We have encouraging news to share tonight. Yesterday morning I sent a message to Maggie’s team at MD Anderson to let them know we are ready to have Maggie re-evaluated for inclusion in a clinical trial. Several messages back in forth over the next few hours resulted in appointments for labs, CT, and a clinic appointment with her oncologist, Dr. Raghav. But it gets better. I received a call from a scheduler in the Targeted Therapy Clinical Trial Center at MDA to make plans for a meeting with them to discuss details of Maggie’s assigned study. We’ll be at MDA March 7-8 for all these appointments. All we know about the study beyond the fact it involves a targeted therapy is it will involve one trip a month for a 3-5 day inpatient treatment. We’ll learn more in our meeting on the 8th, at which time we’ll schedule her first treatment. We have no idea what waiting period (washout) may be required between her current treatments and the study. She’ll have at least one more treatment at Batson. It is scheduled for this Monday, the 12th. We’ll decide any future Batson treatments in consultation with MDA.

We’re still processing the whirlwind developments but feel excited and hopeful with the timing, the details we know, and anticipation of being in the center of cutting edge cancer research. The flip side of moving in a new direction is leaving a place of comfort and safety. You know we love our Batson family. We’d load them all in the Tahoe and take them to Houston if we could. But they have a mission here in Mississippi to help children. Our mission is to go where our Lord leads and willingly be used where He places us. We’ll leave no stone unturned in our efforts to see Maggie cured. How awesome to know we serve a God who moves stones for us!

Maggie’s treatment Monday will be a single infusion of Cetuximab (her current targeted therapy) in the clinic. Dr. Collier agreed with us that her gut could use a break from the tough chemo agents she normally gets which cause her upset tummy (putting it mildly for you). She’s recovering from her last infusion but still experiences frequent episodes. On the bright side, her pain is under better control with a recent increase in patch dosage.

Thank you for your prayers as we’ve been taking care of Maggie and seeking the next phase of treatment. We’re encouraged by many acts of kindness – they brighten our days and lighten the load. We love you.