Can the cinema save the world?

 Can the cinema save the world?

MAXIMILIAN obuszewski<mobuszewski2001@comcast.net>

On September 4, Janice and I watched Irene's Vow on Netflix. It tells a version of the life of Irene Gut, a Polish nurse. Just before Hitler and Stalin decided to carve up Poland, she enrolled in nursing school. While she was hiding during the invasion, Russian soldiers discovered her and she was beaten and raped. Later she was forced to work in a munitions factory during the German occupation.  During the occupation, the law was that if a Pole helped a Jew, s/he would be executed.  Nevertheless, Gut helped Jews by secretly taking food to the ghetto and even hiding them.  This is a well-acted film where everyone had to make a choice.  Do you resist the occupiers? Do you ignore cries of help? Do you ignore the occupier's rules? Do you keep your head down and hope you survive the war? It was directed by Louise Archambault and stars Sophie Nélisse as Irena Gut.  Gut has to repeatedly think on her feet and make the least-worst decision.  Janice was 16 when her mother named Irena died.  

 

 On September 6 at 4 PM we joined some 100 filmgoers at the SNF Parkway Theatre, 5 W. North Avenue, Baltimore to see AMERICAN DOCTOR — a compelling film about three American doctors — Palestinian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian — who enter Gaza to save lives and find themselves confronting the complicated intersection of medicine, politics, and truth. The screening was followed by a Q&A with director Poh Si Teng, a U.S. citizen from Malaysia. 

 

 A former Al Jazeera journalist who had trouble getting funding for a documentary about the genocide in Gaza. She used up her life savings, $150,000, but more was needed to complete the documentary. She was able to raise an additional $200,000 in donations during trips to Malaysia. 

 

 A crucial decision was made early in the filming to show the carnage, including the killings of babies and many other children.  I survived surgery on August 13 and had excellent care.  If you were injured in Gaza, the hospitals which were deliberately being targeted, lacked basic medical supplies.  An amputation might take place without sedation. The film focuses on three doctors who tried to bring in supplies despite the IDF's aim to withhold medical supplies and other necessities.  

 

 This film marks her directorial debut. She utilized two Gaza-based cinematographers, Ibrahim Al Otla and Christopher Renteria. They were embedded with the doctors while they faced food shortages and the threat of bombardment. They uploaded footage daily via a balcony at Nasser Hospital that was later destroyed in an Israeli strike that killed 22 people including journalists and medical workers.

 

 AMERICA DOCTOR has footage of the doctors and others going on lobbying visits in D.C. Having been to Chuck Schumer's office, I knew the delegation would be met with disdain.  Many legislators have Israeli flags outside their officers, as well as photographs of Israelis killed by Hamas.  They did not see any photographs of martyred Palestinian women or children.  The documentary also makes the point that the hospitals and medical personnel were intentionally targeted. There was some push back by the media hosts who accepted the Israeli propaganda that terrorists were at the hospitals.  The doctors strongly denied the allegations. 

 

 One of scenes in the documentary which was most disturbing was when President Trump placed his arm around Prime Minister Benjamin Netayahu after his address to Congress.  Trump trumpeted that "we" have been sending many bombs to Israel.  And these bombs have been effective.  The camera cuts into a bomb blowing up a residential area in Gaza.   

 

 By happenstance, I was the first to address the director. Thank you for this wonderful documentary.  Thank you for bringing tears to my eyes.  And thank you for including Dr. Terry Fitzgerald, a member of Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility, who lives in Baltimore.  To the audience, I indicated that Terry addressed the doctors from the film at a Jewish Voice for Peace convention. I pointed out that from 1977 to 1981, I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana, which borders South Africa.  I became quite aware of apartheid in South Africa.  While I was in Africa, Israel aided the white-minority government in South Africa to obtain the apartheid bomb.

 

 In 1989, I was part of a human rights delegation to Israel/occupied Palestine organized by the American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee.  It became clear that I witnessed Israeli apartheid.  At that time, I was able to travel to Gaza, where I visited Al-Shifa Hospital which was bombed in the film, Jabalia, Rafah and Khan Yunis.  I was taken into custody by Shin Bet and interrogated in my boxer shorts.

 

 On April 9, 2024, Janice and I were arrested with 62 others shouting Free, Free Palestine in the Dirksen Senate Office Building Cafeteria.  I look forward to your next documentary of the IDF attacks on Palestinian media.  Thank you for this opportunity to speak.

 

 Another audience member asked a question about the comparison between Gaza and the atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki.  The director indicated she is unable to quantify such an answer.

 

 Finally, I am including another unpublished letter-to-the-editor of The Baltimore Sun about Mark Ruffalo.  He is one of my favorite actors--Dark Waters, Spotlight, The Kids Are All Right, All the Light We Cannot See and Foxcatcher.

 

Letters to the Editor

 

THE SUN

 

Talkback@baltimoresun.com

 

To the editor:

 

I have enjoyed very much Mark Ruffalo’s work as an actor and have been impressed by his social consciousness. So of course I have been following the allegations that he is antisemitic: “Jewish artists defend Mark Ruffalo amid Paramount’s allegations of antisemitism” [September 3, 2026, The Baltimore Sun].     

 

Of course, antisemitism exists and must be condemned.  However, when Larry Ellison, a financial supporter of President Donald Trump, makes such an allegation, I am very suspicious. Ellison is engaging in a right-wing takeover of media outlets. This controversy revolves around the fact that Ellison’s Oracle is assisting Israel in the killing of noncombatant Palestinians.  Ruffalo made his point that there is an ongoing genocide in Gaza, which is no different than what innumerable human rights groups have said.  The list is long—Amnesty International, the United Nations Commission, B’Tselem, Physicians for Human Rights and others.

 

I was impressed by the list of Jewish artists supporting Ruffalo, including Joel Coen, Tony Kushner, Todd Haynes and Sarah Kuntsler.  The group’s letter made this conclusion: “It is, for us, the very essence of Jewish ethical duty.”

 

Kagiso, Max

 

Baltimore

 

410-323-1607

 

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Ph.: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.

 

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs

I just want to wash that cancer right out of my hair

 Friends,

 

I cannot sing, but I am hearing Mitzi Gaynor singing Rodgers and Hammerstein's Wash That Guy Right Out of My Hair. I know the feeling, but it is about cancer, not a guy.

 

Eventually, I plan to update you on my surgery on August 13 and its aftermath.  At this juncture, I’ve lost 18 pounds and continued to be anemic. Nevertheless, I feel healthy. This write-up begins the day I had a port installed.

 

On September 9, Janice and I arrived around 10 AM at the Surgi Center in Owings Mills, Maryland.  Sitting in the waiting room, I received a call from Charlie, a peace activist and a fellow basketball player at BYKOTA Senior Center in Towson.  He called to express his concern about my situation. However, he is recovering from shoulder replacement surgery and symptoms related to glaucoma. I am just suffering a bit of discomfort, as the five incisions in my stomach heal.

 

 I am called. I remove my clothes and put on a surgical gown. While my vitals were being checked, there was a question.  Where was the insertion of a subcutaneous port to be? 

 

I remarked that my oncologist said it should be by the clavicle.  The two nurses laughed and said I have two.  The presumption on my part was to do it on my left side, away from my dominant arm. Once the IV was in place, I walked over to a hospital bed. I was questioned about my medications. I stopped taking Eliquis, a blood thinner. I finished the Tylenol prescribed after the August 13^th surgery and did not take my blood pressure or cholesterol medications that morning. I was fasting from food and water.  Electric blankets were placed on each lower leg to prevent blood clots.

 

 A physician came over to check on me.  I found out she was born in Nigeria but has not visited her family there since 2017.  I mentioned that I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Botswana from 1977 to 1981.  I had a layover in Lagos, Nigeria, and customs officials pulled me aside and took me to a room.  They wanted a bribe, but before departing for Africa, I pledged I would pay no bribes. I asked to see the U.S. ambassador and was eventually allowed to continue my journey.  The doctor indicated she was born in Lagos.

 

This request for a bribe occurred three other times during my African sojourn.  I was on another flight heading north, which landed in Kinshasa, Zaire, a notoriously corrupt country. Fortunately, I was allowed back on the plane despite my unwillingness to pay up. One time, another Peace Corps volunteer and I hitchhiked from Botswana to Lusaka, Zambia. There we boarded the rail line, built by the Chinese, to travel more than a thousand miles to Tanzania to climb Mount Kilimanjaro.  We ignored the pressure tactic from the conductor and did not pay a bribe. Finally, I was in the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, and a guard requested a “donation.” He had the wrong pigeon. 

 

Just before being taken to surgery, I met different members of the team, including the surgeon, Arthur Affleck.  He is a colorectal surgeon who specializes in installing ports for cancer victims.  I informed Dr. Affleck that I was told he was the best. 

 

He mentioned that his partner, Dr. Joshua Wolf, did my surgery at Sinai Hospital.  I told him I called my colon cancer trump and was thankful that Dr. Wolf removed the malignancy. He laughed, so I told him that just before going into surgery at Northwest Hospital for a scoping of my sigmoid colon, I was asked about my dream.  I said my dream was to walk into the White House to tell Trump it is time to go.

 

During this odyssey, which started in November 2025, very few members of the medical community would discuss politics.  So, it was refreshing to know that Dr. Affleck recognized Trump as a fascist.

 

 He informed Janice and me that during residency in Texas, the good old boys would want the port installed away from their shooting arm.  We informed him that, as peace activists, we had no guns in the house. I suggested installing the port on my left side.

 

 I was then wheeled down the corridor to a room packed with electronic equipment. There, a nurse placed an oxygen mask over my nose and mouth. The surgery team used sedation, not anesthesia, which allowed me to recover much more easily. I remember someone saying Give him 140 something or other. Maybe an hour later, I started to reach some form of consciousness.  Dr. Affleck let me know that he could not insert the port on the left.  So instead, I have a very secure bandage covering the port on my right side. 

 

 Since it took a few hours for the sedation to wear off, Janice was the driver.  We stopped to purchase Tylenol.  During breakfast around 4 PM, I experienced some discomfort just holding up a coffee cup in my right hand. Soon thereafter, I slept for several hours.  Tylenol presumably is helping, as I am only experiencing discomfort.

 

 My chemotherapy will begin on September 23 at the Maryland Oncology Hematology in Eldersburg with an injection of XELOX [oxaliplatin] through the port into a vein.  The next day, I will begin a fourteen-day regimen of first taking three capsules of CAPOX [capecitabine] 30 minutes after a meal, and later two capsules 30 minutes after a meal. This treatment is being pursued to prevent cancer cells from dividing and growing and can cause the cancer cells to shrink and die. Then I have a week off to recover before the next XELOX injection. 

 

I will get anti-nausea medication from my pharmacy, but the heavy-duty drugs will be mailed to me. I do not know how long the procedure will continue. Presumably, after every three weeks, a blood test will be ordered to determine the efficacy of the process.

 

  One supporter just told me that his brother’s wife is going to get chemotherapy and radiation before the surgery takes place.  It seems her malignancy has broken through her colon.  When I hear or read about others going through such traumatic situations, I realize how fortunate I am.  Through all the procedures and the surgeries, I have had little pain. My support community is from Erie, PA, down to Key West, and from the East to California, and places in between.  What comes next is another adventure.  How will I handle chemotherapy?  Stay tuned for another report. Kagiso, Max    

 

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Ph.: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.

 

 "The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs

 

This is why Janice and I will see the documentary Three Doctors because of "Zulm"

 

The SNF Parkway Theatre, 5 W. North Avenue, Baltimore on Sun., Sept. 6 at 4 PM will screen AMERICAN DOCTOR — a compelling film about three American doctors — Palestinian, Jewish, and Zoroastrian — who enter Gaza to save lives and find themselves confronting the complicated intersection of medicine, politics, and truth. The screening is followed by a Q&A with director Poh Si Teng. Get your tickets at snfparkway.org!

 

By Jonathan Kuttab

 

The Arabic word “zulm” is usually translated as “injustice” and comes from the same root as “zalam” (darkness), which describes a situation of such overwhelming oppression that it cries out to the highest heaven. It is a situation of outraged frustration bursting with bitter anger at the impunity of those in power and their sneering delight for the suffering they cause, of their arrogant dismissal of the rights of the oppressed, and the lack of recourse or accountability for the victims who can only appeal to the Ruler of the Universe against the zulm. Ultimately, zulm is a much more powerful and evocative term than our usual protests about “human rights violations.”

 

Examples of zulm, both large and small, abound in Palestine today:

 

It is zulm that Palestinians cannot access their lands, as they are invaded and ravaged by marauding “grazing outposts” of settlers who drive their sheep and cattle right up to the doors of Palestinian homes. These settlers brazenly steal Palestinians’ sheep, destroy their crops and deny Palestinians access to their fields, all under the watchful eyes of Israeli soldiers.

 

It is zulm when those who dare to insist on filing complaints with the Israeli Police (located inside settlements) are themselves arrested and harassed.

 

It is zulm when thousands of Palestinians are imprisoned without charge or trial in Israeli torture centers, where their very humanity is denied and where they are routinely beaten, humiliated, denied adequate food, hot water, exercise, basic sanitary conditions and where over 80 prisoners have died in prison since the war on Gaza started.

 

It is zulm that I hear from my friend who was recently released from prison about having lost about 1/3 of his body weight and having to endure an operation on his leg without anesthesia to save it from amputation, after scabies had ravaged his foot. This same foot was severely beaten by the guards when he dared to complain about it.

 

It is zulm when more and more iron gates are erected at all entrances and side roads to Palestinian towns and villages. These gates are closed arbitrarily, from time to time forcing lengthy delays, detours and expensive transportation costs for no apparent reason.

 

It is zulm when Gaza, even after three years of genocide, continues to suffer a devastating siege as its people are squeezed into smaller and smaller areas. The people have no means of living a normal life, having to struggle daily for food, fresh water, shelter, medicine, and a place to go to the bathroom, much less privacy, education and anything resembling normal life. 

 

It is a zulm when over a thousand Gazans have been killed after a “ceasefire” was declared, where they cannot even fly kites and balloons but Israel freely rains bombs and missiles on their helpless tent encampments.

 

It is zulm when an area with the highest number of child amputees in the world is denied crutches, prosthetics, wheelchairs, and anesthesia for their struggling medical facilities.

 

It is zulm when Doctors, nurses, and health workers, like Dr. Aby Safiya, continue to languish in Israeli jails with no trial or accusation other than that they continued to serve their patients after being ordered to abandon them.

 

It is zulm when Israel literally razes tens of Lebanese villages to the ground and brags about it with little or no response from the world community, as it continues to flout international law.

 

It is zulm to place an entire population under the control of a strict permit/license regime, whereby each aspect of their lives, including movement, education, residence, economy and culture, is subject to the arbitrary control of their enemies. It is doubly a zulm if, after begging, waiting, and hoping for a coveted permit to meet an essential need, that permit is denied without any reason being given. 

 

Sabeel founder Rev. Naim Ateek wrote Justice and Only Justice: A Palestinian Theology of Liberation, the seminal book whose teachings comprise the guiding principles upon which the work of FOSNA is based according to its Statement of Purpose. Another way of putting it is that our mission is to do our best to ameliorate or remove the zulm which has become such a basic feature of Palestinian life.

 

The author is with Friends of Sabeel North America.

 

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Ph.: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.

 

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs

Staying active

 Friends,

 

Despite my precarious health situation. I am trying to stay involved.  Today, for example, Janice and I attended the Tuesday vigil across from Johns Hopkins University Homewood campus at 33rd and N. Charles Sts. in Baltimore.  The current theme is to condemn Trump World for its cruel positions, including the treatment of immigrants, the wars against Canada and Iran, and the outrageous military and nuclear arsenal budgets. The temperature during the vigil was 96 degrees.  We stayed in the shade.

 

Also, I continue to submit letters to the Baltimore Sun.  Occasionally I manage to get one published.  The one below is too hot to handle and was not published. Kagiso, Max

 

Letters to the Editor

 

THE SUN

 

Talkback@baltimoresun.com

 

To the editor:

 

It was the title of an article which I have seen way too much: “Israeli strikes kill 5 in Gaza, 3 in West Bank” [August 29, 2026, The Baltimore Sun]. It is cruel to call this phase in the onslaught against the Palestinians a “ceasefire.” According to the article, “at least 1,303 Palestinians” have been killed in “repeated airstrikes.”    

 

This ongoing tragedy is also taking place in the West Bank.  It was chilling to read this: “at least 87 Palestinians have been killed in attacks by settlers and soldiers this year.” This was followed by an astonishing statistic: “Three Israelis have been killed in 2026.”

 

This raises a question: When will the Israeli government recognize that this ongoing onslaught is tarnishing its image?  For the sake of both sides, I hope it is tomorrow.

 

Kagiso, Max

 

Baltimore

410-323-1607

Baltimore Activist Alert -- August 5 - 9, 2026

 27] Women leading nonviolent actions -- August 5

28] Hiroshima/Nagasaki remembrances – August 5 & 8

29] Hear from Indivisible founders – August 6

30] Corporate involvement in genocide – August 6

31] Get on the overpass – August 6

32] Hiroshima/Nagasaki remembered – August 6

-----

27] – The Women of AFCFP office@afcfp.org are hosting a forum on Wed., Aug. 5 at 1 PM ET with women leading nonviolent action in Palestine, Israel, and beyond. Hear directly from the women protecting communities and building a more just future. Women on the Frontlines of Change: Building Just Peace Through Co-Resistance.  Register at https://secure.everyaction.com/izyCnJcwKUmZs8MGfmPpyw2?contactdata=S%2fg+7pv+rLXnR265775rKoAZl7+ijhVpsc+d8HTmKvfpDjcbn98Jp3ipgm0QrRS8KYV+mWAMmGDUxQOrWBH%2fbaqesVu2OYINpF%2fdT8MuldPeSUVeCgkjt6i+rtjbyAjln7K%2fdkxi5WFr3LdAmFzBb1bpiL6y3AHTMrN9%2fm+bFtP53HtVe0eWGHsp0EKtNhTOflTduM8KJQnSoKctjQuV0Ow6aQmvR+PpAwVEzSCzAAUfQi2+RYlwS14Tfw%2fIfopCQfQhxLLhCIFYcoNt6q313A%3d%3d&emci=87f8d87a-0990-f111-b337-000d3a1558ce&emdi=d1ba891f-0f90-f111-b337-000d3a1558ce&ceid=8142762

28] – John Steinbach johnsteinbach1@verizon.net is inviting you to the commemorations of Hiroshima and Nagasaki, The Hiroshima Nagasaki Peace Committee will commemorate the exact moments of the destruction of Hiroshima & Nagasaki. On Wed., Aug. 5 at 7 PM, there will be a Zoom discussion with the theme “Lessons Learned from the Nuclear Disarmament Struggle.” Several activists involved in organizing the mass movement in 1982 culminating in the Central Park Rally which led to ratification of the Intermediate Range Nuclear Force Treaty in 1987.

On Sat., Aug. 8 at 9:45 PM, gather on the sidewalk in front of St. John’s Church, 1625 H St. NW, WDC, across from Lafayette Park for a Nagasaki candlelight vigil. For the August 5^th Zoom see below: Join our Cloud HD Video Meeting:  The Meeting ID is 837 0779 3444  See the one tap mobile at +16468769923,,83707793444# US 

29] – Each Thursday from 3 to 4 PM ET, Indivisible co-founders Leah Greenberg and Ezra Levin host a virtual event to talk about important news of the week and how we can make real change in our own communities. The chaos out of the White House is meant to overwhelm us. This is people-powered politics in real time. Questions can be submitted via the Q&A function during the live event.  This event will continue through Dec. 17. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/event/874938/?utm_source=email&utm_medium=_20260518

30] – The Israel-U.S. genocide in Gaza is not just the work of governments. It is also fueled by corporations that profit from death and destruction. For years, calls to officials have been met with silence, deflection, or outright lies, all while corporations that fund and supply the war machine continue to operate in silence. On Thurs., Aug. 6 from 3:30 to 4 PM ET, engage in collective action to demand accountability from the companies involved. These companies rely heavily on public perception and a smooth workday to maximize their profits. Begin with a brief orientation to the purpose of the calls, a review of the call script, and clear instructions on whom to contact and how to do so. Email makayla@codepinkalert.org. RSVP at https://www.codepink.org/cp86?utm_campaign=august_member_newsletter_2026&utm_medium=email&utm_source=codepink

31] – On Thurs., Aug. 6 at 4 PM, join a banner drop at W. Gude Drive at the 270 Overpass, Rockville 20850. RSVP at https://www.mobilize.us/indivisible/event/939739/?followup_modal_context=organization_newsletter_custom_recommendations

Every Thursday from 4 to 5 PM, the Banner Brigade hangs a central message over 270 to the honks and waves of commuters. This event will continue through Oct. 29. Feel free to bring your own sign to display or use one that’s available, or just wave and enjoy the music and our common goal to end this madness!

32] – For the 42nd year, Baltimore’s peace community is commemorating the atomic destruction of Hiroshima and Nagasaki on August 6 and 9.  The theme is to look back to see if we can learn from the past and prevent the use of nuclear weapons. On Aug. 6 gather from 5 to 5:30 PM at 33rd & N. Charles St. across from John Hopkins University, the #1 school of mass destruction.  Urge JHU to renounce weapons research. At Homewood Friends meeting house, 3107 N. Charles St., gather for a vegetarian potluck dinner.  The program will begin at 6:30 PM.  A booklet has been produced, and will be available, detailing a sampling of Baltimore’s historic peace with justice activities.  Hear from speakers who have been involved in the struggle.    

The commemoration on August 9 will also take place at Homewood Friends meetinghouse starting at 5:30 PM. Watch a documentary with Daniel Ellsberg, source of The Pentagon Papers and author of The Doomsday Machine—An Ordinary Insanity. A JHU grad student will do a presentation about the research she has done regarding the university’s involvement in mass murder weapons at the JHU Applied Physics Laboratory.  Following the Q&A, light refreshments will be available. Organizations involved in the commemorations are Preventnuclearwar-Maryland, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, Homewood Friends Meeting, Chesapeake Physicians for Social Responsibility & Maryland Peace Action. For more information, text 410-499-8899.

To be continued

Donations can be sent to Max Obuszewski, Baltimore Nonviolence Center, 431 Notre Dame Lane, Apt. 206, Baltimore, MD 21212.  Ph.: 410-323-1607; Email: mobuszewski2001 [at] comcast.net. Go to http://baltimorenonviolencecenter.blogspot.com/.

"The master class has always declared the wars; the subject class has always fought the battles. The master class has had all to gain and nothing to lose, while the subject class has had nothing to gain and everything to lose--especially their lives." Eugene Victor Debs

Trump is trying to kill me

 Trump is trying to kill me

 

If you know me, you know that I have been protesting Donald Trump since he became president after defeating Hillary Clinton.  And in his second term, Trump has become more dangerous and more unhinged.  What he has done with Project 2025 might take years to undo. However, this reflection is not about the president.

 

In late 2025, I had several bowel movements a day and brought this to the attention of my primary care doctor Walid Barbour of Sage Health.  Janice Sevre-Duszynska accompanied me to this appointment and all others. The doctor decided to observe the situation. I have Alterwood Advantage and pay $15.60 a month for the insurance. This health issue took months to diagnose.  I felt no pain, and continued to play basketball, exercise and protest injustice. However, on May 8, 2026, a colonoscopy discovered a five cm malignancy in my colon.  Since then, I have called that invasive critter trump.  If interested in a detailed report of my dealing with trump, read on.

 

Besides the irregular bowel movements, there were blotches on my arms.  Doctor Barbour referred me to Advanced Dermatology's Dr. Ernest Eckenrode for an appointment on Feb. 10, 2026.  The doctor indicated that I was suffering from vitiligo, an auto-immune disorder.  He noticed it was also around my neck.  He added associations including thyroid disease, pernicious anemia, and diabetes.  He suggested phototherapy, but I deferred. I mentioned my irregular bowel movements, but he did not see it as a problem. My co-pay was $25.

 

Eventually, Dr. Barbour suggested I get a Cologuard test, and the result was positive.  I had trouble finding a gastroenterologist, but fortunately my primary care doctor referred me to Dr. Joshua Rosenbloom of the Gastro Center.  On April 27, I met with the doctor, and he noted I had lost 12 pounds.  He ordered a blood test and stool sample and scheduled a colonoscopy and endoscopy for May 29.  However, after seeing the results of the blood test, the procedure was moved forward to May 8.  He recognized his patient was anemic.

 

There were guidelines to follow for a colonoscopy, including drinking two horrible bottles of prep. The scoping discovered two benign polyps and a 5 cm. malignancy near the rectum. Dr. Rosenbloom indicated he did not remove the polyps as they were too close to the malignancy. I next met with Dr. Rosenbloom on May 13, and he suggested a plan of action.  This included staying in touch with Dr. Barbour and bringing onboard a surgeon Dr. Joshua Wolf from Sinai Hospital and an oncologist Dr. Ari Elmer of Maryland Oncology Hematology. Also, the enterologist ordered a CAT-scan without contrast. The total bill for the Gastro Center was $5,378, and the co-pay was $85.  

 

I have been eating flax seeds or flax meal with my cereal for at least forty years to clean out my colon.  The doctors, however, have stressed that there is no way to identify a cause for cancer.

 

I met Dr. Wolf on May 18, and his plan was to do the surgery in 30 days.  This did not happen as I had to have several tests to see if the cancer had spread. The first was a CAT-scan, which he changed to include with contrast. On May 19, I met with Dr. Elmer, and he outlined what was to follow. 

 

On May 22 at Advanced Radiology, I paid $303.20 for the CAT-scan.  The actual cost was $1,416.  The main findings indicated a nodule on my left lung and on my thyroid.

 

On June 9, Dr. Barbour, noting that I was anemic, prescribed four tablets of Vitamin D [ergocalcife] taken on a weekly basis.  Then there was a refill.  Presumably until my anemia is cured, I will be prescribed Vitamin D.

 

Because of what showed up in the CAT-scan, Dr. Wolf ordered a PET-scan on June 10.  There was no co-pay.  This imaging was more difficult than the previous scan, as for thirty minutes I had to extend my arms beyond my head. The imaging indicated a lesion on my liver and in my rectum.  The nodules and the lesions needed further investigations. 

 

On June 15, I was scheduled for an infusion of iron at the oncologist's office. There was a dispute between Alterwood and the order for medication used in the infusion.  A substitute was used instead.  However, when I arrived at Maryland Oncology Hematology in Eldersburg, I was notified my insurance company would not pay the $1,779 cost. So, I signed a document taking responsibility to cover the cost.  The nurse who conducted the infusion was flabbergasted by Alterwood's decision.  She then gave me a 15-minute infusion to see if I had any side effects. Since I didn't, I absorbed 30 more minutes of the iron product. She indicated I would need another infusion two weeks after surgery. The cost for the services with the oncologist was $617, and the co-pay was $25.

 

Since I was scheduled to have two surgeries, the surgeon's office set up an appointment on June 25 with my cardiologist Dawn Kershner with Mercy Hospital.  An EKG and a respectable blood pressure reading indicated I could handle the surgeries.

 

On June 29, I met with a representative at Sinai Hospital's Power Clinic to go through pre-operation procedures.  The assessment was that I was ready for a sigmoid colon inspection.  The MRI scheduled for June 30 was cancelled because the radiologist recognized that the order should have been with contrast.  Initially it was rescheduled for July 13, but fortunately there was an opening on July 6.

 

 On July 2, we traveled to Northwest Hospital in Randallstown for a sigmoidoscopy.  Of course, I went on Goggle to get an understanding of what would take place.  It indicated that the camera will be inserted without anesthesia.  I could never handle such an insertion without being asleep.  Fortunately, Google was wrong.  Soon after taking off my clothes to prepare for surgery, two doctors doing their residency explained the procedure and asked me to consent.  One of the possibilities, though, was the perforation of my colon.  Nevertheless, I trusted all the medical personnel involved. 

 

 I managed to survive the two enemas in preparation for the surgery.  I was introduced to the anesthesiologist and the surgery team. Dr. Wolf explained the procedure and its purpose.  As I was wheeled into the surgical area, Freddie, a nurse, asked about my dream.  I told the surgical crew that I will go to the White House and tell Trump it's time to go.  I remember hearing laughter. An hour later, I woke up.  Dr. Wolf told me he found something to observe in the folds of the sigmoid colon and will check in with Dr. Rosenbloom to see what he saw in the colonoscopy.  There was no bleeding.   I received a separate invoice from Christian Hansen, a pathologist, for a payment of $148.

 

 On July 6, we traveled to Advanced Radiology at Franklin Square for an MRI to look closer to the lesions on my liver and my rectum.  A document I signed informed me that I would receive an injection of a gadolinium-based contrast agent.  Small amounts of gadolinium can stay in the body, including the brain, bones, skin and other parts of my body for several months to years. I asked for a copy of this document, and it was eventually given to me. After getting an IV, I walked into the room and climbed onto a bed which would move me into the tube.  I was given a button to push if there was a problem and wore earmuffs.  What took place besides the radiation were banging noises on an irregular basis.  The technician communicated with me about how much longer this procedure would take place.  After the ordeal, I was told I did well.  I asked if all patients do well?  She laughed, informing me that many cannot handle the enclosure.  Some are given sedatives or placed into an MRI machine with an opening. I hope I am done with these procedures.

 

I am now scheduled for surgery on August 13.  It will be done robotically by Dr. Wolf and Dr. Arun Mavanur. Wolf will do a robotic low anterior resection for the three lesions in the distal sigmoid, one of which is cancerous.  Dr. Mavanur will do laparoscopic ultrasound with possible treatment of a lesion if it can be identified.

 

On July 23, I did a teleconference with Dorothy Were, a geriatric nurse practitioner at Sinai Hospital.  She asked many questions regarding my cognitive ability, my balance and my current health status.  She felt I was ready for major surgery.  However, she is to get back to me about seeing the cardiologist again. It is her understanding that the time between getting the approval from the cardiologist and the surgery is 30 days. However, I printed a document from Sinai Hospital that the EKG was valid for six months. 

 

My calendar is filled in to prepare for the surgery, as well as post-surgery appointments. On July 27, I picked up four medications at the pharmacy: 1] Glycol.ax, a powder I consume on August 12 to help clean out the colon; 2] Bisacodyl, a laxative; 3] Metronidazole, shown to cause cancer in mice, to prevent an infection; and 4] Neomycin Sulfate, which may cause hearing loss, to prevent infection. All will be digested on August 12.

 

That day I also met with Dr. Barbour.  My blood pressure and cognitive abilities convinced him I was ready for surgery. He was pleased that my weight has stabilized at 148 pounds.

 

  I filed an appeal with Alterwood challenging the decision not to pay for the infusion. On July 29, Alterwood informed me that it would pay for the infusion with a co-pay of $25.

 

On July 31, I met with Lana, a pre-surgery nurse who outlined what I must do to prepare for surgery which is included in A Patient’s Guide to Colorectal Surgery. She outlined what will transpire during the five-hour surgery, including that a breathing tube will be in my throat. She warned me not to faint when reading about the possible calamitous events which may occur.  Before leaving, I was given ten bottles of Ensure and two bottles of prep. 

 

On August 7, I start to drink two immunotherapy bottles [vanilla] for five days. On August 12, I consume two bottles of carbohydrate drinks. And two hours before surgery, I will drink one carbohydrate bottle. I will be challenged to consume all the fluids and meds. As to the surgery, she informed me that I must be at Sinai Hospital by 6:30 AM for the 8 AM operation. My hospital stay will be at least three days.  After surgery, the nurses will get me out of bed to walk me around.  There is a four-point checklist before I can be released.  The fourth point is that my colon must be functioning. I joked with her that I hope to never see her again.  She laughed and said she’ll see me post-surgery. 

 

 I need to go to Lab Corp for another blood test.  Presumably, this will inform the surgery team of my blood type.  Some quantity of my blood type is to be available during the operation.  I have read in The Baltimore Sun that there is a blood shortage in the Baltimore area.

 

 On August 7, I will go to Sinai Hospital to jump through the last hoop before the surgery. The first post-surgery appointment is on August 28.  Presumably, some two weeks after surgery I will need another infusion.  Finally, I am scheduled for a follow-up on November 10. Of course, I believe there will not be any complications.  

 

I do not have to Walk that Lonesome Road.  I have Janice with me, and many more supporters by my side.  I am confident in the skills of the doctors, the nurses and all other medical personnel I have encountered.  This continues to be a day-by-day experience for me, and I am fortunate so far that the costs I have incurred are not exorbitant.  But I do think of those who do not have health insurance in Trump World.

 

As I close this page until more information is available, I am thinking of some of my colleagues undergoing serious health issues.  Tony has prostate cancer and will soon undergo 28 days of radiation treatments.  Fred was diagnosed with multiple melanomas at least six or seven years ago and was informed he may have only five years to live.  He is still kicking, but he still has regular appointments with the medical community.  And there is Patrick O'Neill, a Catholic Worker in North Carolina, who had a massive stroke right around the time I was told there was a malignancy in my colon.  His family and friends are rallying around him during this most difficult time. Having aided someone who suffered a stroke, I know that Patrick will go through an arduous rebuilding of his health. 

 

The doctors will remove trump from my colon, presumably on August 13. What comes after the surgery is unpredictable.  I hope to recover and play basketball once again. If I do recover, I will rejoin efforts to challenge the cruelty of Donald Trump and Project 2025 which is a manifesto to eliminate our flawed democracy and replace the constitution with fascist policies aimed at enriching the oligarchs to the detriment of the working class and the poor.

 

Max Obuszewski can be reached at mobuszewski2001 at comcast dot net.