Over the last
few days I’ve had a constant stream of e-mails and texts with my oncologists
regarding last Friday’s CT scan. Yes, the five tumors that have stubbornly
refused to leave my gut for the past year are stable (a couple went up a
little, a couple went down and one stayed the same size). And most
significantly, no new tumors have emerged.
I’ve been
struggling with this disease for so long. Each time that I went off chemo the
cancer would come back with a vengeance. But now, I have the incredible
opportunity to be a pioneer in this new world of immunotherapy. Not only did it
work while we put “PDL-1” in my body every three weeks, but we just proved that
it taught my immune system how to recognize cancer and stop it from growing.
One of the tumors
that grew just a little bit is pressing against my kidney and is creating a
blockage. So – next week I’ll be going down to Stanford for outpatient surgery
to put a stent in to make sure that I don’t lose my kidney. But that’s no big
deal. That I can handle. That isn’t threatening my life or forcing me to
revisit chemo.
The doctors are
planning for me to go another three months without treatment and do another CT
scan then. A friend asked me the other night “so how long do they think it will
work?” No one knows. I’m the one creating the data that will inform everyone
who comes after me. It’s a scary place to be, but an exciting place, too. My body
is making history by fighting cancer and winning.
It’s truly a
miracle. We are entering a whole new world for cancer care. I am filled with
gratitude today – for Stanford Cancer Center, for Drs. Fisher and Kohrt, for
Genentech, for my family, for my friends, for my colleagues, for my many other
doctors, and for my phenomenally tough body that continues to amaze me.
Happy
Thanksgivukkah.
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