We are headed to the Washington Coast, Ocean Shores area, to spend the Thanksgiving Holiday with my (MB's) family. We are excited to spend time with cousins, aunts, uncles, Amah and Poppy, nieces and nephews...and will miss those family members who aren't able to join us! We get to make Bruce's famous mashed potatoes for about 40 people....fun times!
HUGE HIGHLIGHT: Spencer showed up at the house Tues night as a surprise for his brothers and sister...oh man, I'm sure the whole neighborhood heard the screams of excitement and pure joy when the kids saw their big brother! They all had a good time touching Spencer's beard (face fuzz right now) and catching him up on all the happenings over the last 3 months. Spencer loved sleeping in his own bed, having some real food and just hanging at home. HE WAS GREATLY MISSED! I had all my baby chicks gathered together, the family was complete and this 'mother hen' was so content!
NEW NEWS: We found out on Monday that our insurance does not cover clinical trials. We were sad to hear this news but totally aware that God is in control, He knows what we need and He will take care of us. We are in the process of checking out what our costs would be for the trial, what additional expenses the study will cover and see what our options are. We continue to walk hand in hand with our Lord, step by step trusting Him and living one day at a time.
IN EVERYTHING GIVE THANKS, FOR THIS IS GOD'S WILL FOR YOU IN CHRIST JESUS!
HAPPY THANKSGIVING!
Love,
The Alexanders!
Wednesday, November 21, 2007
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
UPDATE
TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL YOUR HEART AND DO NOT LEAN ON YOUR OWN UNDERSTANDING. IN ALL YOUR WAYS ACKNOWLEDGE HIM AND HE WILL MAKE YOUR PATHS STRAIGHT! Proverbs 3:5,6
The news we received on Monday was not the best news....but it was, also, not the worst news:
To quote the Dr: "The melanoma has shifted over the past 2 months-a definite change in more aggressive growth patterns. There is mild progression in the lungs and there are new nests of melanoma in the brain that were not evident before. The tumors in the brain are small, in the overall scheme of things. Bruce's body is under stress of melanoma but he is doing very well physically and this opens the door for other options."
The option we have is an experimental clinical trial called "AntiCTLA4", also known as "ippilimomab"....try saying that 10 times really fast! This trial has been around for 3 years, used on 1000 patients worldwide with a 20% success rate with tumor shrinkage. This is a 90 minute IV treatment given once every three weeks for a total of 4 treatments. This is done at Providence Medical Center in Portland. The side affects (possible extreme flu-like symptoms) most likely won't show up until after the 3rd or 4th treatment. The response is often delayed, which means we most likely won't see any results until after the 12th week...meaning the tumors could possibly grow before they shrink.
We are in the process of reading all the material and submitting the necessary paperwork to get this started. We anticipate Bruce's first treatment within the next two weeks...which looks like we will make through the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays with minimal disruption...YEAH!
The kids, overall, are doing well. We had a chance to stop by George Fox and see Spencer on the way home from Portland. It was a quick visit (college life is full and busy), but any time we can get with him is precious. We had a "family meeting" with our other three kids on Monday night and they did well hearing the news, understanding it and are prepared to go forward....just like we always have...one day at a time! We have such amazing children who are showing an incredible amount of maturity and courage in the midst of a very difficult time. They are living and learning what it means to "TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL THEIR HEARTS"!!
Bruce and I have had lots to absorb, process and discuss. It has been good, hard, sweet, overwhelming, uplifting, challenging.....and lots more. We continue to learn what it means to "TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL OUR HEARTS"...and wouldn't want it any other way!!
I will post more information and details when I can.
We have so much to be thankful for and at the top of the list is the gift of friendship-each and everyone of you! Where would we be without you?
Keep praying. Keep walking with us. Keep trusting.
With much love,
MBA FOR THE A TEAM!!
WHAT CANCER CANNOT DO
Cancer is so limited....
It cannot cripple Love.
It cannot shatter Hope.
It cannot corrode Faith.
It cannot destroy Peace.
It cannot kill Friendship.
It cannot suppress Memories.
It cannot silence Courage.
It cannot invade the Soul.
It cannot steal Eternal Life.
It cannot conquer the Spirit.
Cancer is so limited!!
~Author Unknown
The news we received on Monday was not the best news....but it was, also, not the worst news:
To quote the Dr: "The melanoma has shifted over the past 2 months-a definite change in more aggressive growth patterns. There is mild progression in the lungs and there are new nests of melanoma in the brain that were not evident before. The tumors in the brain are small, in the overall scheme of things. Bruce's body is under stress of melanoma but he is doing very well physically and this opens the door for other options."
The option we have is an experimental clinical trial called "AntiCTLA4", also known as "ippilimomab"....try saying that 10 times really fast! This trial has been around for 3 years, used on 1000 patients worldwide with a 20% success rate with tumor shrinkage. This is a 90 minute IV treatment given once every three weeks for a total of 4 treatments. This is done at Providence Medical Center in Portland. The side affects (possible extreme flu-like symptoms) most likely won't show up until after the 3rd or 4th treatment. The response is often delayed, which means we most likely won't see any results until after the 12th week...meaning the tumors could possibly grow before they shrink.
We are in the process of reading all the material and submitting the necessary paperwork to get this started. We anticipate Bruce's first treatment within the next two weeks...which looks like we will make through the Thanksgiving and Christmas Holidays with minimal disruption...YEAH!
The kids, overall, are doing well. We had a chance to stop by George Fox and see Spencer on the way home from Portland. It was a quick visit (college life is full and busy), but any time we can get with him is precious. We had a "family meeting" with our other three kids on Monday night and they did well hearing the news, understanding it and are prepared to go forward....just like we always have...one day at a time! We have such amazing children who are showing an incredible amount of maturity and courage in the midst of a very difficult time. They are living and learning what it means to "TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL THEIR HEARTS"!!
Bruce and I have had lots to absorb, process and discuss. It has been good, hard, sweet, overwhelming, uplifting, challenging.....and lots more. We continue to learn what it means to "TRUST IN THE LORD WITH ALL OUR HEARTS"...and wouldn't want it any other way!!
I will post more information and details when I can.
We have so much to be thankful for and at the top of the list is the gift of friendship-each and everyone of you! Where would we be without you?
Keep praying. Keep walking with us. Keep trusting.
With much love,
MBA FOR THE A TEAM!!
WHAT CANCER CANNOT DO
Cancer is so limited....
It cannot cripple Love.
It cannot shatter Hope.
It cannot corrode Faith.
It cannot destroy Peace.
It cannot kill Friendship.
It cannot suppress Memories.
It cannot silence Courage.
It cannot invade the Soul.
It cannot steal Eternal Life.
It cannot conquer the Spirit.
Cancer is so limited!!
~Author Unknown
Monday, November 12, 2007
NOVEMBER 12th...THE LONG AWAITED DAY!!
We go to Portland this afternoon to see Dr Curti and get the results of Bruce's scans from Mon, Nov 5th. Bruce has been off his home chemo medicine for almost 4 weeks, now. It has been a nice break for him..he hasn't had to take all these pills at night, has slowly felt better every morning and has more energy throughout the day. We are eager to see the Dr and find out what the tests revealed. Our prayer is that there are NO NEW TUMORS and that the existing tumors SHRUNK...or at least DID NOT GROW! Please pray with us! This would mean that the medicine did it's thing and Bruce would go back on the chemo medicine for another cycle....that would be a good thing!
I will post the results when I can....that is, of course, after we have time as a couple to receive and process the info (good or not so good) AND have adequate time to do the same with our children!
Thank you, everyone, for your encouraging words and constant support. We are in God's care, surrounded by His love and filled with His peace!
Love,
MBA
I will post the results when I can....that is, of course, after we have time as a couple to receive and process the info (good or not so good) AND have adequate time to do the same with our children!
Thank you, everyone, for your encouraging words and constant support. We are in God's care, surrounded by His love and filled with His peace!
Love,
MBA
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