Test Page

Jasper’s journey from 26th Feb to 22th May
Poleaxed by Jasper’s passing, it has taken us time to grieve, regroup and focus on breaking this news  to colleagues and friends, later than we would have liked.   Jasper’s illness and passing occurred over 3 intense months.  The word most frequently used to describe this period has been “rollercoaster”.  He remained philosophical and calm throughout, but never lost hope that, with bold yet prudently administered treatment, we could buy a bit more time for him to focus on a few cherished projects, and perhaps at least one trip to visit his dear friends in Italy and the UK, particularly his beloved son Adrian.  He dreamed (literally) of convivial meals celebrating life with friends and family, and woke happy thinking of this.   He was both realistic and courageous, but also optimistic.  This inspired those going through it with him to approach the situation in the same manor.  Meanwhile he endured periods of investigation, treatment and recuperation in 3 hospitals, a rehabilitation centre and, somewhere in the middle of those episodes, a few precious  weeks at home getting on with life.  Perhaps we should have anticipated how quickly the end could be upon us, yet it was a shock, even to the professionals caring for him.  Preceding events were a blur.  We tried to construct a timeline, for ourselves, for him, and for anyone who wished to know how this played out.  Here’s how it went:
February 26, 2026	Jasper and Rosie were on the way to a routine check-up when he had a mild seizure.  The taxi driver took them to the nearest ER, at Lenox Hill Hospital.  He was admitted first to the ICU, then to Neurology for assessment.
1st weeks of March	A scan revealed a mass in his brain in an operable position, which was successfully removed.  The mass proved to be an aggressive lymphoma, but the surgeon and oncologists believed it might be treatable.  Options were considered and a plan put in place.   Progress became complicated by swallowing issues / risk of aspiration which threatened to lead to pneumonia.  It was a couple of weeks before this resolved enough that Jasper could move on to rehabilitation and begin treatment.
March 20, 2026	Jasper moved to Mary Manning Walsh Healthcare and Rehabilitation Centre, where Rosie had once spent time recovering her strength after a period of illness.  There were adventures getting him food he liked and would eat, but rehab went very well.  He worked hard and gradually began to recover some of the strength that had been undermined by the spell in hospital. Towards the end of his stay he began taking Ibrutinib to target the lymphoma.  And 3 weeks later …
April 10, 2026	JASPER CAME HOME! to celebrations, family and shared good food.  His appetite was fully restored.  Home-based physiotherapy continued to boost his mobility, even allowing for outings to the doctor (where we learned that his PET results were good), his favourite diner, errands and shopping – even an Indian meal.
April 27, 2026and following	Symptoms that had been minor became more pronounced.  Jasper experienced another seizure and was taken to Mount Sinai Morningside.  Scans showed a new mass forming in the same site, and concerning heart issues.
May 6, 2026	In consultation with Jasper and his family, the oncology team decided to try a course of radiotherapy.  He was moved to Mount Sinai West for this, but, again, treatment was delayed by aspiration and pneumonia risks. The first radiation session was successful.  He slept a lot afterwards, which is not unusual, and there were signs that it had been effective.
May 15, 2026	Once again he found food deemed safe to eat unpalatable.  This, plus immobility in hospital, contributed to greater frailty, and he lost ground.  However, whenever he wasn’t sleeping, he continued to enjoy smoothies brought to him by grandson Orion, and engaging with loved ones visiting in person and remotely.   He longed for home.
May 29th & 20th	On both these nights, Jasper had good dreams (hallucinations?) that he had spent the evening happily at home with Rosie.   He anticipated a football game in the company of grandson Max, with whom we hoped to watch simultaneous transmissions of the Champions League final.
May 21, 2026	Jasper was groggy but engaged and coherent, with family around and in touch by phone.
May 22, 2026	Around 8 a.m. on Friday morning, he began to struggle with breathing.  This had not been anticipated; staff realised the end was close and called Rosie, who alerted Yolande.  Both made their way to the hospital as quickly as possible.   Yolande arrived moments after Jasper had passed.  She facetimed Jan (in London), who was able to see he was at peace and say goodbye.  Rosie and Orion arrived soon after to sit with him.
	Mount Sinai has since recorded his cause of death as acute hypoxic respiratory failure related to aortic stenosis, which worsened over the previous 2 weeks, exacerbated by heart failure and complicated by lymphoma
	When Jasper finished rehab and came home, what we took to be hints of a possible normal life that would last months (at least), instead turned out to be an interlude in which he could enjoy his home and a brief time to spend with loved ones and contemplate other good times with friends and family he had not seen since his illness.  We are grateful for this.
	Throughout those 3 months, Jasper assured us he felt neither pain nor fear of death.  Although he hoped treatment would enable him to savour life a bit longer, he said he was satisfied with his span, and proud to be the second longest-lived member of his family, outlasted only by Granny Rubin.  His loss is bittersweet: we miss him terribly, yet are so happy to have been part of his journey.