Another Great Day!

WooHoo!!! I wish you all could have been in Round Rock at the state baseball tournament this week. We are so fortunate to have gotten to make the trip. It was great! The Trojans came out with two big wins and a state title! They played great!!! So proud of their committment and their hard work to get there.

So glad to hear from you Auntie N. We have been worrying about how you were feeling since we had not heard from you. We send prayers and many wishes for good health and great days for you.

Now, about this fighting we have heard so much about. Thanks to Janet for taking us "back in the day." All those who have reported that Mark is a fighter knew more than we thought??!!!!

I am certain he will be soooooooooo happy for me doing this. We are are ready for him to whoop this cancer stuff too. (Sorry Uncle Donnie, but it does look as if he has the upper hand!!)

Love to all, Missy

Go Trojans!

We are at the state baseball tournament in Round Rock. The boys won today and will play for the championship tomorrow. Woohoo. It is truly a nice diversion. Final plans are set for next week. Still planning port placement and biopsy on Monday have appt in Dallas on wednesday
the 16th for first chemo.
Sorry so brief, but this little hand held thing is horrible for being wordy. Thanks to Deanna for the hospitality while we are here

Schedule made

At least partially anyway. Mark saw the surgeon today and scheduled a date for the placement of his infusion port as well as for the biopsy. They will both be done on Monday the 14th. Since this was supposed to be the day he started chemo, I am working with Dr. McCullom's nurse to change that. It is looking like the start date could be the 16th or possibly the 21st. She will let me know tomorrow.

Not much else to report and so many things to get done tonight. Special prayers for Granddaddy. Hope you are feeling well and a big thank you to Cindy for keeping us informed.

Missy

Great Day

Well mark was at the computer, so I thought it would be a great time for him to post. The response I got from him was not so convincing! so I am laying here posting on this new toy we are trying out for our kids. You can bet this will be a short one! My fingers are way too big to do any efficient typing. And my not so young eyes need a magnifying glass for this thing.

We had a great day at the baseball games. Yea Trojans!!!!!! Headed to Austin next week. It was hot, hot, hot, but the guys played some great baseball and we got to see several family members from that area as well.

Church picnic tomorrow.

Sweet Dreams to all, Missy

I knew I would forget something.

I didn't mention in the last post the Dr. McCollum was very shocked that Mark was able to receive the full 12 doses of chemo the last time he was treated. He assured us that the medication he received is exactly what he would have given, but that it is not easy to get through the whole regimen due to the side effects. Kudos to Mark!

He also assured us that he is more aggressive than we are used to in the area of follow up as he feels that is a necessity. We are comfortable that he will be watching everything very closely.

That's all I got!
Love, Missy

Dr. Appointment

WooHoo we are on the right track! We met with Dr. Mccollum at the Sammons Cancer Center at Baylor Dallas. From Start to finish the whole visit was splendid. The registrar was even as sweet as she could be. The entire office was very laid back and yet very proficient. The following highlights the details.

1. It is apparent that there has been a recurrence of colon cancer in at least 4 areas of concern. It looks as if this recurrence would most obviously be metastasis from his original colorectal cancer. This means that those cells originating in the rectum and infiltrating the lymphatic system survived the chemotherapy and have now landed in these other areas. He is 90% certain this is the case. He, however would like to be 100%. If Mark's labs were greatly elevated, he would be 100%, but they are not. His CEA (tumor marker) is within normal limits. For this reason, he wants to biopsy the largest of the lesions.

2. The only treatment at this point is chemotherapy. The goal will be to resolve or at least shrink the tumors that are there. If this can be done then there is the possibility that surgery and or ablative techniques could be done to take care of the other lesions.

3. His choice of "poison" as Mark so fondly refers to it is Folfiri with Avastin. This is a little different combination than the Folfox he had the first time. The most obvious reason for this, for me anyway, is that it didn't do the job! But also, the side effects can be more of a problem the second time around, especially since it has been less than 1 year since his treatment. He feels that this treatment may come with some difficult side effects as well, but they are unpredictable and many people tolerate it quite well.

4. We will know within 2 to 3 months after treatment whether there is any success with this medicine. If not, the medication will be changed.

5. We will be going to dallas for his treatments. It will be much the same as last time. we will go there on Mondays, he will receive his bolus infusion over several hours, and then he will have the pump until Wednesday. At present we will return to have it discontinued on Wednesdays.

6. We set his first treatment for June 14th. Our job was to get his biopsy and port placed next week so we could start. However, he will have to be off his coumadin for a period of time before the procedures, so we could be pushing it. We may have to push that back a week. Both of these procedures will be done in Wichita Falls.

Dr. McCollum was very kind. He asked questions and listened for answers. He knew a great deal about Mark and his treatment and even his heart before he ever came in the room. He made every effort to work with us not only because of location but also because of our crazy insurance needs. It really feels good when things go right after you have to make tough decisions. Truly, all you can do is pray about it, as we did and trust in the guidance He sends your way. We are so blessed.

The last issue I want to address is kind of a difficult one. I am doing so because we are human, just like all of you. The big question is, "What does all of this mean long term?"
With tears I tell you that there is only One who knows the answer to your question. The facts are: cancer is no good at anytime. When cancer returns it is no good. When it returns in more than one spot, it is no good. What is good is our God. He has blessed us with a wonderful son, brother, cousin, friend, husband, and dad. Many have watched him persevere through adversity multiple times over since he was a child. All of the statistics, the studies, numbers and percentages do not factor in the miracles. You have to trust, as we do, that He is going to take care of Mark in His own way. You have to be tough to fight this fight (and we know he is), but you also have to trust. I believe one of those Clemmer boys said it best, "Surely there is but one set of footprints in the sand." Absolutely no doubt!

We love you all, Mark and Missy

P. S. GO TROJANS!!! They need a pair of big wins tomorrow.

Latest Update

Well I wish I had a good result to report, but the scan today turned out much as we expected. That being said I will go back and answer a few questions about what is going on. But first, don't forget to sign your comments if you are not logged onto the blog. The anonymous posting is the easy way to leave a comment, but it does not automatically leave a signature. All of your kind and encouraging words have touched us as usual and we truly feel the benefit of having you all on our side. And, to all the facebookers, you might pass along the blog site to your friends. It seems people are wondering what is going on. They see prayers, but don't know what for.

So, three weeks ago we were having a great time in Florida with our kids, Keith and Cindy, and their kids. We had been planning the trip since 2008 when Mark was originally diagnosed. Prior to our leaving, we knew that we would be looking at a 6 month scan and Mark decided it would wait until after Disney. God is always working! After returning, we called the cancer center and scheduled an appointment. This was strictly a routine follow up. You may remember his prior scan was in November 2009 and was all clear. He was having no complications or symptoms. The results were unbelievable. We were shocked to find that Mark's cancer had not only recurred, but had returned in as many as six different places. I just knew they had the wrong person. This absolutely could not be. I was about to call to have them make sure it was the right report when I read the result of his aneurysm measurement. Sure enough. It was for real. And so began another whirlwind of emotion, decisions, indecision, wondering and waiting. Now on the 5th day following those results, and with lots of help from Dr. Ho, Dr. Hudkins, Dr. Crim and all of the great people I work with, we think we are becoming more focused and getting prepared for what lies ahead. And now for the questions that seem to be most common....

Q. Where is the cancer?
A. Following today's confirmation by PET scan, we know that there are four lesions and several lymph nodes that are involved. There is a mass or nodule in each lung. A lesion on the liver and a fourth and largest lesion (tumor) that also appears to originate in the liver in the upper abdominal area. The apparent lymph nodes involved are in the abdomen on the right and left sides.

Q. How did this happen?
A. When Mark had his original tumor resected, Dr. Crim assured us he was working for a cure and also assured us that he removed all of the cancer in and around the affected area. We have no doubt that he indeed did so. What he had no control over was the cancer had already invaded the lymphatic system. While the nodes that were affected at that time were removed, there was no guarantee that there were not cancer cells circulating systemically. Hence the chemotherapy regimen following surgery. In theory, the chemo would have killed any remaining circulating cancer.

Q. What did the doctor say?
A. Good question! We haven't seen one yet. We got to visit with Mark's gastroenterologist shortly after getting the results. He is so good to us. He did tell us that due to the number of locations, surgery and radiation were not options. His treatment would include chemotherapy and possibly experimental treatment. He urged us to get things moving and to get a second opinion as well. A pathologist friend of Mark's was also so kind to take time to listen and offer his expertise as well. Of course nothing happened over the holiday weekend. We have decided to seek treatment at The Sammons Cancer Center at Baylor Healthcare in Dallas. We will see Dr. Andrew McCullom on Friday of this week.

Q. Did you tell the kids and how are they?
A. We waited until the kids were out of school on Friday to tell them. They are doing well. Austin really struggled initially. He surprised me with his insight on the situation. Impulsively he was very angry (Praise God - he is normal!), but has since become very interested in the details and asks lots of grown up questions. He makes me very proud as do Abby and Landon. While they have not been very vocal, I know that it is on there mind frequently as they will come out of the blue with questions like, "Daddy, how long are you going to have the cancer this time?"

Q.How is Mark?
A. Mark is an amazing man. He has been somewhat quiet. I can't imagine what goes through his mind and how he can possibly concentrate on anything but what is going on inside of him. While the fear of the unknown about the treatment ahead is inevitable, he remains positive and is cautiously ready to get this thing started.

Q. What's next?
A. Thanks to Cynthia at Baylor Charles A. Sammons Cancer Center, Baylor University Medical Center at Dallas We will be seeing Andrew McCullom, M.D. on Friday the 6th at 1:30 pm. This appointmet was originally going to be on June 21. Cynthia went to bat for us and made it possible for this week. Thank God for good people!

We repeatedly say that we have no idea what lies ahead of us. We know from where we've some that there isn't much of it that is any good, but we have no doubt that we are not walking alone. Mark will persevere as he has done before and he will do it with style I am absolutely certain.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for all that you have done thus far.

PS. I am asking for extra prayers for Mark's family. I can't imagine having to watch a child of mine nor my own brother in the same situation. They are an amazingly loving and supportive family. I ask that they, like us are able to feel the presence of so many caring praying people.
Much love, Missy