It’s been a tough year of constant ups and downs; so regularly that I knew anything I posted would likely not be the case for long. Hence the silence. 

Today we are at UNC Hillsborough Cancer Center for Dayton’s weekly infusion of Teclistamab. He’s been on this newest cancer drug for 12 months. It has kept his myeloma numbers stable, but he’s remained sick since he began it - upper respiratory infections, sinus infections, eye infections, ear infections, GI infections, blood infections, and most recently rotavirus (he lost 13 lbs in 10 days). Today he is good.

This morning we visited with Dayton’s oncologist, who has recommended moving treatment from weekly to every other week. Knowing that the main side effect of Teclistamab is reduced immunity, the hope is that he can regain some immunity and strength. That sounds great to us. His myeloma numbers have started creeping up ever so slightly, so they will continue to check those each visit and make adjustments as needed. It’s the first time our oncologist has mentioned the possibility of changing treatments, but we hope that is far off. The median duration of response with Teclistamab is 18 months, but we hope Dayton is able to push beyond expectations as he has for 16 years. 

Dayton continues to enjoy and benefit from his work at Campbell University. (To those who say he should retire, I’ll remind you that he tried that once and was not happy. He has a job he loves, for an institution he believes in, with people he respects and admires. I miss our free time to travel and rest and visit family and friends…but I love seeing Dayton fulfilled and happy.)

We wish you all the best. 

Cathy