Welcome. This blog site will help us communicate effectively with our wonderful network of friends and family members who want to stay up to date on Jim's progress.
For donations to help with our travel to M.D. Anderson, please visit our Go Fund Me page at
http://www.gofundme.com/travel4jimandsteph. Donations made on Caring Bridge do not reach us. Thank you.
Here is Jim's story... Jim was diagnosed with Cancer on Wednesday, June 24, 2015 and it came as a complete and total shock. He is a healthy, active 44 year old and an avid runner of 20+ years. Doctors were initially treating him for hip and low back pain which lead to a hip impingement surgery in mid-April. Weeks after the surgery, he still wasn't getting any better so he continued to be passed around from doctor to doctor for a variety of tests and procedures. Finally, a neurologist recommended another MRI and this is what uncovered a tumor in his pelvis that went undiagnosed for nearly 9 months. On June 24th, we got the news that everyone dreads - it's cancer. It is a moment that we both relive in our minds over and over again. A moment that lives in your mind in precise detail and you will never, ever forget the impact of that moment. Initially misdiagnosed as bladder cancer, we headed to MD Anderson in Houston for a definitive diagnosis and plan of attack. Jim has Stage 4 Urothelial cancer (located within the urological system). The tumor presses against his L4 vertebrae and left hip bone causing round the clock pain and discomfort. It has also affected the nerves and circulation in his left leg, confining the use of his leg. He received 5 doses of dose dense chemotherapy between July through December 2015 under the supervision of renowned Oncologist, Dr. Arlene Siefker-Radtke, with very little improvement. In 2016, he was accepted into a Phase IV Clinical Trial at M.D. Anderson for a new immunotherapy drug called Tremelimumab. After 3 doses of the new drug, a remission of .7cm was seen in May of 2016, as well as some signs of necrotic tissue within the main tumor. And so the battle continues...
