Maggie is in. We received positive confirmation yesterday from lab tests that she is fully qualified for the clinical trial. She underwent the required biopsy for collection of a liver tumor sample prior to the start of her treatment today and handled it like the champ and pro she is. We’ll see her oncologist again in the morning for an exam and have the initial infusion early Friday. This will be a lower “priming” dose to allow her body time to get used to the drug and to check her individual response. If she develops anemia (the most serious potential side effect) it should be noted with this dose. We’ll stick around until Saturday morning for a lab test to show how she is tolerating the drug. If we get the all clear, we’ll head home Saturday.

We’ll be getting our final information tomorrow – schedules and time requirements at MD for appointments. This will allow us to figure out our travel plans. Our hope is to minimize the impact on our family and allow us the maximum amount of normal – a tall order but we’re dedicated to making this work.

We appreciate prayers for a successful first dose without side effects; perfect alignment of calendars to make traveling and treatment a piece of cake; and safe traveling home this weekend. Maggie has requested a picnic in the park tomorrow, so that’s the plan for fun.

Thank you for continuing to follow our journey, encourage our efforts, and pray for our steps. We’ll put up an update after the treatment as soon as we can.