sure to say hi to her if you see her there.

If you are able to visit Roni or learn more information from him or his wife, please make sure to share it here. Thank you all! Let's work together to show Roni how much he means to the Calder Family!