It was March 9th when I felt a new lump on the left side of my neck…. and as fate would have it, I was to meet my new (to me) oncologist the following day. I had been on the current cocktail for about 9 months and she feared it may have run its’ course. The only way to be sure was another CT scan that would include my neck in addition to the normal view of the chest & abdomen. It was during my Zoom appointment on March 28th with Sujata that I learned the cocktail was indeed not actively doing its’ job, and I should discontinue it right away. The ‘egg’ on my neck was a new growth and with some new ‘sprinkles’ that lit up on my breastbone. Okay, so now I have an Easter egg and cupcake sprinkles to add to my ‘collection’!
Dr. Diab and Sujata provided me with two choices moving forward, both of which they believe to be viable options: 1) clinical trial or 2) new cocktail. They had already done an ‘initial pre-assessment’ for the clinical trial and felt I would qualify if I chose that route. And so began the next steps of the process. Today, May 3rd, I received word that I’ve been accepted! Whooo hooo!!!! Will this completely cure me? That remains to be seen, but the really cool part is that if it’s successful on any level, it has the potential to help so many others!
So, here’s the deets my Ohana. The Phase I trial is 6 months long, however I’ll be observed for a period of 3 years. It will be conducted at Emory Clifton and I’m so fortunate that MY oncologist is part of the team. The monthly cocktail infusion consists of both Keytruda (immunotherapy), and a drug called 7517 (it’s got a long description ) that boosts the Keytruda. Day 1 will be an 8 hour day, then days 2,4,8, & 15 are only a couple hours for labs and observation. This will be repeated monthly, then at the end of 6 months, I’ll go back to a normal cocktail while still being observed for the remainder of the trial. Whew!
I know I’ll learn more as it progresses, and am excited to participate. So, this means Monday will be Cocktail #72… Let’s do this!!!
