Hello Friends and Family,

Another Caring Bridge update from me is often not the greatest of signs, but it has become an important way for me to connect with you all and let you know how I am doing.  My last post was in February, before the first of two surgeries on my hips/pelvis.  Since then much has happened… explained below as the next leg of my “through-hike.”

That’s a lot of hardware!  The cancer had weakened and caused fractures in the top of my right femur and in my right acetabulum (pelvic bone).  So in February I had hemi hip replacement surgery to replace the “ball” of my hip joint, and in May had screws and some epoxy implanted to secure my pelvic bone.  After months of recovery and physical therapy, I am walking without assistance and feeling strong.  Well, I am not hiking any 4,000 footers, but that is okay. 

The big move.  No sooner was I feeling more mobile than we began the Herculean task of packing and moving.  Having retired in June, we needed to vacate our house, which is owned by PEA.  You all have been there – such a huge task:  culling, sorting, packing… no fun.  But it was made more than bearable by the assistance of Julia, Clara and Keenan who came the week of July 4th and worked tirelessly to get most of our belongings either donated or packed away.  Then on the 17th of July we had a small army of good friends who arrived to help with the actual move. 

Where did we move to?  Our current address is 61 High Street, Exeter, 03833 (take note) just a mile or so from our old home and still very close to downtown.  It is a temporary move.  The owners are friends of ours who have taken the year off to sail in the Mediterranean and the Caribbean, so we are here for the better part of the year, most of our belongings in storage.   The rental market is tight but we are hopeful that the coming months will allow us time to find something suitable, hopefully right here in Exeter where we have such a good and supportive friend network. 

Evolution at work again.  You may remember that I was fortunate to be on an experimental drug trial this past year, an “antibody conjugate” developed by AstroZeneca.  It is actually a pair of drugs, one meant to locate and enter cancer cells, the other then offloaded directly into the cell nucleus.  I was told that the drug seemed to be effective for an average of five months, yet for me it was effective for much longer.  (Thirteen months!)  Alas, cancer cells multiply by the same rules as others; those that are not recognizable to the new drug proliferate… until they begin to take over.  That is evolution. 

I knew the end of this treatment’s effectiveness was approaching.  I was experiencing more fatigue and pain and began to be just moderately short of breath at times.  Yet I am blessed with an amazing medical team at MGH.  They were immediately on high alert, discussing as a group how best to proceed.  Scans were again ordered and indicated that the disease has begun to produce a few small nodules in my lungs but many more in the pleura of my right lung – the outer lining of the lungs.  This explained the pain and slight shortness of breath.  And increased cancer activity explained the fatigue. 

New treatment ahead. So, it is back to the drawing board.  We are awaiting results from a genetic analysis that will help identify the genes that are now predominant on my cancer cells.  This will allow my team to determine the best next treatment.  It would be wonderful if there were another experimental trial I could enter, but I have been reassured that there are a number of “standard of care” medications still available to me, and they are confident they will find one that will both give me some relief and slow things down again.  I am hopeful. 

So while I wait, Erik and I are settling into our new home and enjoying being even closer to our small but full-of-friends downtown.  Life is slower and simpler.  We take moderate walks (or get out the paddleboards), finish the NYT crossword each day, and most nights we pull out the cribbage board.  (Sometimes I let him win.)  I have been reading a lot (suggestions welcome!) and enjoying season 3 of Ted Lasso.  We are anticipating a fun end-of-summer trip, first to Minnesota for an engagement party for Clara and Keenan, then to the Berkshires of Massachusetts to spend the weekend hanging out with my brother Stu and his wife, then to Cape Cod where we will visit with Erik’s parents.  

Thanks for taking the time to read all this.  Know that I am finding joy in every day.  Yes, the past months have had their challenges.  But I find strength in the love and friendship I am reminded of daily.  Thanks for being part of that support team.

Be well,

Alison 

(Photo taken at my Nephew Jack's wedding on May 5th...)