Our Early Christmas Gift

About two weeks ago Mark reluctantly shared with me that he has been having some mild pain and pressure in the same area of his abdomen where the large tumor was removed in 2016.  It had been increasing in intensity for several weeks before he told me, so he was concerned that it was likely a tumor growing there again.  This was a blow as we had hopes that the cancer was gone!  After tears and tender moments, we reviewed the blessings that we have been recipients of.  There have been so many! With that perspective, we braced ourselves to face whatever challenges came our way.  The medicine worked so well before that we had high hopes it would do the job again.

 

Mark communicated our concerns with Dr. Urba.  An MRI and CT scan had previously been scheduled for December 15^th so timing for that was good.  Last Friday Mark had the tests done and we thought that we may not hear from Dr. Urba since we had an appointment with him on Monday, the 17^th.  Later in the day an e-mail came through which read, “See you Monday. Scans look good. Want to hear more about your discomfort.”  We were actually shocked!  Of course, we were thrilled, but it certainly was not what we had expected.  Today he confirmed that there was absolutely no indication of cancer anywhere in Mark’s body.  The mild pain is still a mystery so we will have a follow-up appointment in 6-8 weeks.  Hopefully, the pain just goes away.  If not, Mark will have a full PET scan. 

We are celebrating an early Christmas present – Mark is still tumor free!  Going through this scare has made us even more appreciative for the extended time we have together.

We wish you all a beautiful and joyous Christmas season.

We Celebrated our 40th Wedding Anniversary!

How well we remember wondering if we'd make it to our 35th, and here we are at 40!  Yahoo!!!  July 5th was the big day and we were surrounded by our 5  children, their  spouses, and 16 adorable grandchildren.  A surprise  video presentation with sweet and funny comments by each of our grandchildren was a highlight!

On Monday, the 9th, we meet with Dr. Walter Urba.  It's been four months since the last visit, and will be 5 months until the next.  He doesn't feel that a CT or MRI is necessary until right before the next appointment in mid-December.  Mark feels fantastic!  There is nothing to indicate that there is anything amiss.

Life for us is sweet and we count our blessings for the additional time that we have together.  Thank you for your love and support.  We love and appreciate you!

Amazing and Wonderful Blessings!!!

Last Friday, Mark had another PET scan, and today we met with Dr. Urba.  As we expected, there continues to be NO evidence of active cancer anywhere in his body!  Mark started Keytruda one year ago, with infusions every three weeks.  His side effects have been minimal so he could stay on it longer, but after collaborating with experts in the field, Dr. Urba believes that one year is long enough.  Today was Mark's LAST treatment!  YAHOO!!!  As Mark mentioned in the last post, his odds for complete remission are much better than ever before.  If tumors reoccur, there is a good chance that he will respond positively to the medications he has already taken.  Also, with continual research, new and improved treatments are possible. 

Of course, routine monitoring will continue with regular doctor visits as well as CT scans every 3 months for a while, moving to every 6 months, and then to once a year.  Dr. Urba also trusts that Mark knows his body well enough to detect if anything is amiss.

It will be 6 years this coming February since the first diagnosis, and initially his odds of cure were very small.  How we appreciate all of your support, faith and prayers during our journey!  You have blessed our lives, and we thank you!  We want to give back to those who are going through difficult challenges, and hope that we will be sensitive and aware.  Life is filled with trials of every kind, and our opportunity is to support one another along the path.

We wish you all a very Happy 2018 filled with peace, joy and love!

I'm not sure how to say this...

I just had my first PET scan after starting on this new medication, Keytruda (6 months ago), and it was clean! There are no active cancer tumors. This is the first medication that I have taken that they say could be durable. There was a 6% chance that I would have a complete response. I am in that small percentage!  

Five years ago, when we started this roller-coaster ride, upon hearing the success rates of our few options I was rather discouraged. I told Dr. Urba that I've spent much of my life working with numbers, and I knew that a 3% chance of cure was really a 97% likelihood of death. He came back with, "Yes..., but you could be the one that hits it out of the park!" Well..., he appears to be right. I got the less than 2% response with Zelboraf, Tafinlar and Mekinist, and now the 15% positive response with Keytruda. Keytruda wasn't an option at the time. I feel very blessed.

Dr. Urba told me Monday that the likelihood of durability is higher with a complete response. He indicated that they have a long history (20 years) with IL-2, but not so long with Keytruda, as it is new, maybe some with 3-5 years that were on the early clinicals. But, indications with the other immunotherapies show that there is a greater than 50% chance that it is durable. We have hope that this could be the end of this cancer! What an amazing feeling!! I will continue with the Ketruda infusions every 3 weeks for at least the next 6 months. I will  need to have regular checkups and PET scans for the rest of my life. I will gladly take that option!

We all have a round-trip ticket. I am, as always, in the Lord's hands, nevertheless, those are wonderful hands! The same hands we are all in every day.

Thank you again for all of your good thoughts, faith and prayers. What an amazing journey! I love you all. Moreover, through this, I know that many of you love me. Thank you!