I haven’t been very good about posting and keeping people updated on my status, mostly because these days it is very difficult for me to sit at a computer. I’ve also been in extreme pain, which is very distracting, to say the least.
Our most recent strategy in my fight against this disease does not seem to be working. The tumors in my body are clearly growing, causing more and more unbearable pain. We met with Dr. Bael yesterday. He has been consulting with the melanoma experts at Roswell Park as well as Sloan Kettering about my case. They are all in a agreement that my prognosis is not good, and that there are no trials or additional approaches that make any sense for my situation. Taiya and I have finally decided that it is time to end treatment and start hospice.
I can't tell whether this was the easiest or the hardest decision for us to make, but one thing is very clear: it is definitely the RIGHT decision. I have been living with nightmarish pain for long enough. And now that we've exhausted our treatment options, I'm honestly feeling tremendous relief at the prospect of shifting the attention from an uphill, losing battle to instead focusing on quality time with my family, my physical and emotional comfort and my actual well-being. Dr. Bael certainly agrees that it's the right thing to do at this point.
We have had many people ask about a fundraising site that would let friends and family contribute to help us through these financially challenging times. We set up a GoFundMe campaign for this purpose, should you feel like donating anything:
https://www.gofundme.com/khm42-danIf you have any inclination to reach out, please do not hesitate to call or text me. I deeply appreciate everyone's support. Much love to you all!
