It’s been awhile since we’ve had anything new to tell. Patrick’s been enjoying not having treatments every week. He’s been diligent with his juicing regimen and is feeling strong. But the respite from the weekly road trips ended last Wednesday and we drove back down to Houston IN THE RAIN OF COURSE for a CT scan and the Rituxin infusion. Dr. Wang was out of town while we were in town. I know, right? I am SO sure. It’s almost as if he has other patients and other things going on in his life besides us. Could it be??
Not kidding, by the way, when I say it FOR REALS never fails to rain when we get anywhere near the perimeter of Houston. What is the deal? Literally as we hit the city limit, it rained. Literally as we pulled out of the hospital parking lot, it rained.
Before I get to the good news – Patrick made a friend, through a friend, who is about to start a similar journey. Young dad with a big family, just found out he has MCL, just accepted into the trial. Although he’s having a tougher time at the onset, I’m sure he will also benefit from being at MD Anderson. He has to fly in from out of state for treatments. Makes me a little less complainy about our road trips to and from and to and from and to and from Houston and home.
It’s important for Patrick to have that connection with someone facing the same challenge. I can see it makes him feel better to be able to offer support and advice and HOPE to a fellow patient. We’re all just neighbors on this planet aren’t we? That feeling of wanting to help a fellow man, a stranger even. That’s inside all of us. Just waiting for opportunities to come out so we can shine a light, carry a burden, lend a hand or even just a shoulder. It is part of what makes us stronger. And it helps in the healing process— it helps emotionally, spiritually, and dare I say it helps physically too?
Patrick’s “report card” —
He is responding to the trial drugs. Very well actually. After only 56 days of treatments, the CT showed a reduction of an average of 70% in the swollen lymph nodes!! Some are totally gone (neck area) and some are about 50% smaller. This is GREAT NEWS!!
His next CT scan/check up will be mid-December and we pray that he’s close to 100% by then. Once he gets to a complete or near complete response, they repeat all those baseline tests to confirm it’s time for part two. And the sooner we begin part two, the sooner it’ll be over. As “over” as cancer can be…But we will take the label of “in remission” any day.
Thank you again for your continued support, messages, meal deliveries, love and prayers. You are holding us up, daily.
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Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
ANGIE BURKE 