A great appointment!

Hi everyone!  Today is a wonderful day!  On our way to Roswell, we saw the most beautiful rainbow.  We took it as a good omen, and boy were we right!

I knew it was important to wait and discuss the scan with Dr. Pili!  He has been working with us since May, and is very knowledgable in Chris's medical history.  Although the radiologist says Chris's tumor grew three millimeters, Dr. Pili disagrees.  He feels the last three scans show that Chris's disease is stable!!!!  I felt it in my gut.  I just knew this is what Dr. Pili would say.

With that said, we discussed treatment options.  We would like to be proactive and see if we can get this stable disease to shrink, or better yet, disappear!  There is a new drug, in the clinical trial stage, called PD1 antibody.  Supposedly kidney cancer sends signals to the immune system telling it, "there is nothing here, so go about your business." This allows the cancer to grow.  The PD1 antibody triggers the immune system to "wake up" and attack the cancer.  It is showing a lot of promise and Dr. Pili believes it will be FDA approved within the next couple of years.  I have found one trial that Dr. Pili is going to look into over the next week.  He needs to find out if it is an open study, and if Chris would be a candidate.

If the trial is not available, we will do another round of IL 2 in February.  It is the same treatment we had this summer.

We go back to Roswell on Monday to discuss the options.  We are so very happy that the cancer has remained stable.  Over the last week, I've prayed for God to help guide us down the right path to fight this disease.  I truly feel he has answered my prayers.  We will let you know Monday which treatment we will go with.

I really cannot express how much your love, prayers, and constant encouragement have helped Chris and I.  Not all days are easy, but we've been so fortunate to have so many shoulders to lean on.  The loving, meaningful comments written on this blog, as well as the constant text messages, conversations, and cards, mean more to us than you could ever know.  You are helping us keep the strength to fight this battle!

With much love,
Teresa xoxo

Mixed Results

Today was an atypical day.  It began when we arrived for our appointment, only to discover we didn't have an appointment.  This of course, enraged me because I had the appointment time written down.  It got worse when we found out Dr. Pili wasn't even in town.  So for those that know me, you know I was angry and let everyone know this was unacceptable.  We were not going to leave without the results from the scan.

A nurse met with us and apologized for the mistakes made on their behalf.  If we wanted, another doctor could read us the scan results and we could meet with Dr. Pili next week.  We agreed and waited for the arrival of Dr. George and our results.

The spots in Chris's lungs have continued to stablilize.  It appears that his lymph node has grown three millimeters.  While we are pleased that the growth of the tumor has slowed considerably, we aren't thrilled that it has grown.

Over the next week, Chris and I will research the few treatment options available for metastatic kidney cancer and further discuss our plan of attack with Dr. Pili.

We are still hoping and praying that 2013 has some happiness and good health in store for us.

With love,
Teresa xo

Happy New Year

Happy 2013!  I hope this post finds everyone well and that you had an enjoyable holiday season.

Chris and I have had a busy few months.  To start, his scan was moved to mid January.  We aren't sure why, other than it was God's will.  December was a busy, hectic month and I think God knew that adding a scan to our plate was just too much.

We celebrated our first anniversary with a romantic weekend in NYC!  My beautiful New York friend, Morgan, and her husband Mike, kindly took our tourist selves all over the city.  When they released us to our own devices, we saw A Christmas Story on Broadway.  It was a wonderful way to celebrate a rollercoaster first year of marriage.  Sometimes I feel like we've been married much longer.  Chris and I have done a lot of living in the two and a half years we've been together.

Chris and I both enjoy the holidays.  We had a lot of fun decorating and getting our house ready for the festivities.  Thanksgiving was spent in Niagara Falls.  This year has put life in perspective, there were many things to be thankful for.  I'm so very thankful that God chose me to be Christopher's wife.  I couldn't ask for a more perfect partner.  We've definitely lived through the "in sickness" and "in bad" portion of our vows.  We look forward to experiencing health and good times together!

December was a bit of a whirlwind.  As most know, Christopher's grandfather passed away before Christmas.  Although we were so sad that he left this earth, we know we have an additional angel watching over us from heaven.  He was an absolutely wonderful man.  I'm honored that I was able to call him Grandpa.

To end 2012 on a happier note, we added a new family member to our Niver family.  We picked up a puppy the day after Christmas!  Stella is an adorable Irish Terrier.  She is very busy, but has brought Chris, Sophie (our yorkie terrier) and I some much needed joy.

We happily said good bye to 2012 and are embracing 2013.  Thank you for your continued prayers and support!  We know you'll be in our hearts in a couple of weeks as we go back to Roswell for our next scan.

With much love,
Teresa xoxo