Welcome to our CaringBridge website. We are using it to keep family and friends updated in one place. We appreciate your support and words of hope and encouragement. Thank you for visiting.
So on March 14, 2023 we found out Mark has a very aggressive form of prostate cancer. Turns out our clinic has NEVER screened his PSA levels despite the fact that he has religiously scheduled annual physicals for the last 12 years. And they dragged out his testing over a period of 7 months, culminating in a biopsy and the cancer diagnosis.
So Pam called the Mayo the morning of March 15, 2023 and they accepted him as a patient immediately. We had our first appointment Wednesday March 22, 2023.
So testing and consultation with the fabulous and caring Dr. Vidit Sharma began. Not great news, but better than we expected. It's treatable with a 60-90% chance of recurrence within 15 years. So he will ALWAYS have cancer for the rest of his life, but they will continue to treat it as long as they can. Hasn't spread to his bones. PET scan is March 23rd (tomorrow) to make sure it's not in the pelvic area, but they are pretty sure it's not. We are also scheduled to meet with a radiology oncologist so we can decide between surgery or radiation therapy. Prognosis for both is the same, but side effects are different. We will also be scheduled for genetic testing for Mark. We'll probably be here a few more days.
In the midst of it all, we are having glimpses of hope. We are trusting in God's plan and discernment. We are encouraged by the "can-do" attitude at the Mayo, after months of seeming indifference and minimizing by our clinic. We humbly ask for your prayers - for Mark's healing and for our precious family.
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