Hello, dearest friends & family of the one and only, Kevin Condon! Thank you for being here and staying abreast during what has been happening as well as what will be Kevin's journey moving forward these next several months. The thoughts, prayers & generosity have already touched Kevin and our family and we can't thank you enough for your love and support.
On November 15th, Kevin was taken by ambulance to Sky Ridge Hospital after initially thinking he was just plain 'ole sick. Turns out, he was experiencing a hypercalcaemic crisis -- in Lamen's terms, this means his calcium was so, so high it was wreaking havoc on pretty much everything in his body (i.e. fatigue, confusion, trouble walking, dizziness, etc.). After days in the hospital and many tests later they finally found a few enlarged lymph nodes in his lower back and a biopsy was done on the 20th before he was able to leave the hospital.
On Monday, December 4th, Kevin had a PET scan and we found out the following day it was Lymphoma. UCHealth Anschutz wanted him back in the hospital to get the high calcium levels under control as well as do another biopsy to learn more about the specifics of the Lymphoma (which is what was causing the high calcium levels). After days and days of waiting in the hospital, we've learned that it's either 1) Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) or 2) Nodular Lymphocyte-Predominant Hodgkin Lymphoma (NLPHL). To treat either of these, the doctors would like to proceed with R-CHOP chemotherapy, which begins today (12/13). It's more likely DLBCL is what the doctor is saying...it's a bit of a doozy and *normally* not so complicated to figure out. Unless the spleen is removed for diagnostic purposes, there's a possibility we won't with certainty find out if it's 1 or 2 but both are treated with R-CHOP. AND even if the spleen were to be removed, there's still a chance they wouldn't know and it would delay treatment by weeks.
THE PLAN --> Kevin will get R-CHOP 6 times in 21-day cycles as an outpatient at Anschutz. While we have a long and difficult road ahead, there is a 60% chance this is curable in that it will be gone once R-CHOP is completed. As you'd expect, Kevin is being extremely strong and positive (& humorous, of course) -- he is going to beat this thing.
We will keep everyone in the loop as treatment progresses and please continue to keep Kevin in your thoughts & prayers. We are staying strong in Colorado with help from the Ellis family and the Condon family flying in from Chicago (+ Pat in Florida!). Despite the distance, thank you to everyone for sending your love and making my dad feel so loved and supported.
HE'S GOT THIS!!!!!!!
TL:DR: Kevin was diagnosed with Lymphoma and it's either 1) Diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) or 2) Nodular Lymphocyte-Predominant Hodgkin Lymphoma (NLPHL) -- more likely 1 but there's a chance we won't find out with absolute certainty. In the meantime, starting R-CHOP chemo on 12/13. The treatment plan is to get R-CHOP 6 times in 21-day increments. Kevin is in good spirits and appreciates all of the love, support, & outreach during this hard & complicated time.
XO, The Condon Family (Kevin, Rachel, Steph, David, Conor, Arya, Maebel, Teddy & Winnie)
Hi friends and family! We hope you're all doing well and enjoying the warmer weather (in most places). We wanted to give you a quick update that Kevin has finished his 6th and final round of RCHOP chemotherapy. His pet scan is on May 6th and then we're meeting with the oncologist on Wednesday, May 8th, who will share the results and effectiveness of the chemo. We are praying that it killed the cancer and that Kevin would then be considered "in remission" -- meaning the symptons of cancer will have dissappeard and no more treatment. Alternatively, we would need to understand what the next steps would entail but we're very hopeful we'll get positive news on the 8th. Please hold good thoughts and prayers for great news coming out of the meeting on the 8th. We're close to Kevin getting through this and he appears to be stronger than ever. Love to all!
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