May 24, 2018 | Medical Updates
Today we heard news we didn’t want but fully expected. Maggie’s cancer is progressing and the pace is accelerating. If we could start the available clinical trial next week, that might be a viable option. We know, however, a quick start wouldn’t...
May 21, 2018 | Medical Updates
Maggie’s treatment last Thursday was canceled to allow the clock to start on her washout period (required break from treatment between different clinical trials) to reduce any delay if we opt to enroll her in a new study. We came on home Friday for a long...
May 13, 2018 | Medical Updates
Happy Mother’s Day! And I’m a happy mother because I spent time with both of my daughters – I was at home with Molly in Hattiesburg today before flying to Houston to be with Maggie and Phil. I’m relieving Phil to allow him to travel home...
May 2, 2018 | Medical Updates
I think I’m overdue for a full update, so here we go. Maggie’s 4/26 infusion was well-tolerated. We had a quiet, restful weekend in Houston with low pain/nausea levels and no breakthrough pain to speak of. This trend continued into Sunday when we were able to start...
Apr 18, 2018 | Medical Updates
I’m happy to report the birthday weekend was a success. Phil had all his girls home to help celebrate another year of God’s blessings. We enjoyed a delicious dinner at Crescent City Grill (special thanks to our server and the chef for bending the rules a...
Apr 12, 2018 | Medical Updates
Maggie is receiving the last few drips of infusion #3 (the 2nd time getting both drugs) this afternoon. As last week, we’re in a private infusion room at MDA and will be leaving for our apartment after the one hour observation period. Her blood work continues to...
Apr 4, 2018 | Medical Updates
In another movement from the sweet Hands of Providence, we are in Houston settled in an apartment that couldn’t be any more ideal for us. We got a call yesterday evening from Sally with the church apartment ministry group. (We had placed an application the day...
Apr 2, 2018 | Medical Updates
Despite our prayers, Maggie didn’t make it to the Easter service at TBC. She is spending most of her time in bed still trying to recover from recent events and traveling. Because air travel was not comfortable for her, we’re driving to Houston this...
Mar 26, 2018 | Medical Updates
We wanted to share a quick update to let you know Maggie is better. She has responded to the PCA/continuous morphine pump for her pain. The plan is to let her have it until morning then start weaning her off. The pain management plan going forward is to increase her...
Mar 25, 2018 | Medical Updates
Maggie was admitted to 3C (pediatric oncology floor) at Batson through the ER today. She has been in near constant pain with nausea since before we left from Houston to return home yesterday. She spiked a fever of 102.5 this morning at which time I spoke with the...
Mar 24, 2018 | Medical Updates
We’re home (as of 6:30 pm today). Maggie’s treatment yesterday – a three hour infusion of the trial drug – was uneventful. She seemed to tolerate it well without major side effects. She’s tired and a bit nauseated after the long week....
Mar 21, 2018 | Medical Updates
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...
Mar 17, 2018 | Medical Updates
After leaving MDA Thursday, we were secure in our direction for the clinical trial. If only all parties had been on board, we might have avoided another emotional roller coaster. I received an email Monday morning from the study coordinator with news that our...
Mar 10, 2018 | Medical Updates
We’re home from Houston (as of noon today), worn out but content. In a nutshell, we have decided to move forward with a Phase 2 clinical trial we were offered. Maggie will have to pass a screening blood test (the presence of any of several proteins would exclude...
Mar 3, 2018 | Medical Updates
I’m overdue for an update again. It was a tough week for Maggie. It started on a high note. We reported to the clinic Monday morning for an exam, blood work and a targeted therapy infusion. The infusion was uneventful. We heard good news – her CEA was...
Feb 25, 2018 | Medical Updates
Maggie is having a restful end of the week after her 5th round of CDiff last weekend. We suspected she had it about a month ago, had her tested, and had her cleared with a report of negative. She recovered some, but her last round of chemo upset the delicate balance...
Feb 15, 2018 | Medical Updates
We’re overdue for an update – sorry for the delay. Maggie had an infusion of Cetuximab, her targeted therapy, in the clinic on Tuesday. We had decided to leave off the standard Folfiri drugs to give her gut more time to bounce back. She is continuing to...
Feb 8, 2018 | Medical Updates
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...
Feb 4, 2018 | Medical Updates
We wanted to offer a quick update on Maggie’s post-chemo recovery. She’s doing MUCH better. Her tummy is settling down, her appetite is ok, and, as I write, she’s straightening her room. We have a quiet week ahead (we hope) with plenty of rest. Next...
Jan 31, 2018 | Medical Updates
Maggie was admitted Monday morning for chemo as planned. She has experienced a prolonged and pronounced level of diarrhea throughout the 48 hour infusion. The usual protocol is to NOT stop diarrhea as this is the body’s response to the toxicity of the chemo...
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