Update December 18, 2006

The last couple of weeks have brought great news, and it is a great feeling as we approach Christmas. We’re now in the window following radiation and chemotherapy (about 3 months post-treatment) where the benefits are evident and the measurements are more reliable. Sandy’s most recent scans illustrate very good results. They indicate that the primary cancer around the common bile duct has reduced in size significantly, and there seems to be no indication of positive lymph nodes. If true, this would certainly qualify as a best case response. It is very encouraging to know that the cancer is responding to treatment and to be able to quantify the results.

I should add that we have learned that the ability to image lymph nodes is pretty unreliable. The most recent scan was a series of MR images, and Sandy is scheduled to also undergo a PET scan this week. That should provide another view that will improve our understanding. Hopefully, just one more step towards success.

These most recent results are very encouraging, and so is Sandy’s overall health. She has gained the weight back and looks strong and healthy. Her energy and endurance are very good—the best they have been since March of this year when we were in Steamboat, I would say.

This opens doors for possible surgical approaches that were not available before. If the lymph nodes are clear, then this would make Sandy a much better candidate for transplantation, and a less controversial one. It has the added benefit of simplifying some of the insurance issues, since the positive lymph nodes were the one exclusion criteria that we were concerned about. Hopkins is now treating her in the transplant service and proceeding with evaluations with the intent to transplant. There seems to be a vision for surgical treatment where there was none before. Now, we just get Sandy through the steps, the little victories, to get her there.

You learn through an experience like this to temper your reactions to all news, good and bad. It is a long journey marked with great uncertainty. You take these for what they are—victories. They may seem like small victories at times, but are still victories, nonetheless.