Here we go again...again.

Aaron had a PET CT scan yesterday afternoon and we met with his oncologist afterward to discuss the results. 

Mamma says we are some good lookin' guys.  I agree!

1. The spot in Aaron's abdomen has grown slightly and is now 1 cm and lighting up brightly on the scan.  Cancer and other high-energy cells, like the brain, light up on the scan. On his scan before surgery, this spot was very dim and is not quite obviously glowing.

2. Unexpectedly the PET CT revealed recurrence already in Aaron's chest. Aaron has been having quite a bit of pain around the incision site wrapping around from his back to the front of his body.  When we looked at that scan, it was lit up exactly where he is experiencing pain.  This recurrence is a bit different than the past 2 diagnoses.  The past two were encapsulated tumors (a ball of cells contained like a balloon). This time the cancer is in pleura, which are layers of cells between the lungs and chest wall, and is diffused in the tissue rather than being contained.

Daddy, I thought we were doing a crazy face...

So, where do we go from here?  Surgery has not been discussed.  It is my understanding that the pleura is not really possible to surgically remove and the spot in his abdomen is in very difficult location.  Cyber knife for the area in his abdomen is not longer an option due to the cancer in his chest.  Radiation is also off the table because you cannot radiate the pleura due to its cell makeup.

Detroit Tigers? Check. Mamma and Daddy? Check. Game face? Oh yeah.

We do have hope though!!!  Aaron is possibly eligible for a great clinical trial that is open right now.  They are studying the of an IV chemotherapy on the efficacy of a known beneficial oral chemotherapy.  It is an open study so we will know what treatment Aaron is receiving (oral only vs. oral+IV) and it is open to crossover.  Crossover means that if his scan at 8 weeks shows no improvement, he can be switched to the group receiving both oral and IV chemotherapy.  He'll have a scan every 8 weeks to check his progress.  We are praying that this will work to not only stop the growth, not only shrink these tumors, but to eliminate cancer completely from his body.  If he is eligible, he may be able to begin receiving treatment as early as the end of next week.  However, if the chemotherapy treatments in this clinical trial are not effective, there are additional options, such as trying the chemo regiment he was on last year as well as when he was a child.

Chillin' on a hot morning watching either Sesame Street or ESPN with my Daddy.

It has been a difficult 24 hours for us.  We hold tight to the truth that God was not surprised by these results as we were.  Our Lord is in complete control of this situation even though it feels like we are spinning out of control.  The Creator, who created Aaron's body exactly as He wanted it, holds him in His hands. Please join me in praying for the prayer requests below.

Pray with us.

* Praise God for His sovereignty over our lives, the love He has for us, and that He has promised to never give us more than we can bear.
* Praise for modern medicine; for the scans that are able to detect this horrible disease, the chemotherapy treatments that are available, and the men and women who continue to research and work to develop better treatments
* Praise that we have optionS.  There are so many who are told there is nothing more that can be done and I am so grateful that we have not had to hear those words uttered.
* Pray for peace, guidance, wisdom, and patience.
* Please pray that Aaron's creatinine blood level is under 2.1 when they check it next for the clinical trial.  Due to his kidney disease, his levels are higher than someone without kidney disease.  The limit for him to participate in the trial is 2.1.  Yesterday, his level was 2.3.  PLEASE PRAY!
* Pray that he is eligible for the clinical trial and this chemotherapy regiment is effective and beneficial and that God will continue to protect his kidney through all of this.
* Pray for wisdom for Dr. Tawbi as he weighs the risks and benefits, results of scans, and what is the right treatment for Aaron
* Pray that we will continue to grow in our love for each other and not allow the stresses of cancer to affect our marriage or our family life
* Please pray for relief from pain for Aaron.
* Pray that we will keep our eyes affixed on God.

Thank you again for your prayers and for continuing to lift up our family.  It is such a comfort to know that when we are not alone in our prayers.

Despite everything, Aaron is feeling well enough to work from home this week, which is a great blessing.  Ben is being just as helpful as last year.

*Sigh* He really needs my help this year.