John Sorenson

On May 19th, John was airlifted to Sanford hospital in Sioux Falls with what appeared to be a stroke. We later learned that he has several cancerous lesions on his brain and a large primary tumor in his pelvis. We knew the situation wasn’t good but had to wait for the biopsy results before we could have any serious conversations about prognosis and treatment. After several days of praying, waiting and wondering, we received the biopsy results and treatment plan. Dad has a form of leukemia called non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; an aggressive but treatable cancer.  We recently got some additional pathology results on Dad’s tumor and it wasn't good news. There are 3 gene mutations that make treatment of this type of cancer difficult and Dad's tumor tested positive for all three of them. This is an extremely rare type of cancer that they refer to as the triple hit large B cell lymphoma. 

Because of the pathology results, Dad’s oncologist referred him to the Mayo Clinic for a consultation with Dr Colgan; he is a hematologist that specializes in lymphoma. He reviewed his medical records and scan results and determined that Dad should continue with the chemotherapy regimen that Dr. Powell prescribed. If they are able to get the cancer in remission through MR-CHOP, Dr. Colgan will arrange for an autotransplant consultation at the Mayo Clinic. At that time, they will determine if  he is a candidate for a bone marrow transplant (using his own bone marrow).  

Lastly, I don’t know if I can find the words to express how much we appreciate the love, support and prayers you have offered. Please continue to pray for the guidance of the medical team, for Dad to stay strong and be able to endure the chemotherapy, for the chemo to do it's job and for my dear Mom, whose world has been turned upside down. We are more grateful than you will ever know.