We had a meeting with the oncologist this morning and reviewed the results from the CT scan and MRI done yesterday. To be blunt, it is not good news.

- there are still indications of cancer at the margin where I had the liver surgery. The primary is a 4mm area that indicates as disease. They think that both the edge of the liver where I had the surgery as well as the lining

- there are lesions in my lungs which have grown since the last CT scan. The rate of growth is not necessarily concerning at this time because the rate of growth is so slow, or at least not as concerning as other areas where the cancer is presenting

- there are additional lymph nodes that have grown, as well, which also means they are cancerous

- the most concerning news is that there is now cancer in my peritoneum, which is the membrane that lines the abdominal cavity. While it is not primary or secondary peritoneal disease, it is still cancerous and is a metastatic disease to the peritoneum. There is a surgery that would potentially treat that, but only if the cancer were only in the peritoneum. Because I have cancer in my liver and lungs, it would not make sense to do the surgery. It is an even more serious and exhaustive surgery than my liver resection was, and since it would not remove the other areas of cancer, it is not a viable option. 

- This means I will resume chemotherapy at Regions hospital as soon as possible, hopefully sometime this month. The chemotherapy will not cure the cancer, but will be to hopefully reduce it as much as possible and then keep it check for as long as I can handle it. There are different combinations of drugs that can be used and it will be a matter of how long other symptoms can be held at bay, etc.

- We asked the doctor to be blunt and give us a timeline. I am “young and healthy” in the general scheme of things, which is good, but the average survival for this type of Stage IV cancer is about 30 months. Yesterday was 7 months since I first went to the hospital October 6, 2023. I don’t share that timeline as a foregone conclusion or as a “woe is me” type of statement, but rather as the reality of what we are dealing with. We felt that we owed it to Will and Nora to be as upfront with them as far as where we are now, and I am doing the same thing with all of you.

- As I write this I feel fine, I feel strong and healthy. I hope that will continue to be the case for a long time as I look to begin this next stage of the battle. Who knows what sort of advancements may come, clinical trials that may become available, etc. We will still be consulting with the Mayo Clinic and will continue to have scans and DNA testing done and will be as aggressive as possible with treatments.

- It makes all the difference in the world to feel all of your support and love, and we do not take it for granted. Today was a very rough day for us, and there will be more ahead. The worst part was having to break all of this to a 15 year old and a 12 year old and trying to make sure they are okay through all of this. But we also know there will continue to be good days, and there will still be a lot of light and laughter from our neck of Minnehaha Ave West. Thank you all for your continued support, friendship, and love, we are so incredibly lucky.