Beginning a Different Treatment

Hello Everyone - I hope this post finds you happy, healthy, and wise.  I hope you are seeing the hand of the Lord in your life and feeling Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ's love for you and your family.  They truly have given us all things and do all they can to help us return to live with them again.  This is my source of hope and gives me the courage to face all of life's challenges.  

Well, we have had quite the year flying back and forth to New York, while I have been in the clinical trial at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.  The doctors and nurses have been amazing!  We made many dear friends at the hospital, the hotel, and at church.  We were blessed in many ways during this time with the hotel stays, booking flights, and going to church.  A shout out to Mercy Medical for all the flights they got for us.  A shout out to Residence Inn Marriot on 48th street.  The staff and management were wonderful and helped us in many ways.  We were able to take the kids with us on one of the trips.  A family in New York would keep a box of things we needed for the hotel but didn't need at home and we didn't want to fly it back and forth every time.  

All of the prayers in our behalf gave us the courage and faith we needed.   We truly were lifted on eagles wings as we went back and forth.

Initially the treatment was effective against the tumors and they began shrinking (disease regression).  Then the tumors were just staying the same (stability).  Unfortunately, the tumors then started to grow (disease progression).  Now, the growth is such that it does not make sense to stay on the study.  I need to find a different treatment that will give me disease regression or stability.  

Our New York oncologist gave us 3 recommendations for treatment.  All of the recommendations come with worse side effects than what I have been doing, but that was to be expected.  We met with our Huntsman oncologist and our Provo oncologist and they both agree that we should try the first recommendation on the list.  I would take the medication on day 1 of a 21 day cycle, and have the 20 remaining days to recover.  That is better than taking the chemo for 5 days 😁

However, if the insurance does not approve it, we will try an older drug that I would take for 5 days and may have worse side effects.  We are praying and hoping for insurance approval.  

We have learned that some medications are prescribed with confidence due to the data collected on how other patients have responded to the medication and the medications historical effectiveness.  We are not at that point anymore.  Initially I was given all the standard sarcoma chemotherapies that had a history and had data to show their effectiveness.  Now we are in a stage where these other medications have been effective for a few patients and so it may be effective for me.  This is a act of faith and an exercise of hope.  

I have been battling cancer for 9 1/2 years.  It has been quite the journey.  I hope to live for many more years, but I don't want to waste any time or take any day for granted.  I am finding more joy in the simple everyday things of life like reading with the kids, watching the thunder and lightening, sending texts to family and friends, working in the yard, reading a good book, cooking dinner with the kids, and many more everyday things.  

I will start the new treatment the week of July 11th.  

I am so thankful for an employer that has shown so much compassion to me and my family.  They are generous beyond measure.  I am blessed beyond measure in so many ways.

Thank you for your prayers, love, support, faith, and smiles.  I know that you will be blessed as you help those around you and try to do God's will.  I know our Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ are real.  They love us and are reaching out to help us return to them.  May we all "Hear Them" and follow their voices and find the peace and joy we all seek.

Love you all,

-Doug-