Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.

I am a fan of Sun Tzu and the art of war...

Often quoted from, Sun Tzu (Quotations from translations of the book The Art of War (6th century BC)) "It is said that if you know your enemies and know yourself, you will not be imperiled in a hundred battles; if you do not know your enemies but do know yourself, you will win one and lose one; if you do not know your enemies nor yourself, you will be imperiled in every single battle."

I have learned in this battle with NHL Mantle Cell that  knowing what I was up against and knowing what I was capable of dealing with were sometimes not in sync....this is why my close friend chain (Bob, Bill, Diane, Jerry, Greg, Jim W., Pascal, CM, Cathy Dustin, and Juan, Donna and Erik, and Stephen C, allowed me to get to know myself better through their encouragement, knowledge and good old conversation. Health battles are often won simply with the will to win...it's that easy. 

Sun Tzu is often mis-attributed the words of the writers of the Godfather (2).
Keep your friends close, and your enemies closer.This has often been attributed to Sun Tzu and sometimes to Niccolò Machiavelli or Petrarch, but there are no published sources yet found which predate its use by "Michael Corleone" in The Godfather Part II (1974), written by Mario Puzo & Francis Ford Coppola: My father taught me many things here — he taught me in this room. He taught me — keep your friends close but your enemies closer.


I like this quote much better because it emphasizes friends as the key to winning and to never underestimate your enemy because they are constantly changing direction. This is why I am going through what you all think is a horrible scenario. It isn't! Why? Because I have a close group of medical professionals (medical friends) that have kept me close to me my enemy for many years now. They include Dr. Arnel Pallera, his team at West Clinic, and currently Lori Lee, Lori Draughon, and Brigitt Green , my stem cell team at Baptist East.

Enough.......


As we get closer to Monday, the question of the day....asked over and over by my caretaker this week and friend Bob Richards...."how long do you thaw out the stem cells before you insert them in Robert's body? My concern is more simple....when do they wake up and turn on the GPS....

The answer is forthcoming.......