Cal is being inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame today. His streak of consecutive games ended about a month before you were born. I think that your buddy Jake was born the same day the streak ended or the next day. Jake is going to Bristol, Connecticut this week to represent Washington, DC in the tournament that feeds into the Little League World Series. He had a sleepover last night with Jack and Joe.

Everyone is proud of Jake and his team's accomplishment. It is very exciting. If they win a few games they'll be on ESPN!





And in more baseball news, Barry Bonds is about to break Hank Aaron's all-time home run hitting record. It might happen today which would be a weird thing to happen on the day Cal is inducted. This is the baseball card the Big Michael (Barr) and Hannah gave you when you were born. Mom saw Michael on Friday. He was in Annapolis visiting. He and Hannah and their kids live in Ann Arbor, Michigan. Remember when we all went there and had lunch with Dr. Hughes.



Lastly, A-Rod is about to hit his 500th home run. He must be doing so well because of the pointers you gave him in batting practice at the Metrodome.

Uncle Dan was in the St. Louis newspaper today!



INNOVATING WITH: Daniel Low
By Rachel Melcer

07/27/2007

The project — Daniel Low, a radiation oncologist, is leading a team in developing more accurate ways of delivering pinpoint radiation treatments to lung tumors.

The challenge — Lungs are dynamic, constantly moving in changing patterns. The location of a tumor within the lung shifts with changes in how quickly or deeply a patient inhales or exhales, whether he is nervous or relaxed, his level of activity on the day of a treatment, and even how recently he has eaten.

Radiation kills healthy lung tissue, affecting the ability to breathe, so it is crucial for doses to be precisely applied. But there is no clinical way of accounting for these dynamic changes in movement, Low said.

The aha! moment — Low was working on a grant application that required him to write down a mathematical equation for calculating human breathing motion. It needed to account for changes in depth and rate of breath.

"I had a deadline and that forced me to sit down and think about it," Low said. "And I realized there was no such thing — the model didn't exist."

What he did — Low drafted the equation he needed. Dr. Parag Parikh, an instructor in radiation oncology, designed a device called the 4D Phantom to do the calculations and display predicted movement of a lung tumor.

Now, they're checking to see if it works. They are comparing the computer-generated model to dynamic images taken of real patients over time. The team uses a cutting-edge Philips CT scanner to image a patient's lung in 64 "slices," each just a half-millimeter thick, every four-tenths of a second to track tumor movement.

If Low's model proves to be an accurate predictor, companies and researchers can use the 4D Phantom for early tests of new therapeutic approaches, before patients are involved and put at risk. It also can be used to develop new software, devices and protocols for improved radiation therapy treatments of lung cancer.

Progress report — Low's lab has sold the 4D Phantom to research institutions including Harvard University and Massachusetts General Hospital for academic work.

The National Institutes of Health in July awarded the St. Louis team a grant to use Low's model in improving nuclear medicine imaging therapy. Low expects Royal Philips Electronics, already a research partner, to provide a multiyear grant.

If all goes well, "in terms of it being a turnkey approach, that's probably three years from now. That's where the patient will walk in and it will all be a part of the process and the (radiation treatment) appliance," Low said.

I was excited to see that they had new super hero stamps at the post office.



I was even more excited when I found these in the bin that was in the garage. These are photos of the 3 astonauts who flew on Apollo 11. They were the first mission to the moon. On the photos are stamps that were issued to commemorate the lunar landing. They are marked "First Day of Issue." I bet they are worth a lot.

I had a lot of cool pictures of astronauts when I was growing up because our friend Mr. Medway worked as NASA. I showed all of this to Jack tonight and he was definitely more impressed by the Marvel Comics super hero stamps. I said the astronauts are super heros too, but that didn't register.

This video shows some of the action at the Harry Potter parties. You would have loved it.



Sick muggles! Ha, that's a good one.

Mom got a little choked up when you see her talking about the books. I knew at that moment she was thinking so much about you.

This is a very sweet and thoughtful email we just got.

From: Kathryn
Sent: Wednesday, July 25, 2007 2:56 PM
To: info@hopeforhenry.org
Subject: Henry

Hello,

I just have to take a moment to tell you what a wonderful organization I think Hope for Henry is. I am sure that you hear that sentiment quite often but I imagine that it never grows old.

I happened to learn of Hope for Henry after subscribing to CarePages to follow the progress of a friend’s 2 ½ year old son who was diagnosed with a malignant brain tumor. I get updates from CarePages that I sometimes review, time permitting. Today’s CarePages update gave information about Hope for Henry. I was at once overwhelmed with sadness over the loss of Henry and for his family and happiness for the time Henry was here to love and be loved and to inspire so many. (words just simply do not do justice to what I am trying to say)

I would love to receive updates/newsletters, etc. so that I may follow the organization’s efforts and share them with others. I am in Florida so I don’t know if I can volunteer, however, I will be making a donation to the organization.

Thank you for sharing Henry with us.

Kathryn

I love that more people know who you are.

We picked up Jack at camp. It was great to see him. He is loving Ramah and wants to go back for 8 weeks next summer. I think we are going to Spain and Israel so he is only going to be able to go for another 4 week session. He'll be okay. And this way Mom won't have to suffer an entire additional month of missing Jack.

We met Jack's counselors, Moti and Mike. When saying "goodbye," Moti gave Jack his hat from his tank division in the Israeli Defense Forces. That was a very nice thing to do and it made me think that Jack and Moti had a relationship like I had with my counselor, Howard Schwartz. He is the guy whose "autograph" I showed you a few days back. Mike is going to the University of Maryland and I told him he is welcome at our house for a homecooked meal anytime he wants.

Now that we rescued him from his no-tech camp, all Jack wants to do is "plug in." I think he missed his computer more than he missed me. I haven't really seen or talked to him since we picked him up because his face is buried in the laptop.



I am sure we'll get around to getting reacquainted. Maybe if a fuse blows it will be sooner rather than later.

Love you.

The "aunt" is Aunt Jen, and Minneapolis is actually St. Louis, but otherwise, this is a nice snapshot of what happened today. There were parties in St. Louis and Georgetown. Fairview is just giving out the books like they did last time (hopefully on the meal trays) and the Hackensack party is Monday.

We finished up at Georgetown and drove 9 hours up to Massachusetts to pick up Jack at camp. It has been a long day. We see Jack tomorrow. Yea! Love you.

http://www.abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=3401421&page=1



Harry Potter the Healer
With Book Release Party, a Magical Dose of Medicine in Pediatric Cancer Ward




Theresa Hammann, 6, right, attends the release party with her brother William, 3. Theresa's black curls are returning after recent chemotherapy treatments. (Molly Frances Norris, ABC News)

By MOLLY FRANCES NORRIS
July 21, 2007—

Young patients had their Harry Potter fanaticism nursed for a change at Georgetown University Hospital's Lombardi Cancer Center here in Washington today.

The children gathered in the clinic dripping with Potter-themed decorations. Some wheeled IVs and spoke from behind face masks guarding their weak immune systems -- features that faded when donning thick Harry glasses and Quidditch player capes.

"This party is for children undergoing chemotherapy and other difficult treatments who are missing out on some of the joys of childhood. It's to deliver some fun during what can be a bleak time," said Laurie Strongin, talking with a volunteer.

Strongin's son's passing at the age of seven after a life-long struggle with a genetic disease motivated her and her husband to start a foundation in his memory called Hope for Henry. They shower young patients with the finest tools of distraction -- personal DVD and mp3 players, Ninetendo Game Boys, digital cameras and other consumer electronics.

Pediatrician Brooke Trenton watched some of her patients bounce around eating cake and waving plastic wands at 10 a.m.

"Kids need a break from what they're going through," Trenton said.

She added the three hour party was already making for an easier morning for everyone in the oncology hematology clinic.

Outside of the hospital, some worry about the swell of darker themes embodied in the very title of J.K. Rowling's final installment, "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows." Strongin said the sinister undertones speak to children fighting potentially fatal illnesses.

"They understand things that healthy kids don't. Threats and danger lurking goes along with their life experience," said Strongin.

"Harry Potter is a symbol. Harry went through so much adversity," added Strongin. "With determination and courage, and lots of help from friends, he pulls through."

The foundation is a result of bonds forged through Henry's illness. An aunt in Minneapolis, Minn., lined up with the Strongin family to buy copies at midnight for another release party at a hospital where Henry once received a bone marrow transplant.

At four hospitals nationwide, 275 copies of "Deathly Hallows" were bought for patients who may have been to sick to line up at bookstores.

Subhan Jamil, 19, came down from his hospital room for a free copy of "Deathly Hallows." He's spent about a year here after spending one semester at college.
"I never thought I would say this, but I miss school," said Jamil.

He used to major in accounting, but now he wants to work with children, or maybe be a journalist.

When talking about the Sony PSP he received from the Hope for Henry Foundation, he said, "My time passes faster. It's pretty boring usually."

Maybe less so on a day with gummy rats and a few black witches' hats.

Copyright © 2007 ABC News Internet Ventures

Tomorrow we leave to pick up Jack. These are all of the letters he has written home this summer. There are a lot. I'm pretty certain they make them write letters or they don't get to go to the canteen.







Not bad.

Tonight is Harry Potter book night everywhere. I waited on line this morning to get tickets to wait on line tonight. The world is strange that way.

Love you, miss you.

New Harry Potter Book Delivered to Hospitalized Kids on July 21

The reason I was going through the bin from the garage was to find stuff from the 1970s when I went to camp. A friend and I are trying to get in touch with everyone we went to camp with and we may have a reunion. That should be fun.

One of the things I found was an autograph book, which is a lot like your Disney autograph book. Instead of Buzz, Woody, Chip and Dale, I have some nice notes from people who went to camp with me. Here is one from my counselor who said some really nice things. Interestingly, I remember almost getting kicked out of camp one year. Maybe when we have a reunion, someone will fill me in on what happened.



On Friday night the new Harry Potter book comes out. We'll be waiting on line at midnight to get the books to bring to the hospital on Saturday morning. Hope for Henry is giving books to kids at Georgetown, Hackensack, Fairview and Aunt Jen and Hannah are bringing them to kids at St. Louis Children's Hospital.

After the Harry Potter party at Georgetown, we jump in the car to drive up to Massachusetts to pick up Jack at Camp Ramah. Last year we went to the Basketball Hall of Fame and Fenway Park for a Yankees/Red Sox game after we got Jack. Not sure we'll have time this year.

The Talbot County fair, which was pretty yucky, reminded me of when you and I went to the Minnesota State Fair - anything on a stick, and earlier when you, Jack and I went to the Montgomery County Fair. Some guy operating a ride at the Minnesota State Fair wasn't nice to us. I remember calling Mom from the fair. I never use the cellphone so it must have been pretty bad.

Here is you at the Montgomery County Fair. That's a really good one.

We are in St. Michaels for the weekend. Today we went to the county fair.



Papa Teddy got Joe a pitching machine which has been a "big hit." Sorry, bad joke. The machine throws the ball 50 miles an hour, and Joe has no trouble hitting it. When we point it up toward the ski the machine throws great pop-ups. I was putting the balls in rapid-fire and Joe was having a blast catching them.

On Saturday morning I woke up to Joe standing beside the bed holding my glove. I said this to you once before, but your little brother is so much like a puppy. Instead of bringing a leash to get someone to take him for a walk, Joe brings a baseball glove so someone - me - will pitch to him or play catch.

After a spectacular catch I said to your brother that I am not sure what Micky Mantle looked like when he was a five year old, but I bet he looked something like Joe.

Joe quickly replied that Micky Mantle didn't look like Joe when he was five because Micky had blonde hair. That was great.

In the car on the way to St. Michaels, Joe said that he wished that you had lived until you were fourteen. I asked if it was so that you would know Joe when he was 8, but that wasn't really his thinking. I am not sure how he picked 14.

This is how it was supposed to work.

http://www.caringbridge.org/wi/johnathaneckstadt/index.htm

Good for him and his family. I liked the Michael Jordan stuff. It reminded me of the Michael Jordan poster you had in your room at Fairview in Minnesota.

Last night I dragged a big bin out of the garage and went through it looking for stuff from my camp days. I found out that I've saved a whole lot more stuff than I thought I had kept. I have all of the letters people wrote me from camp through college to girlfriends to mom. The coolest letters were the ones that Grandma wrote me when I lived in London, and the letters that Uncle Bill sent me from the war. I am going to scan those letters for Bill to give to James when James gets older. There are some bad words.

I also found something that got me really excited 'cause I didn't think I still had it.



This is a picture of me and my friend Jon Miller dressed as Jake and Elwood Blues, the Blues Brothers. The second I came across the picture late last night, I scanned it and sent it in an email to Jack. He loves the Blues Brothers, and I had told him that my friend and I used to perform as the Blues Brothers. I hope he thinks it's cool.

Here are the real Jake and Elwood. I saw Dan Ackroyd, Elwood, in person once in a small bar in Martha's Vineyard when we were getting ready to take the ferry. He is a big guy, like my friend Jon.

This weekend Uncle Andy asked us to go with him on the maiden voyage - that means first trip - of his new sailboat. Her (boats are girls) name is Dreamboat Abby. We left out of Annapolis and sailed around. It was a really beautiful boat and everyone had a great time.



One of the best things was that we got to swim in the Chesapeake Bay. I cannot remember the last time I did that because normally it is swarming with jellyfish. Another cool thing is that we ran into friend on their boats.

The other highlight was when your cousin Noah was in the Aunt Abby and Uncle Andy's berth or bedroom and he said to Joe, "Snuggle," and then put his blanket over Joe.

A great day.

The definition of "kilter" is good condition and proper form. There you go. Though I think there is something more to it than that.

Here are some pictures of Jack at Camp Ramah. The camp posts pictures up on its website every few days so moms and dads can see their kids having fun. Mom gets VERY excited when she sees one with Jack in it. He wasn't in many last year, but this year is another story. I don't know if he is doing a better job hamming it up for the camera, or the camp is taking a lot more photos than before.



I just sent Jack a package with some Simpson's comic books. It felt really good being at the post office sending that package. It was an awesome "Dad" moment. I have emailed him every other day. In addition to sending him his Simpson's character, I emailed him this story.



The Reliable Source

By Amy Argetsinger and Roxanne Roberts
Wednesday, July 4, 2007; Page C01

Michael Jackson Seeks New Neverland

On Eastern Shore Sometimes the unlikeliest rumors do turn out to be true. Days after the first vague news reports emerged from Maryland's Eastern Shore of a real-estate-hunting Michael Jackson, the singer's reps finally broke their silence to confirm in part -- and deny in others -- the story that has had the rural peninsula buzzing.

Jackson's D.C.-based publicist, Raymone Bain, called us late Monday and said that yes, indeed, the self-proclaimed King of Pop really did visit the Eastern Shore last week "for about 24 hours," and that he really did scout out some summer houses.

But, no, he hasn't made a purchase yet, contrary to some of the more heated Internet speculation. And he's not limiting his search to the Chesapeake region: He has since "gone up the coast" to look elsewhere for a vacation place.

Jackson came east with his children about 10 days ago for meetings because "the majority of his advisers and attorneys are on the East Coast," Bain said. Meanwhile, Bain told us, "He's always admired the properties on the East Coast because they have a lot of land. Neverland has 3,000 acres -- he likes privacy. You can't find as many properties like that on the West Coast."

The Easton Star Democrat, simply citing "inside sources," reported Friday that Jackson had spent the previous night at the historic Inn at Perry Cabin in the picturesque waterfront community of St. Michaels. Inn managers declined to comment. (Bain, too, would not specify where her client stayed.) A wave of news coverage followed, although none managed to cite any definite sightings of Jackson. WBAL-TV captured video of sheets shrouding the path from the inn's exit to a waiting limousine . . . which certainly seemed like vintage Jacko.

Still, high-end real estate, of which the shore has plenty, is often a breeding ground for false VIP rumors. (Remember the Brangelina-buying-in-Kalorama one? Or TomKat-moving-to-NoVa? So juicy, so not true. ) And it remains unclear whether Jackson could actually afford a new home: In recent years, prosecutors and former financial advisers have alleged in court that the star is teetering on bankruptcy, a charge his lawyers denied; just a year ago, Jackson agreed to settle some of his mounting debts by selling half of his valuable music publishing catalogue, which includes the rights to the Beatles' songs.

A week ago, Bain was busy issuing statements denying that Jackson was on his deathbed or had been evicted from his part-time Vegas rental (he simply decided not to exercise an option to buy, she said); so while she was on the phone with us Monday, she took the time to clear up some other lingering rumors: No, he's not looking to move permanently to the East Coast -- just to buy a vacation place. And no, he didn't come east for a kidney transplant. (Whoa, we hadn't even heard that one.) "It's so much chaos and confusion," she said.

What was the purpose of his meetings out here? "A laundry list" of issues, Bain said. "He's head of a vast corporation."

As I said to Jack in my email, can you imagine seeing Michael Jackson ordering Moose Tracks at Justine's. I can't imagine Papa Sy and Michael Jackson bonding over crabs at the Crab Claw.

Meanwhile, I have fallen madly in love with your cousin Noah. He is beyond cute. We are at Aunt Abby's beach house right now for the Fourth of July.



I told Mommy that there is something about this house that makes me sad. It is a beautiful house and it is terrific being with Michael, Rachel, Josh, Noah, Bing and your Aunt and Uncle, but I feel a bit off-kilter. Not sure how it feels to be on kilter or what kilter is, but that is how I feel.