Justin Coursey

UPDATE FROM MARCH 25, 2024
We are thrilled to share that Justin’s most recent scan shows no evidence of disease ❤️


UPDATE FROM SEPTEMBER 4, 2023
Unfortunately, Justin is not a match for targeted therapy. At this point, we've run out of treatment options. We are focusing on each day as it comes, enjoying the beautiful weather and our time together. Thank you for your continued love and support. 


UPDATE FROM FEBRUARY 22, 2023
In early February, Justin went in for his regularly scheduled CT & MRI at UCSF. After four years of clean scans, we thought we were in the clear. Unfortunately, we were wrong.

During his previous scan (August 2022), there was no sign of cancer. Now, Justin has a mass in the center of his liver measuring 2.4 x 5 cm. It is behaving like cholangiocarcinoma, so we are treating it as such. Cholangio ("ko-LAN-gee-oh") is known for popping up years later, a fact we were unaware of until now. The good news is that there is no indication of metastasis. We're hoping this remains the case. 

Justin's oncologist recommends SBRT, a targeted radiation therapy that Justin received the last time we went through this. For obvious reasons, we are hoping to schedule treatment ASAP.  We met with the UCSF radiation/oncology team this morning and they believe Justin could start treatment as soon as three weeks from now. By all accounts, SBRT is a highly effective treatment for cholangio, so we're hopeful. 


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ORIGINAL ENTRY FROM JANUARY 26, 2018
In November 2017, Justin started experiencing pain in his midsection, especially after he ate. He was itchy, and he had a few other symptoms that made us think he might have hepatitis. Blood tests came back negative for Hep, but indicated high liver enzymes. He repeated the test a few weeks later when symptoms worsened and the enzymes were significantly higher, triggering a battery of tests--ultrasounds, CTs, endoscopies, brushings, biopsies, and blood tests. 

The CT showed a blockage in the bile duct, so we headed to California Pacific Medical Center in San Francisco where a gastroenterologist placed stents that allowed Justin's bile to drain. That made him a lot more comfortable as we began to try to figure out the cause of the blockage. The two likeliest causes were a tumor or inflammation from an auto-immune disorder.

After months of testing with several inconclusive results and many sleepless nights, in January 2018 he was diagnosed with cholangiocarcinoma--bile duct cancer.  

We are currently reviewing treatment options. He'll either need a resection (to have the tumor and surrounding tissue removed) or a liver transplant. Very few medical centers perform liver transplants when cholangiocarcinoma is involved. If a liver transplant is approved, he'll begin a strict protocol of radiation and chemotherapy until a transplant can be scheduled. At this point, a liver transplant gives Justin the best chance of a full recovery. It often takes longer than a year to be matched with an organ donor.