... I'm alive and well !!!! :-)

... Today is November 11th, 2010. I haven't posted in a while. The last blog I wrote was about being named the 2010 Honored Hero from the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. I was going to have my last blog be my last, however, a few people sent me messages and seemed concerned about what had happened to me.

... I want to let everyone know that "I'm alive and Well". (Thank God). If I don't blog anymore and people want to find me, you can e-mail me direct at LFORTU3508@aol.com ... Or... you can friend me on facebook. My facebook name is: Larry Lorenzo Fortunato. If something ever happens to me, (since I'm still battling this life-threatening disease), I will have my sister Nellie Fortunato DiSimone post it on my wall. My sister was a match for my Bone Marrow Transplant and I love her very much. This cancer may kill my flesh one day... however.... it will "NEVER" kill my spirit...

... As I said before, although I haven't been able to find any adult (over 40) in America who has lived 10 years with my type of Leukemia, I hope and pray that I will live a long life. My life is in God's hands, and only God will determine when my life is over here on Earth. I look forward to spending my eternity with God. I do, however, always pray that God will keep me alive long enough to see my children become independent adults. I also hope I live to see my grandchildren.

... This is probably my last blog. I do thank all of you who have followed my blog. I hope I was able to bless you, and encourage you so that you really appreciate your life while you have it. Life here on Earth is short. ... Lets "Live, Love & Laugh" ... (Less complaining & more enjoying). ... I leave you with these 3 things that are very important: "Faith, Hope & Love"... The most important of these is "LOVE". (That is written in The Bible). So please, Love God, your Family & Friends. God tells us to love people, but hate sin.

... Thank you all again for the love, support, encouragement & prayers you have all given me. I truly appreciate it and I have been blessed by you all... ... As I usually like to say: "How u doin" !!!!! Ciao & Shalom... :-) ... P.S. It was 4 years ago this month that I was diagnosed with this nightmare of a cancer. ...(Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia with PH+)... ... P.S.S. The picture above is of me & my 2 sons on a Cruise in August, 2010... Thanks again to all of you for following my blog. ... I Love you all..... :-)

" 2010 Rockland County Honored Hero "...

... I am humbled and thankful to have been named "The 2010 Rockland County Honored Hero" from "The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society". I have been battling this deadly & rare type of Leukemia (A.L.L. with PH+) for about 3 1/2 years. I gave a speech about 2 weeks ago to the Rotary Club about my life with Leukemia since I was diagnosed. I will also be speaking to other organizations the next several months.

... During my speech, my voice broke and I cried a few times. I guess when I relive the nightmare of this cancer in details, it gets me very emotional. However, I enjoy talking about my journey with Leukemia. It is a form of mental therapy for me. I've always been the type to feel better after I share the hard times in my life. I'm not one to hold things in. People that know me, know I'll tell you like it is. I wear my heart on my sleeve.

... As part of being named the 2010 Honored Hero, I will be walking/marching with a few hundred people on October 24, 2010 at Nyack Memorial Park in Nyack, NY. I encourage anyone who has a desire to walk with me to please do. I will probably be making a speech that day and will mention all the love/support I have gotten from my "Family & Friends".

...Please try to participate in "The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Light the Night Walk" to help those with blood cancers and raise money for important research that gives us living with blood cancer hope for the future. The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has been a blessing to me. Thank you all so much.

God bless you all.

... I love you all.... Lorenzo A. Fortunato... :-)

"Sense of Taste"...

... I lost my "Sense of Taste" for about about a year after I was diagnosed with Leukemia in November, 2006. I had so much Chemo that it destroyed my taste buds. The week before my Bone Marrow Transplant, the doctors told me I was getting a triple dose of Chemo to kill most of the blood cells in my body. I was about to get an entire new blood line and immune system.

... People do not realize how blessed they are to have the "Sense of Taste". I was reminded this past Memorial Day Weekend that having the "Sense of Taste" is a beautiful thing. I was enjoying & "Tasting" all the food I ate during the holiday weekend. I was also having back flashes of when I was in the hospital for 5 months and then sent home on bed rest with "No Sense of Taste". Everything tasted like "Metal" to me because of all the Chemo I had.

... Taste buds contain the receptors for taste. They are located around the small structures on the upper surface of the tongue, soft palate, upper esophagus, and epiglottis, which are called papillae. These structures are involved in detecting the five elements of taste perception which are: Salty, Sour, Bitter, Sweet, and Savory.

... I thought I was never going to be able to taste again. It took about a year for me to get my taste buds back. I was so thankful when I was able to taste again. One of the first things I wanted to taste was my mother's homemade sauce & my wife's cooking. I really began to appreciate food more than ever. We take so much for granted in life.

... So I tell everyone out there.... be thankful that you have your "Sense of Taste". Anyone one of you can get cancer and lose your taste buds. Enjoy your meals and give thanks that you have food on the table and your taste buds to enjoy the food. Its too bad that it sometimes takes a tragedy to truly appreciate the simple things in life... I hope you all enjoyed your Memorial Day Weekend...
... God Bless you all... Ciao & Shalom.... :-)

"St. Jude Children's Hospital"...

... This post is dedicated to St. Jude Children's Hospital. I chose St Jude Children's Hospital because since St. Jude was established, the survival rate for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, the most common type of childhood cancer, has increased from 4 percent in 1962 to 94 percent today. St. Jude has treated children from across the United States and from more than 70 countries.



... Doctors across the world consult with St. Jude on their toughest cases, in which there is no cure for or is a severe case of it. Also, St. Jude has an International Outreach Program to improve the survival rates of children with catastrophic illnesses worldwide through the transfer of knowledge, technology and organizational skills.



... St. Jude was founded by entertainer Danny Thomas on the premise that "no child should die in the dawn of life." Thomas named the hospital for Saint Jude Thaddeus, the Catholic patron saint of hospitals, desperate cases and lost causes. Danny's daughter, Marlo Thomas, is The National Outreach Director for St Jude Children's Hospital.



... I hope & pray that one day my type of Leukemia (A.L.L. with Philadelphia Chromosome Positive) will also have a 94 percent survival rate. My type of Leukemia currently only has about a 20-25 percent chance of survival the first two years and then a 30-35 percent chance of survival of making ten years if you lived past the first two years.



... However... as I have said in the past: I will stay positive and keep my faith in God. My life is in God's hands. God can have me whenever he wants me. I will just keep praying that God allows me to live a long time to enjoy & love my family and friends.



... All of you out there who are healthy & have healthy children should always count your blessings. Those of you that are not that healthy or have children that are not that healthy should also count your blessings. I have a deadly cancer and my 15 year old daughter (Anna) is severely mentally disabled... however... I will always count my blessings and make the most out of this short life.



... If we believe the word of God, then we must believe there is more than this short life on Earth. I believe in everlasting life filled with joy and happiness as the bible tells us. I hope to see many of my friends and family in heaven one day.



... Have a blessed day and may God bless us all....

... How u doin ????? :-)

" Peripheral Neuropathy "...

... I have been suffering with Neuropathy of the feet & legs for about 3 years now. Most of the pain is in my "FEET". My Doctors believe that all the Chemo I had probably caused the nerve damage. Peripheral Neuropathy is the term for damage to the nerves of the Peripheral Nervous System. This may be caused either by diseases of the nerve or from the side-effects of systemic illness. The most common form is (symmetrical) peripheral polyneuropathy, which mainly affects the feet and legs.

... Neuropathy may be associated with varying combinations of weakness, autonomic changes and sensory changes. Loss of muscle bulk and a particular fine twitching of muscle may be seen. Sensory symptoms causes loss of sensation and "positive" phenomena including pain. Symptoms depend on the type of nerves affected; motor, sensory, autonomic, and where the nerves are located in the body. One or more types of nerves may be affected.

... A Loss of balance and coordination may also occur. Damage to the sensory nerve can produce tingling, numbness, muscle cramps, spasms, weakness, and severe pain. Pain associated with this nerve is described in various ways. The autonomic nerve damage also causes problems with involuntary functions leading to symptoms such as abnormal blood pressure and heart rate.

... The Doctors have told me that there's a chance that this may go away... however... they said its most likely I may suffer with Neuropathy for many years if not for life. I have been walking around with numbness & pain in my feet & legs for years.

... However... As I have said before: I am so thankful and blessed to be alive. My type of Leukemia kills about 75-80% of the people within 5 years. The Leukemia Society has not been able to find me one person who has survived 10 years with my rare & dangerous type of Leukemia. I hope & pray that I can be one of the chosen ones by God to live a long life.

... I'll say it again: All of you out there who have your health & are alive are truly blessed beyond measure. Enjoy your life, your family and friends and try not to complain about non-sense. You can deal with any issues you may have as long as you have your health. May God bless us all and may we be full of love & kindness...
... How u doin !!!!!! :-)

" PATIENCE "

... The above picture was taken on March 29th, 2010. I was eating breakfast on an Amtrak train going to Florida, when all of a sudden, the train hit the emergency brake. A lady had tried to beat the train with her minivan and the train ending up hitting the minivan. Thank God there was no one in the back seat. I was told the lady had a split skull and was taken to the hospital. I looked outside and saw blood all over the inside of the minivan.

... I didn't realize we hit a minivan until the conductor had told me afterwards. I just heard some of the workers yell: "Everyone sit down and don't move". I was hoping we weren't getting hijacked by some nutty terrorist. When I saw that minivan, I thought someone had to die. That lady was really lucky to survive.

... PATIENCE is what that lady needed. PATIENCE is what we all need. People need to realize that when we become impatient in life: "We put our health & well being in jeopardy". We need to except the fact that we cannot control the world. We need to be PATIENT with all the events that will happen to us as we live out our lives on this Earth.

... People who are impatient are usually stressed out and many of them have or end up with high blood pressure. We need to stop trying to act upon something we have no control over. Many times, we just need to: Take a step back; Relax; Take a deep breath; and think about what we are about to do or say. That would save us a lot of stress and mistakes.

... Just for the record: I get impatient myself at times and have made the wrong decisions because of it. I'm still working on being as Patient as possible myself. We need Patience in our personal lives, in our marriage, with our children, with our jobs, with our relatives, our friends, our neighbors and so on.... We will need Patience during our entire lifetime. Let's all work on it.

... I once heard it said that: "A handful of Patience is worth more than a bushel of Brains".
In the bible: Eccl 7:8 (old testament) it says: "The Patient in spirit is better than the proud in spirit". The bible also says: (and I'm paraphrasing) : Be anxious for nothing, but with prayer, let your requests be made known unto God. Patience is one of the most important things we need in our lives. It will help us with so many issues. I have to say that since I was diagnosed with Leukemia 3 1/2 years ago, I have become much more patient. Don't wait for a tragedy before you learn to become more patient.

... Have a great day everyone. Lets all continue to work on our Patience. Lets all try to enjoy this short time on Earth with Patience, peace, faith, hope, joy & love. May God bless us with the Patience we need to get through our lives.... Ciao & Shalom... :-)

... P.S. I am very thankful to everyone for their prayers, thoughts & well wishes as I continue to battle this rare & deadly type of Leukemia.

"Everyone needs a Vacation"... :-)

... It's vacation time for me. I'm leaving Sunday, March 28th for 9 days. I'm going to Florida to visit my parents for Easter and spend a few days in Disney. I'm going on vacation with my wife, stepson and one of his friends. I've always looked forward to going on vacation. Of course some vacation spots are more enjoyable than others... however... most people would agree that just taking time off from the same old routine is a vacation.

... I really appreciate vacations more than ever. When I was in the hospital for 5 months fighting for my life with Leukemia, I wondered if I'd ever travel again. When you've been on your death bed, you really appreciate life more than ever and more than most people do. I prayed that God would heal me and that I would be able to get on with my life again. I thank God that so far my life is going well most of the time since I was discharged from the hospital about 35 months ago.

... I've been to a lot of places/countries in my lifetime... however... my favorite place to vacation is Sicily. If all goes well, I will be going there this August. Sicily has so much beauty & history to see, and I also have a lot of family there who I love very much. The Mediterranean Sea is beautiful. I love the ocean & the beaches. I would retire there now if I didn't have any children.

... I hope that most of you out there take at least one vacation a year if you have the opportunity. Vacations are very important. It takes us away from our everyday routine. Vacations are suppose to help us relax our mind & bodies. I know that may be hard when we have little children with us... however... it will get easier as the kids get older. Kids love vacations too.

... So I hope that everyone will be able to take some sort of vacation this year if you haven't so far. Enjoy your getaway from the everyday hustle & bustle. ( Is bustle a word ?.. :-). Enjoy your vacation whether you take one alone, with a friend or family. Take pictures, because memories last a lifetime. Enjoy your life. Remember: Live, Love & Laugh...

... P.S. My 2nd favorite place to vacation is The Bahamas.
... P.S.S. My next blog will be in about 2 weeks. Ciao for now. I love you all... :-)