Most of the following was taken from my personal Relay For Life page at https://mobileacs.org/st4kw
Why I Relay
Prior to 2018, I stopped at several Relay events where I had friends walking on teams. I would go walk some laps with them to support their teams. In February 2018, things changed for me. I hadn't been feeling well for a month or so, finally got to see my primary care doctor on February 13, 2018. On February 20, 2018, I was admitted to the hospital as a result of an issue discovered on a CT Scan. On February 24, 2018, I underwent a major colon resection surgery and on February 27, 2018, I was informed I had stage 3C colon cancer. The cancer was removed during surgery and I was about to undergo an aggressive chemotherapy regiment to eliminate any microscopic cancer cells that may remain. I #HaveBelief and #HaveFaith.
As a result, my goal is to promote early screening because early screening results in early detection, and early detection SAVES LIVES.
In the August/September 2018 timeframe, I was told I was cancer-free! I’ve since learned that is a statement that is almost never true. Unfortunately, a blood draw on December 13, 2018, indicated results none of us were looking for. My tumor markers increased by 300% in just over 2 months. It doesn’t look like the cancer was gone.
Confirmed via CT Scan, MRI, and liver biopsy, I’ve been confirmed that I now have stage 4 colon cancer, which had spread to my liver and quite possibly also have a small spot on my lungs. Four more rounds of chemo and then another look at where I stand in March 2019 with new scans.
Had to temporarily stop chemo to prepare for liver surgery. Had the liver surgery in April 2019 and then continued chemo if that’s where I stand ... or just continued chemo if that’s what’s warranted. The fight to survive continues.
In the fall of 2019, the chemo I was on was declared to have failed and was no longer working. It was decided to switch to a third type of chemo, a pill-based regiment. Not only did that seem to work as well for me, but my lead oncologist also suffered an accident that has kept her out of work to this day. For a variety of additional reasons, I moved my treatment to a new oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DF) in Boston.
At DF, after more tests and scans, we moved to my 4th type of chemo. Now considered palliative treatment, there is currently no known way to cure my cancer. I needed a researcher to find a solution that could help me.
So, from January 2020 until August 2020 timeframe, everything was going fantastic. All my scans looked great, tumors were shrinking, bloodwork and tumor markers were getting close to the normal range ... then came the scan of August 2020. Excuse this phrase, but it was like the shit hit the fan. This time when the chemo failed to stop working, there were no other chemo treatments available. The only way to describe the feeling is to say the light at the end of life’s tunnel felt like it was coming into view. I’m still not ready, there is much more to do. This journey has had a life course correction like feeling ... those things that are really important are now out shadowing what I thought was important.
So, now In September 2020, I am no longer on any chemo treatments, after 40 total rounds, we’re seeking my miracle drug to continue my life, I have been accepted into a clinical trial my oncologist found for me, I don’t know any details at this point, I’ll learn more in the coming days and weeks. Miracles are sometimes discovered in these trials, sometimes not. I’m praying this one helps me. If not, it will help others that follow. God willing, it will help me.
The day following most of the tests my Hemoglobin A1c score posted at 7.4%, the highest it has ever been. We received a call saying it was too high for the clinical trial, it had to be 7.0% or lower ... do you feel that roller coaster going downhill? So, I got to ClinicalTrials.gov and find the official trial write up. There I find the exclusion from the trial happens at 8.5%! That’s great news, the write up was last updated July 20, 2020... here we go uphill again. Unfortunately, after questioning the 7.0% vs 8.5%, I was told the current limitation was 7.0% ... headed straight downhill again. I’m now scheduled for a retest on Friday, October 2, 2020. I doubt the results will get me into the trial since A1c was a 2-3 month average glucose level, it’s not going to change that much in a week. So, I press on and look for other options.
How about if you were to coordinate a dine and earn dinner at Applebee’s, Moe’s, or somewhere similar in your neck of the woods. How about coordinating a bake sale, or hosting a Scentsy fundraiser, a 5K, or any other event, I can help you. Let me know what you enjoy doing, I’ll come up with ideas to get you going. We're not talking about long hours either!
Please join my team, help me help rid this world of cancer. Using the ACS “FUNdraising” app is an easy way to link directly to a Facebook fundraiser ... you just share. We can beat this!
Funds raised support cancer patient programs and groundbreaking research that can help save lives. This event also celebrates over 15.5 million cancer survivors nationwide. 15.5 MILLION. That’s huge. That’s why I’d love your support. Will you walk with me? Join me? And if you can’t would you be so kind as to make a donation?
With my sincere thanks, get your cancer screening scheduled with your primary doctor, let’s do this!
Dan
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