ASH 2013: A Quick Perspective

After five frantic days of attending very detailed and jargon filled lectures full of the latest CLL news, reading hundreds of complex poster abstracts and discussing them with their authors, interviewing many CLL experts from around the world balancing their crazy schedule with the limited availability of space for the interviews, meeting with leukemia and lymphoma advocates from everywhere and forging new alliances, brainstorming with CLL experts about research design, shared decision making, and the patients' perspective, and talking with members of the pharmaceutical industry about supporting what I would envisions as the unmet needs for the CLL community, I am heading home with much hope and much to share.

This was an amazing ASH conference for those of with CLL. Expect surprisingly candid videos and challenging discussions.

I don't just ask the the easy questions. I am looking for signals that might hint at trouble down the line. I am not there to make the doctors or the drugs look good, but to dig for the truth. I am not there to throw a hanging curve ball, but to scorch a fastball on target and see how well it is handled.

That said, it was handled very well, and the for the most part, the drugs and the doctors, do look very good and the news for us is very exciting and full of promise.

So many positives, and a few cautionary tales to come.

More soon.

I will be posting several remaining videos from iwCLL, but I will be mixing in some of the new ASH stuff too.

But first, I need some rest and relaxation.

My respiratory infection is mostly but not completely gone.

Tonight will be my first chance to walk around the Quarter a little and maybe catch some Zydeco music. I can't leave NOLA sans laissez le bon temps rouler on Bourbon Street for at least for a few minutes.