Rob Capener

First post: Dec 1, 2016 Latest post: Feb 12, 2021
At the end of August 2016, Rob started to feel some pain in his right rib. Just coming off a Home Talent Baseball season, he chalked it up to having pulled something during the season. Or since many nights you’ll find Carter wrestling his Dad on the living room floor, it very well could have been from that as well.  Over the next couple weeks, the pain steadily grew worse and Rob started to have terrible night sweats – to the point he was soaking the sheets of the bed every night. Finally, after much nagging, Rob went to the doctor. 

The first doctor Rob saw thought it had something to do with his digestive system and prescribed medication. A week later (November 1), Rob was still not feeling right and went back to see the doctor.   To get an idea of what might be going on inside, Rob had an x-ray done and it showed 3 lumps in his lungs.  The doctor scheduled a MRI scan to give us a clearer picture of the lumps.  The results of the scan showed 3 "masses" on his lungs. The two on his right lung measured 6 cm and 4 cm and the one on his left lung measured 1 cm. 

At this point, Rob was referred to a pulmonary doctor (lung doc). Finding these spots unusual, the pulmonary doctor recommended a biopsy. The biopsy was done on November 8th and sent to the Mayo Clinic for testing.   We met with the pulmonary doctor regarding the results on November 21st The biopsy came back indicating Rob had Spindle Cell Sarcoma, and was being referred to an oncologist. We left the appointment feeling overwhelmed and not understanding the diagnosis.  On Rob's 36th birthday (November 22nd) we meet with an oncologist, who  explained what Spindle Cell Sarcoma was. They best described it as a rare aggressive soft tissue cancer.   Our hearts sank as we tried to wrap our head around all of it. 

The next steps entailed a MRI to see if it had spread to his brain and a PET scan to see if it is in any other parts of his body. The results of the MRI came back indicating there are no spots on his brain. The results from the PET scan showed a few questionable spots, which will require another MRI and another biopsy in his left armpit. Though it feels like we are taking baby steps, we are finally happy to have some answers and are anxiously awaiting a treatment plan. 

The month of November has been incredibly difficult for our family and we thought it was time to share this heartbreaking news with our family and friends. We thank everyone who has been so supportive of us during this difficult time.  We are grateful to all who have reached out to us and want to apologize to those who have and those who will whom may not get a response back from us.  It's not that we aren't grateful or we are trying to ignore you, it's that  sometimes we don't know how to respond or responding is too emotionally difficult.  We also ask that nothing is said in front of Carter or Bailey.  We are trying to keep their lives and routines as normal as possible.  We plan to  talk to them when we both feel ready to do so.  

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