Four
years ago today as we were celebrating a late Valentine’s Day we found out that
Mark had some tumors in his lungs. That day is stamped into our memory,
especially the phone call during dinner that he needed a CT scan as soon as
possible. We went right back to the lab
for the scan and later in the evening while shopping the call came from our
doctor indicating that a biopsy was needed.
Those calls should have put us in high alarm mode, but we were having
such a good day that it didn’t affect us much.
It wasn’t until the following day that we grasped the gravity of the
situation – that Mark probably didn’t have long to live.
Well,
he is still going strong! When we saw
Dr. Urba this past Monday he indicated that he saw no need for a scan since
Mark is feeling and looking so well. He will stay on
the medications and see Dr. Urba again in June.
Dr.
Urba summarized for us a report that was recently published indicating that
there are a small number of patients who have been on the combination therapy for
5-6 years and are still progression free.
Part of the conclusion was that those who had the most positive responses had less
invasive situations. Dr. Urba emphasized that Mark’s diagnosis was as bad as it
could get, so his response is highly unusual.
Today
we’re going out to celebrate Valentine’s Day at the same restaurant! How grateful we are!!!
