Kanik's SWEET New Ride

And...just because it's super cool, here's a picture of Kanik with his hot new bike.  Getting pulled over for running a red light on this thing (true story) isn't going to stop him.  

Big News For Kanik

What has Kanik been up to during this last part of the summer, you may ask?  The answer is A LOT.  Kanik was hired by Saks Fifth Avenue to create several glass installations for a few of their newly-renovated stores across the country.  He's been busily working on these for the past couple months.  The installations will be in Saks stores in Troy, MI, St. Louis, MO and Chevy Chase, MD.  There MAY also be more work for Saks somewhere down the road.  (We'll keep you posted on that.)

With the help of James and Libby, Kanik has been packing up the pieces for these installations.  It's an unbelievable opportunity for him and, despite the many hours of work this job requires, Kanik is getting it all done (ahead of schedule, too!)

In health-related news, Kanik had his regular endoscopy performed yesterday and while he did receive banding on his esophagus, this time he needed fewer bands than the first time he went through this procedure.  The doctor did not see any bleeding in his esophagus this time, which is good news.

As of now, Kanik is still planning to receive his next chemo treatment on Sept. 11.  

In the meantime, Kanik will be hard at work, finishing up this job for Saks and rocking as he does.

Check back soon for photos of the installations (and his new bike!); we'll post as soon as we have them.

Kanik's winning ways and how to find the Man himself

Kanik had his fifth round of chemo this past Tuesday, August 7th and all went as well as one would hope. It has been an amazingly productive few weeks for K, despite the lack of posts here. In between getting some phenomenal help from his family of friends and working through the last round, he has managed to work quite a bit, get to the jersey shore, first lose and then replenish his bike supply, and generally eat, drink and be merry. Truly, a very good stretch.

His doctors have set the next round for Tue, Sep 11, 2012. It seems they want to give him some extra time before the next round to give him a bit of a break.

So, in the meantime...

CLICK HERE TO FIND HIM

So many thanks to everyone who has been there for all of this and continue to demonstrate why we're all part of the collection of folks who are fortunate enough to know him.

With the idea of knowing him in mind, go A's and go get in touch with Kanik if you have some time this summer.

Round 4 Completed AND, Again, Good News

Kanik had a successful round of chemo this afternoon, after an examination by Dr. Abou-Alfa.  The actual headline from today, however, is Kanik received his third CT scan (since he started treatment) and most of his tumors have remained stable while some may have shrunk.  This news definitely seems to indicate that the clinical trial Kanik has been participating in for the past three months is attacking the cancer with no mercy.

Due to this amazing progress, Kanik plans to continue the same regimen of drugs and chemotherapy for the foreseeable future.  However, since this latest treatment was delayed by more than three weeks, due to Kanik's blood loss before the last round, he will no longer officially be part of the clinical trial.  (There's a strict protocol for this trial and a long delay between treatments means patients cannot continue to be a part of it.)  Again, this doesn't affect Kanik's plan of action--he will have access to the drugs he's been taking and will continue to receive chemo every three weeks.

Kanik had a lot of energy tonight; ate well; and will now concentrate on keeping strong for the next few days, while the side effects of the chemo kick in.  All in all, a very good day.

Looks Like Chemo Is A Go For Tomorrow

Kanik had the endoscopy on his esophagus early this morning and the doctor who performed it said he is in good shape to receive his fourth round of chemo tomorrow, which is great news.  Kanik did have to get the banding procedure done, once again, on the varices in his esophagus but there were fewer bands placed on the varices this time around.  

(For those who would like more detailed information on what was done, CLICK HERE for details on esophageal varices.)


Kanik was in some pain this afternoon, but he was able to eventually eat and try to fortify himself for tomorrow.  For now, Kanik is back on track and ready to take on Round #4.  Let's go, Kanik!   More tomorrow...

This Week's Schedule

Due to the banding procedure Kanik had done to his esophagus a few weeks ago, his fourth round of chemo was postponed.  While Kanik has been healing, he's proven one can work hard AND be a Lady Who Lunches. The two activities are not mutually exclusive. 

This Monday morning, however, Kanik has an appointment for an endoscopy to check out his esophagus and make sure he's ready for this next chemo session.  Assuming all looks good, Kanik will receive chemo the following day, Tuesday.  Ling-Fong arrives in NYC tomorrow and will be here for the week to help support Kanik.  We'll keep you posted on the schedule and let you know if there's anything you can do to help out this week. 

Tea Time! Pinkies Up!

Kanik's childhood friend, Paul, flew in from Colorado this past weekend to visit Kanik.  They spent the last few days eating, watching Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, catching up, and eating some more.  Oh, and there was a gnocchi-making class thrown in there, as well, which led to...apparently, more eating.  Kanik and Paul joined Adam, Amanda and her brother, Drew, for tea at Lady Mendl's.  They had a great time being oh-so-proper and eating tiny sandwiches with the crusts cut off.  The only awkward moment was when Kanik ordered a large pizza to be delivered to the table from Domino's.  (Just kidding!  He's a New Yorker.  He would NEVER order from Domino's!)  

Good times were had by all.

Kanik N' Gang On The Big Screen

Last night, Kanik, John, Adam and Amanda attended the Yankees/White Sox game, thanks to Camille who kindly passed along her AWESOME tickets.  The seats were pretty amazing AND, actually unbeknownst to all of them, they made it to the JumboTron during the game.  (A group sitting behind them actually had to point out that they were on the big screen--no one would have known, otherwise, with the distractions of nachos and good conversation.)  Oh, and the Yankees lost, which made Kanik very happy (though he had to be stealthy about his joy to avoid getting punched in the face by the hardcore Yankee fans surrounding them).

Kanik's Schedule...Oh, And Plants

Kanik is recovering well from last week's banding procedure.  He's able to eat more than frozen yogurt and soup (aka the Olsen Twins' diet of choice) and is feeling good.  However, he needs an endoscopy for doctors to check on his esophagus before his next chemo treatment.  So, the endoscopy is scheduled for Monday, July 16th and, assuming all looks good, his next round of chemo will be on Tuesday, July 17th.  In the meantime, Kanik will be busy working and taking great care of himself so that he is steeled and, once again, in fighting form for Round #4 in a few weeks. 

On a somewhat unrelated note, Kanik has bought some amazing plants at this DUMBO shop and could definitely use some more.  If you'd like to buy him a gift certificate here, you can call the main number on the website and the gift certificate can be emailed directly to Kanik.  (Please give the store Kanik's sister Ling-Fong's email address, which is: chungkanik@gmail.com and she'll get the gift certificates to him.)