Clinical Trial Starts This Week

We are in our fourth week of sheltering in place.  Because Anne-Marie is considered "high risk", we haven't left the house for any reason except absolutely necessary appointments for over two of those weeks.  Most of those appointments have been various medical ones (that I reference below) and I've stayed in the car for those to limit exposure.  Our groceries have come by delivery and Amazon Prime has been our go-to for everything else.  So I guess you could say it's been a quiet (and, yes, lonely) time.

Here's what's been happening while everything else has been happening. 

--- 

For the past 3 months, Anne-Marie has been in process to receive a clinical trial for the cancer that has been recurring in her brain. We are uncertain the length of the treatment and how many pills or infusions or IV’s, but we do know treatment is slated for this week.  

Part of the preparation for the trial has included multiple CT’s, MRI’s, bone scans, EKG’s and an echocardiogram. As you know, the second of these MRIs revealed cancer in the brain and sent Anne-Marie to surgery in February.  

Another step in the process has required Anne-Marie to stop all treatments to remove any chance of faulty evaluation during the clinical trial. This, combined with the extra month of delays caused by the unexpected surgery, has allowed the cancer in Anne-Marie’s lungs to come back very aggressively. She's developed a persistent cough due to this.  

We are uncertain whether the trial treatment—tailored to treat cancer in the brain—will effectively treat the cancer in the lungs, but we are moving forward with hope.  (In other words, this needs to work.) For now I will be going to the clinic, but staying in the car getting updates in the parking lot by text from the treatment room.   

Anne-Marie will be re-evaluated in 6 weeks as part of the terms of the study.  If the treatment is ineffective, we will be on to something different. 

We sure wish we could see you all in person, but I'm sure you all feel the same way.  If you drive by and see a man wandering around alone in a hospital or clinic parking lot to pass time, make sure to honk your horn and wave to him. Chances are, it won't be me, but you might just make someone else's day.