Results

Just a quick update on the results from Marc's CT scan and his KRAS tests. First, his CT scan shows that the tumor is unchanged. While not the glowing report we were hoping for, it's the next best thing. He remains stable -- seems like the tumor remains the same as it has since he started treatment in March. Also, the cancer has not spread anywhere. For those of you not familiar with our world...that's a good thing. We count it a blessing today.

His KRAS results were disappointing. The cancer has mutated so that it will not respond to the treatment that the doctor had hoped to add to his regimen. This just means that we do not have an extra arrow in our quiver. Fortunately, the treatment he is on seems to be pushing back and the doctor is pleased that the disease has not progressed.

Marc continues to tolerate treatment well. He looks and feels good (the best indication of how the therapy is working). At this point he is scheduled out through the end of the year for treatments. He will be scanned again in January and will likely get a break from chemo to allow his body and immune system to recover after the first of the year.

Thank you all for your continued prayers and support. We are grateful for you all. Despite the frustrations of this stubborn disease, we remain encouraged and determined. We are doing well....really :)

With love and gratitude...

It Was A Dark and Not-So-Rainy Night....

The Recipe for a wonderful birthday party....

Take one little birthday girl...

and add another....

Take family...

And friends...

Mix liberally...

Garnish with one hundred roasted hot dogs....

Countless caramel apples...

Finish with gift opening...

A special cake....

And voila! The result is one happy 4 year old!

Thank you to all who came and made Sophia's birthday special.

It was a fun night.

We are all grateful!

With love and much gratitude...

Time Flies...

The old adage "time flies when you're having fun" really resonates with us these days. Seems like the days between treatments whip by. We enjoy those days of relative normalcy. Today we found ourselves back at the clinic, but with somewhat better attitudes and emotions than the last go round. The doctor didn't have a lot of new information, but here is what we learned:

• The KRAS tests were not complete. We should have the results in two weeks. This DNA test determines if the tumor has mutated. If it has not mutated, there is an additional chemotherapy drug that can be added to his current regimen, increasing the chance that the tumor will shrink.




• His CT scan is next Wednesday. We will have the results the same day as the KRAS results.




• Marc's weight, appetite, blood counts, and energy level remain very good. He remains in surprisingly good health.




• The doctor seemed to think his abdomen was softer during his exam. We both chuckled at this because the last doctor at the last clinic said the same thing, when in reality nothing had changed. We will wait to see the CT scan results before we get too excited :)
  
  
• The doctor remained encouraged and positive. He seems very determined to work on this aggressively with us.

So, all in all, it was a fairly good day. We have hopes that we will hear good news at his next appointment with the doctor. We have appreciated all the prayers in the last two weeks. We were both pretty agitated and depressed after the last appointment. Today was a huge improvement. We are so grateful for all the encouragement from all of you! A special thanks to Dave for coming down every week to sit with us. I enjoy the emotional support and having a lunch buddy. Marc enjoys sitting with someone other than his overly-doting-helicopter-wife for several long hours. Thanks, Dave, for driving down every week! It's a huge sacrifice of time and effort. We are HUGELY grateful!

The last two weeks have gone really well. We were able to sneak away with the Aaar-Veeh this weekend and visit Ft. Stevens with our friends Lil and Lew and their sweet family. The weather was incredible! We had great fun playing outside, biking, and exploring the old battlements. Lil and Lew introduced us to the fun of crabbing. Good grief! We have never seen so many crab! We indulged in crab for almost every meal -- crab chowder, crab cakes, crab omelets. Oh my! Consequently, we learned Adam and Ben are allergic to crab. Who knew! After four rashy, hivey, days it looks like they are finally coming out of it. Ah...memories. Here are some pics from the weekend fun. I'll catch up with you all soon! Life has been crazy, but good things are happening.

With love and gratitude...

Marc, Lil, and Peter Iredale wreckage. Very cool!

I don't know what is scarier....The Jeep covered in cobwebs

or the fact that a three year old was behind the wheel!

A fun bunch O' kids!


Marc and Me (a.k.a The Doter)

Scene 2, Act 3

Well, we are on treatment cycle number 3 of this new chemo regimen. The doctor added Avastin back into the mix yesterday. We weren't too thrilled. Marc was on this during his last treatment cycle and it has some unpleasant side effects -- most notably gushing nosebleeds. Everything else remains the same.

This cycle has already been harder on him. Emotionally it's a drag. He was feeling wonderful this weekend, so going into the clinic yesterday was hard. Knowing that he is going in feeling great and will leave feeling awful is a huge hurdle. As pleasant as OHSU is, it's still chemo. It's a grind. We scheduled his treatments out through the end of the year. This process will be part of our lives for the foreseeable future.

We aren't sure if it's the Avastin or just the cumulative effects of the chemo, but he hasn't been able to manage the nausea this round. The last two treatment cycles had been so mild that we thought we would be able to avoid this unpleasant side effect. Looks like not. Unfortunately, this makes going back in for the next round that much harder.

He has another treatment in two weeks. The following week (three weeks from yesterday) he will have another CT scan. Again, we are praying that the scan will show obvious shrinkage. We are also hoping that we will get some encouraging results from the DNA tests they are running on his biopsy samples. It may be that we will have more options for treatment if the cancer has not mutated in a particular way. So much to take in...

I just wanted to update you all on how he is doing. We could really use your prayers this week as he is finishing up this round. It's a drag. It's hard not being able to do anything to make it better for him. As usual he doesn't complain. He remains our hero.