Or, everyday Angels? Diane and I just returned from Houston following my first treatment with the new trial.  As I previously mentioned it was a long week.  The trip took 5 nights, but most days were pretty light on appointments. Monday was a little busy.  I did an early morning fasting blood draw, then an Electrocardiograph (EKG), followed by visit to the Vascular Access department to flush my port.  The port is imbedded above my right breast that allows vein access for chemotherapy, immunotherapy, and normal blood draws.  It was placed there for the chemotherapy I took last summer.  However, it has had very little use since then because the previous immunotherapy trial I was on required arm access for the transfusions.  This new trial will use it for multiple blood draws.  I’m happy to give my veins a little break! On Tuesday we only had one appointment but it was an important meeting.  We met with a trial doctor for final approval and clea...

Well, you don’t have a choice, so here’s the Good News! When we went to Houston last week for my 8th treatment of the new immunotherapy trial drug, my doctors offered us to move to a different clinical trial (still at MD Anderson).  This trial is among the latest effort of Targeted Therapies uniquely targeting genetic mutations.   The treatment uses Small Molecular Inhibitors (SMI) to target a gene pathway that regulates the survival of cells.  Mesothelioma has a deregulating, or abnormal pathway.  This new medicine is a blocker, like a switch, that tells the cells to stop growing and even shrink.   We are very excited to enter this new treatment.  If you refer back to the graph I posted in the previous two blogs, you’ll see this procedure is listed in the “Experimental Treatment” column of cutting edge efforts to control Mesothelioma.  And, here’s some of the reasons we are so optimistic: Unlike Chemotherapy and Immunotherapy, which are both transfusi...

I warned you I was new at posting blogs. My intent with posting the graph on the previous post was to include the entire fundraising letter from the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation.  But, when I was writing the original blog it kept coming out  blurry so I reduced it to just the graph.  Once I posted it I went to the actual posted blog and realized if you click on a picture or attachment it will launch and allow you to zoom in or enlarge the print. So, for those of you interested here is the letter in it’s entirety: Click on document to launch This foundation has done wonders for research and progress for those affected by Mesothelioma.  Diane believes that every time a patient is diagnosed with this cancer anywhere it should be mandatory that doctors refer the patient to the Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation.  They will get that family on the right track from the beginning. You can see why this group adds a great deal of hope to our journey. We ...

Wow!  Sorry for the long span between posts. Most of my posts are pretty positive.  Sometimes I wonder if readers think I have a Pollyanna attitude…or that maybe things aren’t quite as rosy as I portray them.  In fact, at times I almost feel guilty when I feel so good and I know others undergoing stressful medical issues are not so fortunate.  Another clue is when we have visitors (often friends from Alaska) who make a trip to Arizona partially to see how I “really” am.   Well, I’m going to do it again.  I’ll begin with a rosy picture of the last few weeks, then I will tie it into our reason for hope.   The Latest: The last three Immunotherapy treatments have been side affect free!  The treatment day itself, however, has not been 100% smooth.  Each time there’s been an obstacle to overcome, either nausea during the drip or a bout with the rigors.  The good news is when something occurs the nurses know what to do.  On the last treatm...

Have you ever been really scared?  Not Halloween scared, but scared for your life… Let me share a time in my life when I thought I was going to die.  As most of you know I’m a lifelong river rafter.  This is a story about how different people react differently in stressful situations. My first experience in a 16 foot rubber boat traveling downstream in an occasionally torrential river was right here in Arizona on the Upper Salt River, which is one of the few designated Wild and Scenic natural rivers in the state.  The runnable section of the Upper Salt river flows 60 miles from the Salt River Canyon bridge to Roosevelt Lake with Class III and IV rapids.  It requires permits from the White Mountain Apache Tribe. I was around 25 years old when my friend Steve Byers invited me to run the first 7 miles of the Upper Salt. Boaters can run the first 7 miles, sometimes a few times in one day.  But, if you travel past that point you have 3-4 days to Roosevelt Lake. ...

Every trip is different! Immunotherapy treatment #3 started off like the first two.  It was a long day of tests and appointments leading up to the infusion at the end of the day.  By now Diane and I were comfortable with the procedure and the hour it takes to infuse, followed by the hour of observation.  So, when the nurse started the drip Diane left right away to get a cup of coffee and the nurse went back to her station. Within one minute I felt a gut bomb in my abdomen followed by instant nausea and my head started stinging like little needles.  I immediately pushed the nurse button and texted Diane to come back.  The nurse paused the treatment and I went into uncontrollable shivers.  Diane comforted me with blankets and the nurse gave me Benidril which eventually ended the shivers and got me to relax.   The next few hours were spent running a few bags of saline and consulting with my doctor.  Eventually, the decision was made to resume the tre...

Let’s lead with the funnest thing I did since the last Blog! I attended the Alhambra High School 50th Reunion!  I have attended several throughout these 50 years but I missed many because they were usually held during our Alaska time.  But, this one was like the Grand Finale at a fireworks show!  This is likely the last one as the committee (thank God for the committee!) have decided they served our class faithfully over the years.  I believe they pulled out all the stops to make it Grand.  I think they were trying to empty the budget account.  Many thanks to Krysta and Chuck Roseberry for leading the committee for 50 years.  Job well done to everyone! I reconnected with so many old friends.  I was feeling great that night and enjoyed so many conversations.   Many people have been following my journey via this blog.  Quite a few approached to lift me up and offer prayers, all without pestering me about cancer details.  That’s what I...

For those of you keeping score you might think we are in Houston today for my second treatment. My last post was so cheery and positive because I was experiencing no side affects from the new drug.  The same day I posted I began to feel a little something something in my throat.  I woke up the next day and when I got up and moving I didn’t feel anything so I went with Diane to the airport to pick up our Alaska friends Vito and Heidi.  They are currently Snowbirds in training.  They bought a place in Scottsdale but have not yet retired.  It’s a smart move, I’ll get them trained up properly! Later that day at home I started with “the symptoms”. Not from the treatment…..Covid-19!  Not to get too political but I home tested with a Government home test they distributed last year.  So, I was hoping, like many government projects, they were failures!  Alas, the next day I did a Walgreens lab test and it confirmed the result.   Diane and I had Covid ...

The first treatment at MDAnderson is in the books. All you prayer warriors came through this week.  We asked for prayers that things would go smooth and the side affects would be minimal.  Well, God answered. Our “missions” to get to and from the airport with the Ground Angels went seamlessly.  Our first driver, Dick was very experienced and told us only one other driver had more than his 1600+ missions.  He is the retired Dean of Admissions (Emeritus) from Rice University.  He had another pickup at the same time.  She was a young mother of two from Florida with advanced breast cancer.  She had been coming to MDA since 2019 and she jumped in the front seat and they started asking each other about their families and medical condition.  They had developed a true bond over the last 3 years of missions. This was truly more than just a ride. The next day was my treatment day.  We left the hotel at 7:30 in the morning and got back at 8:00 at night!...

 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...

We made God laugh again! If you tell God your plans He laughs, and laughs, then shows you the real plan….His! Our trip to MD Anderson was amazing.  Our plan was to discuss a specific clinical trial that Rachel and Laura had researched for us.  Prior to the trip I wasn’t able to talk on the phone to anyone at MDA about clinical trials.  Their requirement is that you schedule a 5 day trip to Houston and go through a series of testing before you meet anyone regarding a trial. Our first meeting on Friday morning began with a PA for my new doctor.  She introduced herself and promptly brought up my entire medical record from this disease.  Before I could even ask her about clinical trials she told us they already have a trial in mind for me.  Then, my new Dr. Bent came in and had even more enthusiasm for this brand new trial.  She told us she had already talked with the principal director of the trial and they think it would be perfect for me! God stepped in...

Well, it is now more than three weeks since the surgery.   I’ve been sort of melancholy lately and as such I’ve been remiss in keeping this blog updated.  But, I’m over my funk and it’s time to get back on track with defeating this nasty cancer. I had amazing home care to help Diane get through the last few weeks, with Rachel, Joel, Diane’s sister Barbara, and my sister, Melissa and my Mother, Willie.  We had some great family time and I feel very loved.  I’m getting stronger everyday but my incisions are still very tender to the touch.  Everybody has returned home, so Diane and I now have the house to ourselves again. During this time we have been researching clinical trials and I’m starting to get involved with the Mesothelioma Foundation.  They have lots of up to date information about trials, medicine and success stories.  Rachel and Laura Lester worked together on finding clinical trials and we have decided to travel to Houston to check out a clin...

Sorry, it’s taken me a week to post an update about my surgery last Friday.  Things were a bit rough! After all my previous posts about how Chemo is not so bad….I feel so good!…like I don’t even have cancer, blah, blah, blah.  Well, I finally got paybacks this last week. The HIPEC surgery lasted 8 hours and was not without issues.  There was a segment of my abdomen hidden behind old scar tissue from my previous colon surgery.  Once he got inside that area he found more tumors.  He certainly could not access all of it.  There were also some tumors on my colon which required another resection.  They did do the hot chemo wash at the end, so we are praying that was able to knock the cancer back on it’s heels for a while.  I won’t lie, we had much higher hopes with this surgery. My recovery is coming along nicely.  I was able to leave the hospital on the fourth day after surgery.  My incision is pretty dramatic and, I might add, sort of Badas...

I’m feeling so good, I’m going to tell you a story. Before I start, let’s get the update out of the way.  I really am feeling so normal.  The last chemotherapy session was June 7th and all that chemo is out of my system.  I’m sleeping well, eating well, and exercising.  I’ve gained some of my weight back and I’m getting stronger for the July 15th surgery.  Thank you all for the prayers, support and encouragement on this journey. The theme of this story is Determination.  Diane and I have become so determined to “Beat The Odds” of this cancer that I racked my mind to think of another time in my life I’ve been similarly determined.  My Mexican prison story comes to mind.  I apologize in advance for the length of the story.  I wouldn’t blame anyone if they can’t make it to the end.   Many of you have heard me tell this story around the campfire or whenever we had an hour to kill with nothing else to talk about.  I’ve been threatening t...