babinscreams

Doug Wright 10/29/1952 - 11/29/2009

Utah's Democrat will vote 'no' on health reform bill http://www.sltrib.com/utah/ci_13730464 Tell Rep. Jim Matheson how you feel about this: http://matheson.house.gov/contact.shtml

Ruth Sandoval, our contact in Washington, D.C. has forwarded "The Place Beneath" directly to Dr. Jill Biden, a teacher at Northern Virginia Community College. Oh, yeah, she's also married to the Vice President of the United States. Email your representatives https://writerep.house.gov/writerep/welcome.shtml Make your voices heard. Demand that all Americans have access to health insurance. The forces of Fear are hard at work to maintain the status quo.

Doug Wright - I apologize for taking so long to post something. I have kept thinking I would wait until some significant event was over and then include it in my report, but those keep forming. I am doing well, sailing through seas that vary in roughness. I had a CT scan a week and a half ago that showed a lot of disease in my lungs, especially my left, but alsoa little aeration in the upper lobe that had not appeared before, which is encouraging. My prinicipal challenge is fatigue, which I'm trying to overcome with diet and mild exercise. My skin has responded to the chemo very badly, with a grotesque rash that bleeds, and extremely dry sensitive skin all over my body. Tomorrow we'll try to figure out what to do about that. I continue writing, thinking, and driving. I just visited southern California and saw Paul, met some interesting people, as well as two friends I had not seen for twenty years. I also visited the Olive Tree. http://movingarts.us/poetry-olive.html I

The film is done. See it here: Doug Film or on You Tube (in two parts)

I'm wrapping up a six day visit to Doug in which I've been video taping interviews with many people who are in Doug's universe here in Salt Lake City. The primary purpose of the taped interviews is to make a short film about Doug's condition and his coping without health insurance. I come away with two observations to pass on. First, Doug is in better condition than when I was here in May. The surgery to vent the fluid that had collected around his left lung combined with medication has made it much easier for him to breathe. He is undergoing chemo treatments for the cancer and taking a slew of meds to combat symptoms from that, the disease, and the tube that remains in his chest. Secondly, I'm left with the comfort of having met so many really great, warm, appreciate friends of Doug. I know he is loved and fortunate indeed to have them near by. If all goes according to plan, the short film will be used in the health care debate now going on in Washington, D. C.

This is not an appeal for more donations . Though several thousand dollars have been contributed by generous people like you, the fact is that Doug's medical bills are now up around $30,000. The good news is that creative, hard working people are coming up with a plan to raise more funds. Meanwhile, the Social Security system has given Doug the "business as usual" treatment. After suffering hours of hold time and information collection, then not calling back when they said they would, they've lost his file and suggested that Doug needs to start from scratch in this process that takes months in the best of circumstances. At one point, a person whose expertise is negotiating this morass was working with Doug, but that person has mysteriously dropped out of the picture. Here is what Doug really needs at the moment: 1. Someone to advise him on how to manage the mounting medical bills . Strategies for maintaining solvency for as long as possible. 2. Someone to help

Doug Wright - The biopsy from surgery identified my cancer as "poorly differentiated non-small cell adenocarcinoma", and I have qualified to participate in a chemotherapy research trial which I will begin this Tuesday, June 23. The pharmaceutical company provides the drugs and I pay for the scans every three week cycle to determine its effectiveness. These are ct scans of my brain, chest and abdomen, to see if the cancer has spread. To qualify for the trial, these had to be negative. I'm a little disappointed that I don't have cancer in my brain, since this seemed like an ideal way of avoiding responsibility.

Doug Wright - On May 26 I had surgery to relieve the compression of my left lung by fluid in the pleural cavity. I can now relieve any future accumulation by mean of a catheter in my side, and the pleural tissue may scar over so that less fluid is produced. I received wonderful care from my surgeon and the nursing staff at IMC, and my recovery has been quick and painless. Yesterday evening, Friday May 29, was the most powerful experience of my life. A fundraising "celebration" for me was held at Westminster, with over 100 people in attendance. There were musical performances by the Chamber singers, Chris Le Cluyse, and my homies Tim Dolan and Tom Cronin, including a spontaneous and beautiful a capella solo by a student. The music was exquisite. The event was attended by my former students, colleagues, and friends among the staff at Westminster. I sat quietly listening to one after another describe how I had touched their lives, and I was overcome. When I tried to spea

Doug Wright - Friday May 8, two liters of fluid were drained from my pleural cavity, relieving my breath, and allowing me to function more normally. This afternoon, May 11, the oncologist suggested that we wait and see how symptoms develop. He examined me and said, "Right now I don't see anything that will take you in six months." We scheduled a return in one month. Of course, this is very encouraging.

Tell us how Doug touched your life.  

Doug says to me today, "I realized this afternoon, that I've got to get back to writing. I have a deadline."

Lots of Helping Hand s: http://www.lotsahelpinghands.com/c/613782/login/ . When you're available to help Doug with occasional day to day tasks. Doug's own web site (still in the works) where you can read his poetry and see his visual arts. http://movingarts.us/index.html

Doug, 1973. I'm certain Doug was focused on painting. He was living in an apartment in Orange with his mom and attending Cal State Fullerton. This Kodachrome film, balanced for day light rendered a Rembrandt-like warmth when exposed under tungsten light. Below: Doug, May 5, 2009 circa 1985, Doug clutches a hapless Booger May. Baseball Homies Here's some photos taken a couple of years ago at a Bees game, in fabled Section 102 (or was it 104?) A motley assortment of Westminster types outside "Delta House," most of us (although not, of course, Doug) in our requisite tweed jackets with leather elbow patches. Paul and Doug 1973. This was taken in the back yard of the Mellon's house, our home away from home. Paul had just returned from art school, and as a "gift" to his mother, cut his hair. The expressions on their faces, though seemly homo-erotic, were but expressions of youthful debauchery and glee. Doug in his studio, 1974 paint sketch by Paul Babi n

June 21 update This is not an appeal for more donations . Though several thousand dollars have been contributed by generous people like you, the fact is that Doug's medical bills are now up around $30,000. The good news is that creative, hard working people are coming up with a plan to raise more funds. Meanwhile, the Social Security system has given Doug the "business as usual" treatment. After suffering hours of hold time and information collection, then not calling back when they said they would, they've lost his file and suggested that Doug needs to start from scratch in this process that takes months in the best of circumstances. At one point, a person whose expertise is negotiating this morass was working with Doug, but that person has mysteriously dropped out of the picture. Here is what Doug really needs at the moment: 1. Someone to advise him on how to manage the mounting medical bills . Strategies for maintaining solvency for as long as possib

This is the first of a dozen or so posts by Doug Wright on a blog I created for him. I've imported all the content of Doug's blog and will note where Doug was posting. Doug Wright - On May 1 I was informed that I have adenocarcinoma. It is in both lungs, prmarily the left. It is diffuse and spread widely enough that neither surgery nor radiation are viable treatments. There are two types of this cancer. Chemotherapy can slow its spread, but only has a 30% - 40% chance of response in one type, and 10% - 20% in the other. If the chemo were effective, it could prolong my life expectancy from 12 to 18 months. Untreated, the average life expectancy at this point is 6 months. My oncologist is currently working with radiology to try to identify which type it is. The symptoms are dry coughs and constricted breathing. I am currently treating the former with a fairly effective cough suppressant, and the latter with an inhaler. My lack of breath makes all walking difficult, and I