Homage to Steve Murrah and Ghana

Ghana casket carved and painted wood

Steve and I joked about going to the Musuem of Funeral History in a Houston suburb to see the fabulous wooden caskets from Ghana. We laughed a lot about how we would go into the afterlife and who would be around to see us off. He sometimes came to Houston to visit a cousin and get treatment at M.D. Anderson. He was supposed to tell me the next time he was coming to Houston but I never got the call.
Steve died Jan. 15.



I was drawn to Steve because he was brave enough to keep trying new things to buy time including PRRT and Pazopanib, which turned his hair and part the eyelashes on one eye totally white. The look was sort of Mad Professor-Back to the Future-quirky and it fit his personality like the Argentine leather jacket he sometimes wore.

I also enjoyed Steve's twisted, dark sense of humor, displayed mostly in his writing. His blog is closed now and I have not seen it for some time but he used to poke fun and disparage any number of sacred medical cows, which made me laugh.

Steve and his wife, Lissie, attended the Toronto CNETs conference in 09. Steve and I both were leaning toward PRRT as the best chance for zapping carcinoid tumors. His case was more serious than mine - more tumors in the liver. He was quite ill during most of the conference. The three of us shared a cab to the airport. Soon as he got back home to Ohio, Steve headed for Bad Berka.

He was completely honest about the nausea, the nearly paralytic fear upon hearing the words, "start the Lutetium," and the trust he had in Dr. Richard Baum. Steve was certain he could beat carcinoid if  Baum administered a dose of radiation now and then to stun or kill his neuroendocrine tumors. And I think Steve did buy some time.

Steve was a complex case. He had a little scrap of kidney left, which made administering the kidney protective substance - amino acids in a thick liquid, Geofulsin - more difficult than for the average patient with two working kidneys.

He was complex in other ways too and I think, often misunderstood. He provided a great service to the NETs community by blogging about whatever treatment he happened to be on - and there were several.

He loved to talk on the phone and an hour's conversation was not unusual for him. As time went on, many of Steve's political views veered in the opposite direction of mine and eventually, we just stopped communicating.

But I never forgot him. Never will. He'd probably deride this sentimental send-off so I'll just say, "Steve, you crazy SOB, how dare you leave and not tell me!"

Ghana casket shaped like a papaya. Design Museum Weil am Rhein.