Gamma Knife Surgery...Again!

On Thursday of last week, my Daddy, who had been having increasing difficulties with confusion, had to have a brain MRI. On Friday, we were told that the initial reading of the MRI looked fairly good, but with mixed response. Some of the tumors had decreased in size or were not visible on the MRI, but one had increased in size. After his radiation oncologist's team and the neurosurgeon, who performed his gamma knife surgery, reviewed the scans and consulted, they determined that he has four new brain metastases. We were presented with two options...keep fighting, treating the tumors with another gamma knife surgery, or pursue comfort care. Ultimately, the decision was my Daddy's, and he chose to keep fighting. He is having such good results with the bi-weekly treatments of immunotherapy drug on the tumors in his body, we are still hopeful...discouraged, but hopeful.

So, please continue to pray. Next Tuesday, he will have another PET/CT scan to evaluate the size of the tumors throughout his body. Then, on Tuesday, September 8th, he will have his second gamma knife procedure. We are resting completely in the care of our Heavenly Father. 

12 Weeks

When my Daddy first received his diagnosis, we were told that without treatment, he might live twelve weeks. Most patients with advanced stage melanoma, until recently, had very few options for treatment. Now, there are options that have been quickly brought to the forefront because of the success they are having in stopping and even reversing the progression of the disease in the body. With my Daddy, the palpable tumors that we could find have either reduced in size or vanished. It is so encouraging and all I can say is, praise the Lord!

Our other battlefront is the brain. I did not realize, until we started learning more through this journey, that the brain must be treated completely separately from the body. Chemotherapy drugs do not treat the brain because of the blood brain barrier. So, after gamma knife surgery and whole brain radiotherapy, my dad has had what his radiation oncologist called, "a boatload of radiation". We are just beginning to experience the long term side effects, but are hopeful that this most recent treatment will eliminate the 21 visible tumors in his brain.

The amazing news in all of this is at his most recent appointment, his follow-up MRI was scheduled for twelve weeks away....early November!!! Scheduling the appointment made me so hopeful for a positive prognosis. We have gone from only 12 weeks to live to scheduling appointments 12 weeks away. I don't know what God has in store, but I know that all of this is to display His glory. We are thankful for a little more time with my Daddy, here on Earth, but know that His ultimate hope and healing lies in the hands of Our Heavenly Father!