Skip to main content

Chemo Cocktail

Sid's molecular study came back. The results led Sid's doctor to change the treatment plan. It will now include targeted therapy and immunotherapy alongside his chemo drugs. This is encouraging news as studies are showing good results with this combo of drugs.

The target therapy attacks cells that contain a specific receptor. His cancer cells have this specific marker. It is also a lot less toxic than chemo.

These drugs do come with risk in that they can have negative side affects on the heart; thus the echocardiogram today.

We spoke with Sid's oncologist this morning. I'm happy with his efforts thus far. I trust him and honestly think he is doing his best for Sid. 

We haven't ever heard of anyone that enjoyed chemo, but we're ready to get started. Not only does this game plan sound positive but we feel rejuvenated after a great weekend with family watching General Conference. 


I feel my Savior's love

In all the world around me

His Spirit warms my soul

Through everything I see

He knows I will follow him

Give all my life to him

I feel my Savior's love

The love he freely gives me

I feel my Savior's love

Its gentleness enfolds me

And when I kneel to pray

My heart is filled with peace


As I wrote this post, this song resonated with me. I feel His love and compassion for me and my family. He is a God of love and compassion and I am grateful to know that he is willing and waiting to share that with me.


Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Again

Again. At a checkup/routine endoscopy they found a tumor again.  Just before Christmas Sid went for his annual endoscopy. What was supposed to be a routine checkup ended up being the second time that we heard the doctors tell us that they found a mass growing in his esophagus. And with "again" comes remembering.  Remembering the agony of hearing "cancer". Remembering the worry and the fear. The panic. Remembering treatments; the heaviness in your gut and on your heart in just getting through each of those days.  Over and over again. And for quite a few days I was stuck there in the devastation.  But slowly I have remembered other things. As more of our neighbors and friends have started hearing the news, I've been reminded of better things. There are people willing and waiting to help.  So many people love our family. I can't even comprehend how so many people could care so much.  We still have each other and there are plenty of moments to see sparks of hap...
Post a Comment
Read more

Consultations

In the last couple of weeks there have been many consultations with new doctors that are being added to Sid's medical team. They have all been so kind and professional. They have taken great effort to care for Sid; emotionally, physically, intellectually -  they have gone to great lengths to make sure we are ready for the fight ahead.   Because of Sid's initial Stage 4 diagnosis, surgery wasn't ever supposed to be on the table. But due to a combination of a few factors (I'm not sure I could do it justice here) they proposed trying it with this current tumor. However, the medical team is a little hesitant to just jump right into surgery. The hesitation is that if there are any lingering cancer cells floating around in the body that are not currently detected on scans, they would be doing Sid a HUGE disservice by doing surgery. If the surgery was done and the cancer were to pop up elsewhere, we wouldn't be able to jump back into chemo until Sid was fully recovered fro...
Post a Comment
Read more

Why Me?

 Happy Palm Sunday. ❤️ Quite frequently in the past month I have thought "why me?".  Every time we have had someone drop off a treat or reach out with offers of service I wonder how we could possibly warrant this much love and attention.  Why me? Why us? We're just the Becksteads.  Why do I get to know so many people willing to give, love, and serve us so generously? I feel so undeserving of the care we regularly receive. Thousands of years ago on the first Palm Sunday, Christ boldly rode into Jerusalem in open proclamation of his Messianic role. He knew the unrest this would create and what it would eventually lead to. And in the spirit of this special Sabbath, the same recurring question circling my mind could be asked of the Savior, "Why me?".  Why did you willingly suffer for me? Why did you give your life, in a most agonizing way, for me? Ultimately, it's not about being deserving or worthy. It's about love.  "I marvel that he would descend fro...
Post a Comment
Read more