THANKSGIVING, 1984

THE BEGINNING OF TROUBLE AGAIN      

During Thanksgiving vacation in Florida in 1984, we noticed a very slight and subtle change in Scott's gait and he also started complaining of lower back pain after coughing, sneezing or laughing.  We didn't think much of it until Scott's annual neurological checkup with Dr. Gold in January, 1985.  By this time, a new technology had been developed, then called "NMR" or "nuclear molecular resonance".  NMR was a large machine which recorded on a film the imaging resulting from magnetic bombardment of human cell structure.  Although the word "nuclear" referred to the structure of a cell rather than radioactivity, it frightened some people, enough so, to cause the term "NMR" to be changed to "MRI" or "molecular resonance imaging".  In fact, its advantages over the CAT scan were its non-invasiveness and higher resolution.  Although Dr. Gold did not pick up any abnormality during the January, 1985 neurological checkup, it was suggested that Scott undergo "NMR" or "MRI" examination, especially since no cumulative radiological harm would be done to him by this new non-invasive test procedure.  We took Scott to the Radiology Department at the North Shore Hospital in Manhasset, Long Island, where our old friend Dr. Harry Stein¹⁷was the Chief.  Dr. Stein had trained my brother Bill at NY-Cornell and was pleased to offer his new equipment to help Scott.  The "NMR" room was a spooky place - a large room completely lined in copper.*  Before entering the room, we had to remove all metal objects, watches, credit cards, etc. which would be otherwise damaged or become missiles when subjected to the magnetic forces generated by the "NMR" equipment. 

The "NMR" films did not reveal any alarming spinal abnormalities but much to everyone's surprise, did disclose several brain lesions, without any apparent mass effect.  Put another way, other than the slight change in his gait and the lower back pain experienced after coughing, sneezing or laughing, which had started around Thanksgiving, 1984 and had not gotten worse, Scott had no "papilledema," did not have headaches or vomiting and was otherwise asymptomatic.  The doctors were puzzled by the brain lesions and by the absence of any apparent abnormality in the spinal "NMR" scans which would explain the gait change or the lower back pain.  It was suggested that perhaps the magnetic coils of the "NMR" equipment were not large enough to give sufficient resolution to show regrowth of spinal tumor tissue.  On a differential basis, it was suggested that the observed brain lesions could be either tumors or post-radiotherapy necrosis of brain tissue or "AVM"s.**  The only thing the doctors seemed to state with certainty at this time was that whatever the multiple brain lesions actually were they were probably the same on the theory that it would be extremely rare for there to be several different processes going on in Scott's brain at the same time.  Seven years had gone by since the original diagnosis in 1977 and here we were again in 1984 faced once again with dismal hypothesis concerning Scott's health and his future.  Since Scott was basically asymptomatic, it was thought that perhaps Scott's lower back pain resulted from the growth of post-radiotherapy scar tissue pressing on a nerve.  No one was really sure what was going on.  

Dr. Gold advised us to admit Scott to the hospital for the purpose of doing a brain biopsy to obtain brain tissue for pathology examination.  We were really on the ropes.  The thought of subjecting Scott to a surgical attack on his brain was not particularly appealing, especially since he wasn't acutely sick.  He was really thriving in school*** and was about to start the preparation for his own bar mitzvah and had been invited to attend a number of bar mitzvah parties of his classmates.  Did we really have to interrupt his life and to what end?  Perhaps we were afraid of what the brain biopsy might reveal.  In any event, we declined to subject Scott to a brain biopsy in early 1985 and after further consultation with Dr. Gold, it was decided that in the absence of any further symptoms or change in Scott's condition, nothing would be done at that time; and further "NMR" scans would be scheduled after his bar mitzvah in June, 1985.  

In the meantime, Scott was attending school and was enthusiastically following his assignments.  On one occasion in April, 1985, Scott interviewed Neil Sedaka and wrote his biography as a school project, complete with color photographs of Neil, taken by Scott himself with his Polaroid camera.  He wrote also of "Anti-Semitism in the Soviet Union," which he carefully researched from books and pamphlets obtained from the Public Library and the Anti-Defamation League.  His most enjoyable writings were a series of short stories, plays, poems and other writings, which he would create on his trusty Radio Shack Model III 48K computer.  They ranged from "Creation by God," a very funny takeoff on the creation of the universe to "Homer," a make believe newspaper column for  love starved teenagers.  He had such a creative mind.  

JUNE 15, 1985 - SCOTT'S BAR MITZVAH 

The rest of 1985 went on without major incident.  Scott's bar mitzvah at Temple Emanu-El on Fifth Avenue and 65th Street in New York City took place on Saturday morning, June  15, 1985 with a magnificent, well attended reception²¹ that evening at the St. Regis Hotel.  Despite regular protestations before the bar mitzvah that he couldn't learn his part, Scott performed beautifully and made us all proud.  Typical of Scott's humor, after the service as he was leaving the main sanctuary of the temple, walking towards the lobby to receive his guests, accompanied by Senior Rabbi Sobel, we observed the Rabbi speaking with Scott who made an inaudible reply which elicited laughter from the Rabbi.  Rabbi Sobel later told us that in response to his praise of Scott's performance, Scott replied "I only hope I can do as good in the 8th grade."  The evening at the St. Regis was equally memorable and we have a video tape of the reception which we often watch.  Little did we know then in June, 1985 that excerpts from this videotape would later appear in a video program of Scott's life, prepared by his classmate Jordan Rubin and shown at Scott's memorial service at the Dalton School on May 31, 1988, about three years later.  Among the many friends and relatives at Scott's bar mitzvah were Dr. Gold and his wife Sandra.  Dr. Gold is seen on the video tape of Scott's bar mitzvah talking about the miracle of Scott being alive to celebrate his bar mitzvah in 1985 when he wasn't expected to survive the year 1977. 

Additional "MRI" scans of Scott's brain and spine were taken in 1985 with little change in what could be seen on them.  Still no showing of spinal abnormality and little change in the brain lesions which still could be seen.  In December, 1985, we took Scott to Cancun, Mexico, for the Christmas and New Year holidays.  We all had a marvelous time except that Scott's lower back seemed to bother him more frequently with pain and stiffness.  He was fine during the day in the sun when it was warm or in the pool but in the cool air at night or after sitting for a long time in a restaurant, and after coughing, sneezing or laughing he complained a great deal.

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