Houston, We Have Liftoff!

 We finally got final acceptance for the clinical trial at MDAnderson in Houston.

It was a bit of an anxiety filled week waiting for word from MDA whether or not I would be qualified for the trial.  When we left Houston last week they already had my first treatment scheduled in my portal for next Monday the 29th.  So, we naturally assumed all the tests I took turned out fine and I was a shoo-in.  We even booked the flight and hotel.  However, every time I checked with my contact nurse during the week, nothing was final.  

On Wednesday she told me a team of doctors were reviewing my final CT scan and I would know something soon.  Wednesday turned into Thursday without a peep.  What could they be reviewing?

Then, on Friday morning we got word everything was final.  What a relief!

We spent the week looking at resources available to make these trips easier on us…and our pocketbook.  For example, the closest airport to the Medical District is 8-9 miles away.  The local hotels and housing choices all offer free shuttles to and from your appointments but none travel more than a few miles out of the district.  We were told about this amazing charitable group called Ground Angels that have a platform where medical patients can create an account and then submit rides requests (known as “Missions”). These volunteer angels then look over the requests and if they can complete your mission they call you up and tell you where to meet them at the airport.  Then, they pick you up in their personal vehicle.  Like Uber only way cooler…and no charge.

Low cost housing is available in a number of ways as well.  The American Cancer Society built a 64 room complex called Hope Lodge that offers free rooms for patients during their treatment.  A consortium of churches bought an apartment complex and offer the same service.  We will have time this trip to check out a few of these options and learn the booking process.

We will be staying three nights this first treatment.  I decided that I would like to spend the day after treatment in Houston in case I have any adverse side affects from the treatment.  I realized I didn’t want to jump on a plane the next day and throw up all the way home!  Ultimately, we hope I tolerate the treatment fine and we will book future trips limited to two nights.

I hope you can sense our excitement at this new journey.  MDAnderson is a real hub for Mesothelioma research and study.  I feel like we will get the best possible medical care during this trial.

Some of you have commented on this motley crew of 68 year old friends.  We have been meeting on a regular basis for a few years now and the word is getting out.  Our meeting today saw 16 of us, mostly all from Sevilla Elementary School in West Phoenix getting together to tell the same old lies with our failing memories!  We had four new “kids” show up today who introduced a whole new set of stories.  Nearly everyone of us bonded as young boys in Little League Baseball.  We were however, a rowdy bunch of hooligans who actually turned out to be productive citizens.   I really love these guys and it is such a treat to reconnect.

New prayer request for this week is for smooth travel, a comfortable treatment session, and minimal side affects.  As always, thank you for joining Diane and I on this journey to long term remission.